---
pdfexport: true
alias: tutorials-experiment-management-using-experiment-management
timetoread: true
tutorial: full
description: "Manage experiments within the Critical Manufacturing MES for optimized production runs"
---

# Using the Experiment Management Module

## Create Experiment

To validate the hypothesis of an Experiment Definition, associate it with a Material. There are two ways to create an Experiment:

1. Select an Experiment Definition and then a Material.
1. Select a Material and then an Experiment Definition.

A Material selected for an **Experiment Definition** must have the following properties defined:

- Product or Product Group
- Flow
- Material Type
- Material Form (if defined in the Experiment Definition)
- The sub-material form and number of required sub-materials, if the selected Mode is Sub-Materials

After selecting a Material and an Experiment Definition, if the Mode is Sub-Materials, you need to define the sub-materials to be assigned to each Sub-Material Number of the Experiment Definition, as shown in the image below. The system allows automatic assignment of the sub-materials to each Sub-Material Number, as shown in the image below, with the following options:

- **Sorted by Sub-Material Name** - the first experiment number is assigned to the first sub-material, sorted by name in ascending order.
- **Sorted by Container and Position** - the first experiment number is assigned to the first sub-material, sorted by Container and Position in ascending order.
- **Random** - positions are randomly assigned.

If the Maximum Number of Materials is defined, then the number of experiments must not exceed this number.

!!! info
	A Material can only be assigned to a single Experiment at a time.

![Experiment creation Sub-Materials wizard step](../../../images/Experiment_image20.png)

![Automatic assignment of sub-material groups](../../../images/Experiment_image21.png)

## Close Experiment

When the Material or its Sub-Materials reach the last Step of the Experiment and all the Actions have been performed, the Experiment transitions to the Completed state.

If **Close Experiment Automatically** is set to `true`, the Experiment closes automatically and can be edited before it is closed. Otherwise, the **Close** action is enabled on the Experiment page. Optionally, a Result and a Conclusion can be associated with the Experiment, as shown in the image below:

![Close Experiment wizard](../../../images/Experiment_image22.png)

## Experiment Page

The Experiment page allows you to check its details, actions to be performed, and associated sub-materials when the Experiment Definition uses Sub-Materials. There are two available views: Details and Matrix.

In the Details view, you can see the Experiment configurations and the associated Material and Sub-Materials, as shown in the image below:

![Experiment details view](../../../images/Experiment_image23.png)

A Matrix view is also available, and it displays the defined actions for each Sub-Material per Step and Material Group, as shown in the image below. By selecting a Sub-Material and expanding the side Details tab, you can view additional information about the Experiment, Step, Action, and Sub-Material.

![Experiment Matrix view](../../../images/Experiment_image24.png)

## Executing an Experiment

The Experiment Management module automatically executes and controls all actions defined in an **Experiment Definition**. This ensures that experiment-related operations, such as material splits, merges, containment actions, and process deviations, are performed consistently and according to the configured experiment rules.

The module is particularly valuable in complex manufacturing environments, where experiment materials may coexist with production materials and require independent execution paths while maintaining full traceability and process control.

This section explains how to create and execute an **Experiment Instance** from start to finish.

### Simple Scenario: Coating Recipe Test Exploring Containment Actions

The following video demonstrates how to create an Experiment Instance for the scenario described in the [[tutorials-experiment-management-introduction#simple-scenario-coating-recipe-test-exploring-containment-actions]]. It also covers the complete execution flow, ensuring that all actions defined in the **Experiment Definition** are performed as expected.

<!-- Video filename: experiment_execution_part_one.mp4 -->
{% set video_id = 'ae411cd65b752eb65ffd5d9cf1b67b1d' %}
{% include-markdown 'includes/cloudflare_stream.md' %}

### Advanced Scenario: Developer Recipe Test Exploring Mixed Control Groups

The following video demonstrates the execution of the scenario described in the [[tutorials-experiment-management-introduction#advanced-scenario-developer-recipe-test-exploring-mixed-control-groups]], covering the complete lifecycle of the experiment, from material assignment through automatic experiment closure.

<!-- Video filename: experiment_execution_part_two.mp4 -->
{% set video_id = '9c41729f875ba2d105240a168b174642' %}
{% include-markdown 'includes/cloudflare_stream.md' %}