---
alias: user-guide-product-group-index
description: "Product Groups organize product families, streamlining data and facilitating context resolution processes"
---

# Product Group

:lock: ProductGroup.**Show**

## Overview

A **Product Group** represents a **Product** family that shares many characteristics. It is used primarily for two purposes:

1. Define *Product Parameters* that are shared across many **Products**.
2. Reduce the number of context resolution entries by using the **Product Group** instead of the **Product**.

## Global and Versioned Data

A **Product Group**, being a change controlled object contains global data and versioned data components as show in the next picture:

```mermaid
graph TD
subgraph Product Group
Main1["Global Data<br>(Without Change Control)"] --- A1[None]
Main2["Versioned Data<br>(With Change Control)"] --- A2[All other]
end


classDef mermaid_title color:#000, fill:#fafafa, stroke:#fafafa, stroke-width:0x, font-size:100%, font-weight:200;
classDef mermaid_start color:#000, fill:#fafafa, stroke:#fafafa, color:#fafafa, stroke-width:0x, font-size:100%, visibility: hidden;
classDef mermaid_businessdata color:#000, fill:#65CDE8, stroke:#65CDE8, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_nonbusinessdata color:#000, fill:#B7DEE8, stroke:#B7DEE8, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_entity color:#000, fill:#FB9F53, stroke:#FB9F53, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_entitylinked color:#000, fill:#FCD5B5, stroke:#FCD5B5, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_context color:#000, fill:#B9CDE5, stroke:#B9CDE5, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_optional color:#000, fill:#B7DEE8, stroke:#65CDE8, stroke-width:1px, font-size:100%, stroke-dasharray: 5 5;
classDef mermaid_state color:#000, fill:#d7e4bd, stroke:#000, stroke-width:1px, font-size:100%, font-weight:300;
class Main1,Main2 mermaid_entity
class A1,A2 mermaid_entitylinked
```

A **Product Group** is also an optional element in several context resolution tables:

* [BOMContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/bomcontext.md)
* [MaterialChecklistContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/materialchecklistcontext.md)
* [MaterialDataCollectionContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/materialdatacollectioncontext.md)
* [MaterialDocumentContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/materialdocumentcontext.md)
* [MaterialDurablesContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/materialdurablescontext.md)
* [MaterialPrintableDocumentContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/materialprintabledocumentcontext.md)
* [RecipeContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/recipecontext.md)
* [RecipeParameterOverrideContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/recipeparameteroverridecontext.md)
* [ResourceProcessTime](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/resourceprocesstime.md)
* [ServiceContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/servicecontext.md)
* [StepCertificationRequirementsContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/stepcertificationrequirementscontext.md)
* [StepChartContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/stepchartcontext.md)
* [StepProductYieldAndCycleTimeContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/stepproductyieldandcycletimecontext.md)
* [StepSamplingPatternContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/stepsamplingpatterncontext.md)
* [StepSplitTrackOutContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/stepsplittrackoutcontext.md)
* [TimeConstraintsContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/timeconstraintscontext.md)

## Tying Everything Together

```mermaid
graph LR
    A1[Product] --- Main[Product Group]
    Main === L1[Product Group Parameter]

classDef mermaid_title color:#000, fill:#fafafa, stroke:#fafafa, stroke-width:0x, font-size:100%, font-weight:200;
classDef mermaid_start color:#000, fill:#fafafa, stroke:#fafafa, color:#fafafa, stroke-width:0x, font-size:100%, visibility: hidden;
classDef mermaid_businessdata color:#000, fill:#65CDE8, stroke:#65CDE8, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_nonbusinessdata color:#000, fill:#B7DEE8, stroke:#B7DEE8, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_entity color:#000, fill:#FB9F53, stroke:#FB9F53, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_entitylinked color:#000, fill:#FCD5B5, stroke:#FCD5B5, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_context color:#000, fill:#B9CDE5, stroke:#B9CDE5, stroke-width:0px, font-size:100%;
classDef mermaid_optional color:#000, fill:#B7DEE8, stroke:#65CDE8, stroke-width:1px, font-size:100%, stroke-dasharray: 5 5;
class Main mermaid_entity
class A1,A2,A3,A4,A5,A6,A7,A8,A9,A10 mermaid_businessdata
class L1,L2,L3,L4,L5,L6 mermaid_entitylinked
class C1,C2,C3,C4,C5,C6 mermaid_context
class N1,N2,N3,N4,N5,N6 mermaid_nonbusinessdata

click Main "../../business-data/product-group"
click A1 "../../business-data/product"
click L1 "../../business-data/parameter"
```

## Sequence Of Steps

The necessary steps for correctly using a **Product Group** are the following:

1. Create a **Product Group** - note that it is necessary to associate the **Product Group Version** to a **Change Set**.
2. Approve the **Change Set** which contains the **Product Group Version** that has been created.

!!! info
	For convenience, the Product Group can be configured to use implicit Change Sets. Please refer to the [Change Set](../change-set/index.md) for more information.

{{ generate_index() }}