Reconciling External Systems and Physical Data

This task explains how the reconciliation is done between external systems and physical data.
A unique identifier is shared between external system data and CATIA 3D data.
This identifier is named the Id attribute in the exchange schema. The link between the external system devices and the physical device is done by copying this Id to the reference designator from the external system to the physical one. Then:

  1. Between connectors:

    A check is performed between the external system connector Part Number and the physical connector Part Number:
    • If they are identical: the link is done
    • If the external system connector Part Number is empty: the link is automatically done.
    • If the external system connector Part Number is different from the physical connector Part Number, a message is displayed. You can decide whether or not you want to create the link (using the OK or Cancel buttons). If you create the link, the instance name of the physical connector will be replaced by the instance name of the external system connector.

    Then a check is performed between the sub-entities Id Number: the external system contacts and physical cavities, terminations:

    • If the Id Number is identical, the link is created between sub-entities.
      For example, a pin in the 3D data is mapped to its external counterpart, using this mechanism. Then the pin Id coming from the external electrical specification is set as reference designator for the connector termination in the 3D session.
    • If some Id Number attributes are different, a message warns you that only some of the sub-entities have been linked.

  2. Between equipment or between shells:

    A check is performed between the external system Part Number and the physical equipment Part Number:
    • If it is identical: the link is done.
    • If the external system equipment Part Number is empty: the link is automatically done.
    • If the external system equipment Part Number is different from the physical equipment Part Number, a message is displayed. You can decide whether you want to create the link (using the OK button) or not (Cancel).

    At that time, the external system connectors have to be reconciled with the physical connectors of the equipment: the mapping is done between the external system connector Name and the cavity Id Number of the equipment. When a cavity Id Number is compatible, the connector plugged in this cavity is reconciled with the external system connector.
    For example: an equipment has two cavities, with IdNum1 and IdNum2 as Id Number.
    If the external system specification mentioned that a connector is plugged in IdNum1, and if, in the 3D session, a connector with the compatible Part Number is connected within this cavity, the system will automatically link this connector by setting its reference designator to the Id of the connector coming from the external specifications.

    Then the checks are performed for the sub-entities (see paragraph 1 above) of the connectors previously linked (as explained above).

  3. Automatic placement of a connector on an equipment already realized:

    If an external system consists of an equipment with connectors, and the equipment is already realized but not the connectors, when you place the physical connectors from the catalog using the Link button of the Manage Links command , they are automatically placed at the correct location in the cavities of the equipment, and the electrical connection is performed at the same time.
External electrical specifications can give a more detailed definition than CATIA, and the routing will be correctly performed:
In 3D, the terminations can be missing. The links between the connectors is enough to route wires even if the wire from-to connectivity definition is at the pin level in the external specifications (xml file).
To know more about wire routing from external data, refer to Considering External Data Routing in Greater Depth.