--- alias: user-guide-step-index description: "A Step represents a manufacturing process operation and its associated data" --- # Step :lock: Step.**Show** ## Overview A **Step** represents a manufacturing process operation and represents the smallest trackable process unit for **Material** (in the context of this document, material represents any work in progress). In a **Step**, a service is performed on **Material**. Given the **Step**, the **Service** to be performed may depend optionally on the **Flow, Product** or even **Material** (for experiment or override purposes). The service resolution information to be applied for a given material at a **Step** is called **Service Context**. A **Step** has optionally associated a defined set of loss, bonus, rework and hold reasons, which are applicable for material quantity loss, material quantity gain, material rework and hold, respectively. A **Step** has defined primary and, optionally, secondary quantity units. **Step** primary units are set (only when the Set Units property is selected). If **Material** arrives at the **Step** with different primary or secondary quantity units, the new primary or secondary unit quantities will be converted using the defined **Product** unit of conversion factors. All **Material** created at a **Step** must necessarily have the primary and, optionally, secondary units defined for that **Step**. A **Material** is always in a **Step** and **Flow**. Since **Steps** and **Flows** can be reused within the same **Flow**, it is necessary to uniquely identify the position of the **Material** along the flow by its **Flow Path**. The reusability potential of **Steps** and **Flows** is reflected in the use of **Logical Names** and **Logical Flow Paths**: * A **Logical Name** is an optional qualified name for a **Step** or **Flow** within a specific **Flow** version that designates the **Intended Usage** of the **Step** or **Flow**. * A **Logical Flow Path** is a simple sequence of all the **Logical Names** of the **Step** and **Flow**. This means you do not need to duplicate **Steps** and **Flows**, and you can reuse the same **Steps** and **Flows** but with different contexts/intents. For example, in situations where you repeat a sequence of **Steps** but some parameters are different (Durables, Recipe, BOM, and other). The **Logical Name** feature gives you the freedom to specify the usage, purpose or intent of your **Step**, and it is assigned when you create the **Flow**. !!! note **Logical Names** are pre-defined and managed at the **Step** and **Flow** level. ## Tying Everything Together ```mermaid graph LR A1[Flow] --- A2[Flow Step] --- Main[Step] === L1[Sampling Plan] A3[Data Collection Instance] -.- Main A4[Material] --- Main A5[Protocol] -.- Main A6[Facility] --- A7[Area] --- A8[Step Area] --- Main -.- A9[Workgroup Step] L3[Step Logical Name] -.- Main A10[Product] -.- Main A11[Schedule Scenario Job] -.- Main A12[Notification] -.- Main Main -.- C1[BOM Context] Main -.- C2[Material Checklist Context] Main -.- C3[Material Data Collection Context] Main -.- C4[Material Document Context] Main -.- C5[Material Durables Context] Main -.- C6[Service Context] Main -.- C7[Step Certification Requirements Context] Main -.- C8[Step Chart Context] Main -.- C9[Step Inspection Plan Context] Main -.- C10[Step Line Flow Context] Main -.- C11[Step Product Yield and Cycle Time Context] Main -.- C12[Step Sampling Pattern Context] Main -.- C13[Step Split Trackout Context] Main -.- C14[Time Constraints Context] 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,A11,A12 mermaid_businessdata class L1,L2,L3,L4,L5,L6,L7,L8,L9 mermaid_entitylinked class C1,C2,C3,C4,C5,C6,C7,C8,C9,C10,C11,C12,C13,C14 mermaid_context class N1,N2,N3,N4,N5,N6 mermaid_nonbusinessdata click Main "../../business-data/step" click A1 "../../business-data/flow" click A2 "../../business-data/step" click A3 "../../business-data/data-collection/data-collection-instance" click A4 "../../business-data/material" click A5 "../../business-data/protocol" click A6 "../../business-data/facility" click A7 "../../business-data/area" click A8 "../../business-data/area" click A9 "../../business-data/step" click A10 "../../business-data/product" click A11 "../../business-data/schedule" click A12 "../../business-data/notification" click C1 "../../administration/tables/smart-tables/bomcontext" click C2 "../../administration/tables/smart-tables/materialchecklistcontext" click C3 "../../administration/tables/smart-tables/materialdatacollectioncontext" click C4 "../../administration/tables/smart-tables/materialdocumentcontext" click C5 "../../administration/tables/smart-tables/materialdurablescontext" click C6 "../../administration/tables/smart-tables/servicecontext" click C7 "../../administration/tables/smart-tables/stepcertificationrequirementscontext" click C8 "../../administration/tables/smart-tables/stepchartcontext" click C9 "../../administration/tables/smart-tables/stepinspectionplancontext" click C10 "../../administration/tables/smart-tables/steplineflowcontext" click C11 "../../administration/tables/smart-tables/stepproductyieldandcycletimecontext" click C12 "../../administration/tables/smart-tables/stepsamplingpatterncontext" click C13 "../../administration/tables/smart-tables/stepsplittrackoutcontext" click C14 "../../administration/tables/smart-tables/timeconstraintscontext" ``` A **Step** 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) * [ServiceContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/servicecontext.md) * [StepCertificationRequirementsContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/stepcertificationrequirementscontext.md) * [StepChartContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/stepchartcontext.md) * [StepInspectionPlanContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/stepinspectionplancontext.md) * [StepLineFlowContext](../../administration/tables/smart-tables/steplineflowcontext.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) ## Sequence Of Steps The necessary actions for correctly using a **Step** are the following: 1. Optionally create loss, bonus, rework and hold Reasons. 2. Optionally create a **Sort Rule Set**. 3. Create the **Step**. 4. Create a **Flow** that uses that **Step**. !!! info For more information, see the [[tutorials-flowmodeling-index]] tutorial. {{ generate_index() }}