Visual pathfinder for product structure recursions
View Patent ↗A system and method to identify recursion in a virtual product structure. Initially, the virtual product structure is analyzed to identify the existence of a recursion. Once a recursion is identified, a graphical representation of the virtual product structure is generated and displayed to graphically exposure the recursion. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
1. A method comprising:
analyzing, in a computer, a virtual product structure, the virtual product structure corresponding to a physical product, to identify a recursion in the product structure, a recursion existing when a lower level item in the product structure is the same as a higher level item in the product structure, wherein analyzing comprises:
identifying a relation that causes the recursion;
generating a graphical representation of the product structure exposing the recursion;
displaying the graphical representation within a graphical user interface on an electronic display;
severing the relation that causes the recursion in the graphical user interface; and
propagating the severing to a persistent storage of the virtual product structure.
2. A method comprising:
analyzing, in a computer, a virtual product structure, the virtual product structure corresponding to a physical product, to identify a recursion in the product structure, a recursion existing when a lower level item in the product structure is the same as a higher level item in the product structure;
generating a graphical representation of the product structure exposing the recursion, wherein generating comprises:
defining a distinct representation for each source type of data contributing to the virtual product structure; and
displaying the graphical representation within a graphical user interface on electronic display.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the distinct representation is distinct in at least one of shape and color.
4. A system comprising:
a processor;
a recursion analysis module to execute on the processor to identify a recursion in a virtual product structure;
an electronic display coupled to the processor;
a graphical user interface (GUI) to create a representation of a virtual product structure exposing a source of the recursion, wherein the GUI distinctly represents each source type that contributes data to the virtual product structure, and wherein the GUI comprises:
a tool to severe a relationship within the representation of the virtual product that causes the recursion in the graphical user interface; and
a tool to propagate the severing to a persistent storage unit of the virtual product structure; and
the persistent storage unit.
5. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored therein which when executed by a processor cause the processor to:
analyze, in a computer, a virtual product structure to identify a recursion;
generate a graphical representation of the product structure exposing the recursion;
display the graphical representation within a graphical user interface on an electronic display;
sever a relation that causes the recursion in the graphical user interface; and
propagate the severing to a persistent storage of the virtual product structure.