In this dialog, you can specify certain user-specific settings for your work with part selection and parts management.

Overview of the main dialog elements:

Part selection with scheme selection:

If you select this check box, a new selection dialog will open whenever you start a part selection; select a scheme from a drop-down list and click [...] to view / edit the settings. This will allow you to fill the device list with data from different data sources, for example.
If the check box is not selected (default setting), there is no further selection.

Scheme:

Select the scheme that you wish to use or edit from the drop-down list. You can also use the adjacent toolbar for this purpose.

Access:

Select this option here in order to then interactively select the *.mdb database file via [...].

You can use the Insert path variable popup menu item to branch to the dialog Select path variable where you can select one of the available path variables.

Or click (New) in order to generate a new database in the subsequent dialog.

The current database is then displayed in the title bar of the Parts management dialog.

SQL server:

Select this option and click [...] to specify the settings for using an SQL server in the SQL server setting dialog.
Or click (New) in order to generate a new database in the subsequent dialog.
Or you select the desired SQL database from the drop-down list of the 15 ones last used. In it the databases used last are listed at the top. When a new database that is not yet contained in the list is opened / generated , the lowest database may be removed from the list. The list can be emptied with the exception of the database currently being used via the popup menu item Delete entries.

The currently selected server is then displayed in the title bar of the Parts management dialog.

Use SQL server full-text search:

If this check box is activated, parts management uses the full-text search integrated on the SQL server for the Full-text filter field. The search index is generated during the first full-text search routine and automatically updated by the SQL server whenever parts data is changed. Since the update is performed on the SQL server, no additional computing power is needed by EPLAN, thus accelerating the search.

If the check box is deactivated, the same full-text search is used as for an Access parts database even when using the SQL server.

API:

Click [...] to open the Settings: API part selection dialog. It is there that you specify which parts properties should be used from the external database and which should be saved in the project.

Extend parts data using:

If the EPLAN-specific technical parts data are to be supplemented by commercial data from coupled systems such as PMS, you can achieve this by using the table of the subsequent dialog Extend parts data that is opened by using the [...] button. So when you select a scheme for part selection, not only can you determine a data source (Scheme field in this dialog), but you can also select other data sources that must also be defined as schemes.

Tree configuration:

Select the scheme to be used for displaying the tree in parts management and part selection from this drop-down list. Click [...] to edit an existing scheme or create a new scheme using the Tree configuration dialog.
If different tree view are desired for part selection and parts management (e.g. one for project design and one for master data editing), you can create several schemes with different tree configurations in the part settings and easily switch between the tree views by selecting a scheme.

Break up assembly:

If this check box is selected, assemblies are broken apart, and the part numbers of the individual components of the assembly are assigned to the device.
If the check box is deselected, the part number of the assembly is assigned to the device.

The check box is deselected by default. You can then decide, when creating reports, whether assemblies should be broken down, and e.g. the bills of materials should show the part and order numbers of the assembly or of the individual parts.

Up to level:

If you have selected the Break up assembly check box, then enter the number of hierarchical levels of assemblies that should be broken down here.

Modification allowed during selection:

If this check box is selected, existing parts in the parts management module are modified and new parts are created when you select a part on the Parts tab of the Properties dialog for components. In the case of an outdated parts database a query is then also placed for updating at the part selection.

If the check box is not selected, parts can only be selected. They cannot be created or edited.

Placeholder object / Macro box: Adopt part number without synchronizing parts:

If this check box is activated, the Conflict dialog is not displayed for the value set assignment via a placeholder object / macro box, and no data are transferred from the parts management.

If the check box is deactivated the Conflict dialog is displayed and you can decide which data to retain and which will be overwritten.

[Other]:

Click this button to open the dialog Settings: Parts management.

See also

Parts Management