Installed Base Management is the virtual representation of objects installed at customer sites/used by customers to facilitate efficient and effective Service Management and customer request handling. Object Families, Object Subfamilies and Models are maintained in the installed base to help manage the service-related information for the Service Objects.
Models are usually a representation of what would be found in catalogs or brochures and describe something customers “would know” i.e. the model that they have installed/have problems with. Models contain technical details such as whether the model is serialized, its standard warranty, default meter/parameter information, spare parts, skills. The model acts as a template for creation of service objects and the information defined on the model record is copied to any Service Object it is associated with.
In installed base, Parts are used to identify items that are sold to customers or used during service or repair. A part is the smallest unit of inventory and can be one item, a sub-assembly, or an assembly. A part number as is mostly used as an internal number or reflects a manufacturing part number. It is possible to use the already created parts in the system and connect them to Models.
A Service Bill of Materials (SBOM) is a list of all of the serviceable components of a product. Unlike a traditional BOM primarily used in manufacturing and assembly, a Service BOM focuses on the parts, components, and materials required for after-sales service or support. SBOM is defined for Models, and SBOM will contain Models. Those Models can be grouped using SBOM Groups. Spares defined on the Models in the SBOM will be included in the SBOM.
Service Objects contain detailed information about something installed at a customer location and that the service provider services and/or covers under a service contract and/or warranty. Service Objects can contain a Model ID, which is commonly what the customer would know it as. Service Objects are sometimes linked to a Part Serial record to enable tracking in both inventory as well as when they are sold and/or returned. A Service Object can be associated with both a part and a model.
When a service object is connected to a part and the part has a model connected, the model will automatically be connected to the object.
When a service object is created with a Model having an SBOM, the object structure will be generated automatically according to the SBOM.
A service object connected to a model will inherit service-related information from the Model.
A hierarchy is maintained through Object Family/Object Subfamily, Model and the Service Object in order to inherit, reflect and recommend service-related
information for the service objects and the services performed on them. However,
inheritance will only happen when there is a model connected to the service
object.
Example: Consider 'Certificate A' is inherited from the 'Object
Family B', where 'Model C' and 'Model D' are connected to 'Object Family B'.
'Certificate A' will therefore be inherited to both 'Model C' and 'Model D'.
Further, it will also be inherited to all service objects connected to 'Model C' and 'Model D'.
Excluding an inherited item: An inherited item that is displayed
on any level of the hierarchy can be marked as 'Excluded'. When excluded, the
item will be excluded down the hierarchy to all the places that inherited it
from the excluded parent.
Example: Consider 'Certificate A' is inherited
from the 'Object Family B', where 'Model C' and 'Model D' are connected to 'Object
Family B'. When the user excludes 'Certificate A' in 'Model C', Model C along
with the service objects connected to it will consider 'Certificate'
as 'Excluded' while 'Model D' and the service objects connected
to it will still have an active inheritance for 'Certificate A'.
Including an excluded item: When an item is inherited, but
excluded, the exclusion can be revoked using the 'Include' action. However,
the inclusion can happen only from the hierarchy level that the exclusion was
performed.
Example: Consider 'Certificate A' is Inherited from
'Object Family B' to 'Model C' and the service objects connected to 'Model
C' and it has been excluded from 'Model C'. In this situation, the user cannot
include the certificate again from a service object under 'Model C'.
The only place the inclusion is allowed is at 'Model C'.
Below table shows the guidelines followed when inheriting different service attributes to different levels of the hierarchy.
| Service Attribute | From Object Family/Subfamily to Model | From Model to Object |
| Skills (Skills, Certificates and Competencies) | Inherited | Inherited |
| Recurring Packages | N/A | N/A |
| Spares | N/A | Inherited |
| Testpoints and Parameters | N/A | Instantiated |
| Warranty | N/A | Instantiated |