Data Collection Fundamentals
If you use the Enter Quality Results window to enter, the following rules are applied. Note that these rules also apply to transactional data collection except where noted.
Specification Selection
When you enter quality data using a collection plan that has been associated with a specification type, you are prompted to find and assign a specification before you can enter quality results.
For example, if you associated the customer specification type with your collection plan, you are prompted to select a customer specification. You can select a customer specification, a specification of another type, or no specification at all. See: Finding Specifications While Entering Results Directly.
Specification Limits Assignment Rules
You can define specification limits for collection elements and specification elements. When you enter quality data for collection plan elements, specification limit target values and specification limit ranges may or may not be displayed at the bottom of the Enter Quality Results window. If and which specification limit values are displayed is determined by your setup. See: Specification Limit Assignment Rules.
If a specification is selected and the QA:Default Specification Target profile option is set to Yes, the following rules apply:
- When you enter results for a collection plan element that corresponds to a specification element on the selected specification, then the specification limits from the specification element are defaulted and displayed at the bottom of the Enter Quality Results window.
- When you enter results for a collection plan element that does not correspond to a specification element on the assigned specification, the specification limit fields at the bottom of the Enter Quality Results window are left blank. They are not defaulted from the collection element.
- Specification Not Selected
If a specification is not selected, the following rules apply:
- When you enter results for a collection plan element, then the specification limits from the collection element are defaulted and displayed at the bottom of the Enter Quality Results window.
- When you enter results for a collection plan element, but there are no specification limits defined for the collection element, the specification limit fields are left blank.
Suggestion: You can easily determine the source of defaulted target values and specification limits. If target values and specification limits are defaulted from specification elements, the name of the specification appears in Spec Name field at the bottom of the window. If target values and specification limits are default from collection elements, this field remains blank.
Note: If you have the profile option QA:Blind Entry set to Yes, specification limits are defaulted as described above but are not displayed. See: QA:Blind Results Entry.
Default Value Assignment Rules
When you enter quality data, which default values are displayed is determined per the following rules.
- Default Values from Collection Plan Elements
If your collection plan elements have default values, these values are displayed without exception. You can enter default values as you define as collection plan elements.
- Default Values from Specification Element Target Values
You can specify that the target values (not default values) that were entered as you defined specification elements are displayed by setting the QA:Default Specifications Target profile option to Yes.
Attention: Deriving the default value from the specification element target value is most useful when it is difficult or impossible to determine a reasonable default value for a collection plan element.
- Default Values from Collection Element Target Values
If the QA:Default Specifications Target profile option is set to No, the target values that were entered as you defined colection element specification limits are used. Target values from collection elements are also defaulted if no specification element target values are defined.
Dependencies and Data Entry Order
When you enter quality results in the Enter Quality Results window, dependencies between context elements are enforced. For example, you cannot enter a value for To/From Operation Sequence without first entering a value for Job or Line. See: Context Element Dependencies.
Quality Actions
When you enter quality results, the action rules associated with collection plan elements are evaluated to determine whether to invoke alerts, notifications, or other actions. Invoked actions may be processed on-line or concurrently.
Collection Number
Collection numbers are used to group and track quality results. The collection number counter is incremented each time quality results are saved.
Attachments
You can view collection plan or specification attachments as you enter quality results. Attachments, which are illustrative or explanatory files, can be used to help guide you through the quality results entry process.
See Also
Defining Collection Elements
Defining Collection Plan Elements
Defining Specification Elements
QA:Default Specification Target
