Valid Model Table

IntelliPart defines a "component" as "any identifiable piece of equipment which uses your parts." A component could be, for example, a vehicle, an engine, an axle, a transmission, a motorcycle, a snowmobile, a combine, or a windrower.

Each component can have any number of "levels." For a Vehicle component, you might use six levels: Region, Manufacturer, Vehicle-Type, Make, Model and Sub-model. For an Engine component, you might use only three: Manufacturer, Base and Version. For your Lawn/Garden components, you might want to define a "Class" level to contain Garden Tractors, Power Rakes, Tillers, etc. (So, the levels would be Manufacturer, Class and Model).

Production "break types" (e.g. years, serial numbers, model numbers, etc.) can be set up for each component type. This means, for example, that a Vehicle can have Year breaks and an Engine can have both Year and Serial Number breaks.

In addition, components may be "linked" together. This means that a 1998 Ford V6 2.0L DOHC engine could be linked to the 1998 Ford Taurus. This can provide a tremendous advantage when performing research if your parts are engine specific but you still want to catalog by vehicle.

An "Option Dictionary" is also used to create factory (or dealer) options which were available on components that made a difference for the application of your parts. An example of an option is w/AC. The use of a table for these options insures consistency and also provides a central way to "map" options to external tables such as Polk, AAIA and CCI/Triad.