A configurable part represents one type of product variation within a product line. A configurable part itself has little meaning without specific configuration information.
A part must be defined as a configurable part in Part when it is created. Before working with a configurable part, you must first associate the part with a configuration family to establish the configuration characteristics used to describe this part. (For more information, see About Configuration Families, About Configuration Characteristics, and About Configuration Part Specification Revisions.)
The configured values for the part must be specified when you wish to work with a configured part in a quotation, sales order, manufacturing order, etc. For example, the Doors configuration family might contain the configurable base parts Exterior Doors and Interior Doors, each of which shares the characteristic Hinge Type. Base parts belonging to the same configuration family typically share common characteristics.
For inventory valuation of configurable parts, two methods can be used: Cost per Part, where a single value is used for all configurations of a configurable part, and Cost per Configuration, where a specific value is used for each configuration. Select either Cost per Part or Cost Per Configuration in the Inventory Part Cost Level field of the Inventory Part window. Next, in Interim Demand Header or DOP Order, calculate the cost and verify the results of the costing screens. Note that in Costing, costs are presented as cost per unit, while in Interim Order and DOP Order they are presented as cost per order. Correct any parts with zero cost (found in DOP Log or in Result Log of Interim Demand Header). Then recalculate the structure. Finally, to save the standard cost, select Save Standard Cost in Interim Demand Header or DOP Order. To save the cost amounts divided by the order quantities (cost per unit) in Inventory Part/Costs, use the default configuration ID (*), set the inventory valuation method to Standard Cost, set the supplier invoice consideration to Ignore Invoice Price, assign a configuration specification to the part, and select the Cost Per Configuration cost level.