Product Structure

Product Structure is the data object representing the hierarchical decomposition of a product into technical objects (parts, assemblies, subsystems, features) along with their associated product data — and crucially, multiple coexisting views (as-designed, as-planned, as-built, as-maintained, as-required) of that same hierarchy. Per CIMdata, it “embodies the organization of all of the design and production data for a product.”

Product structure vs BOM (load-bearing distinction)

These terms are commonly conflated, but Pinquié et al. (2015) draw a sharp boundary that this KB adopts:

• A product structure is hierarchical, dynamic, multi-view, can hold an entire customised products family (variants and options), and includes the product data attached to each node.
• A BOM is a filtered snapshot of one structural view at one point in time, listing only the technical objects and selected attributes for one customised product. See MBOM vs EBOM.

What it covers

• Hierarchical part-of relationships between technical objects.
• Structural views — functional, as-designed (EBOM), as-planned (MBOM), as-built (aBOM), service.
• Filtered views — projections by metadata (compliance, supplier, geography).
• Variant and effectivity rules that resolve a configurable BOM into a buildable BOM.
• Linked product data — CAD files, specifications, tolerance studies, simulations.

Relationships (see sidebar)

• Has part the MBOM and EBOM views and the Configurable BOM.
• Conforms to ISO 10007 for configuration-management practice.
• Supports BOM Management, Configuration Management, and Systems Engineering.
• Implemented by all major PLM platforms.