Anatomy of the Components Table

Objective: To learn how to best utilize the components library.

Difficulty: Easy

In this article:

1. Page layout

2. CPN and name

3. Component view

4. Lifecycle stages

5. Revisions

6. Documents

7. Sourcing

8. Assembly

9. Variants

10. Pro Tips

Though it holds a massive amount of information, the components library is straightforward and easy to navigate. Components function as the building blocks of products; knowing how to filter through the details, import/create components, and export information is critical. In this article, we will review what each tool within the table signifies, and you will learn how to utilize each of them to your advantage.

Page Layout

Components are the fundamental elements of your product. These parts and assemblies define the "recipe" to procure and assemble the finished component. Every component has a set of fields that are present regardless of the category type. Some fields are only visible for specific category types.

Components table layout

To navigate to the components table, follow the below steps.

1. Log into your Duro account.
2. In the left sidebar, select Components.
3. This displays a dashboard of all your company's components, regardless of lifecycle status. 

The components table is also accessible via the quick access bar from your dashboard. Scroll to the bottom of your dashboard to find the Add or Import Components shortcut.

The below section details each function and feature within the components table. 

CPN and name

Each component is assigned a distinct Customer Part Number (CPN) value to identify it within a company's library uniquely. Duro supports several industry-standard CPN schemas, often referred to as "intelligent," "non-Intelligent," and "semi-Intelligent" formats. The default CPN scheme for all of Duro's package options uses a "semi-intelligent" schema with a fixed-length string of numbers in the following format:

<3-digit prefix> - <5-digit counter> 

In this scheme, the first three digits define the component's specific category. The last five digits are a counter value that increments with every new instance of the selected category. 

If you would like to configure your account to use a different CPN schema or category configuration, please contact [e-mail] for more information.

Once assigned, the CPN value is immutable* and cannot be reused by another component, even if the original component is deleted. This is Duro's guarantee to customers to remove the risk of miscommunication between team members and suppliers. Duro does not know if a CPN reference has been used in communications with a supplier outside of Duro's library. So, to be safe, Duro retires the number once assigned, ensuring there is never a chance that two different components use the same CPN value.

This guarantee makes the CPN field the most efficient reference value for tracking the history and usage of components and minimizing the risk of miscommunication between engineers and suppliers. While the component name field is more user-friendly and readable, it is mutable and exposes a risk of subjectivity or ambiguity if not properly written.

Note: The only exception to modifying a CPN value is if a component is still in DESIGN status and the category has been re-assigned. In this case, the CPN will update to use the new category's prefix code.

Component view

Select a component linked within the library table to view an individual component. Once in the component view (pictured above), you will see four separate tiles of information at the top of your screen: Component Overview, Details, and Specs. In the following sections, you will see two images of each of the aforementioned tiles, one in view-only mode and the second in edit mode. To access edit mode, click on the pencil icon in the toolbar in the upper right-hand corner of the product view. 

Component overview

The Component Overview tile contains the following information about the component: Category, Customer Part Number (CPN), External ID (EID), Revision Value, and Lifecycle Status. If a component image is set, the image will show at the top of this tile.

View only                                                              Edit mode

   

Details

The center Details tile contains the following information: MPN (manufacturer part number), MFR (manufacturer of record), MIN QTY (minimum quantity), unit price, lead time, the created date, modified date, and the individual who last modified it. 

Note: The appearance of the View and Edit modes is identical since the primary sourcing information displayed originates from the sourcing tab and cannot be edited directly within the Details tab.

View only                                                               Edit mode

Specs

The Specs tile contains relevant metadata about the component and allows components to be defined as non-revision-controlled items. This can include basic information such as size, procurement method, and unit of measurement as well as category-specific metadata relevant to the component category. For a full list of our categories and associated specifications, please refer to our article on Categories.  

View only                                                               Edit mode

   

Lifecycle stages

Each component has a status value that identifies the current lifecycle stage. Earlier status stages have more flexibility for editing and use looser data validation rules. As a component progresses towards production, validation rules will become more stringent, guiding you towards a clean and complete, production-ready Bill of Materials (BOM).

Design

This is the earliest stage in which components experience the most fluctuation and uncertainty. While in design status, components do not use strict revision control. Users can save their edits to the current revision or as a new revision, and they can be deleted while still in design status.

Prototype

In the prototype stage, physical instantiations of a component have been produced, typically at low volumes, and used for functional evaluation. Specifications are being solidified but may change. This is the first stage in which components require revision control. All edits to specification fields, sources, and attached documents will require a Change Order to take effect. In this stage, revision values range from 1 to 999.

Production

Production is the later stage of a component. Units being produced are intended for customers or final usage. Specifications are locked down and should rarely change at this point. All changes are under revision control and require a Change Order to take effect. In this stage, revision values will range from A to ZZ.

Obsolete

Obsolete is the final stage of a component once it has been marked to be taken out of production. A component can be registered with an obsolete status for a variety of reasons and should be noted accordingly within the status change. In this stage, revision values range from A to ZZ.

Lifecycle stage permissions

The following table summarizes what actions can be performed on components for each status value.

VALUE	Edit	Add to Change Order	Delete
DESIGN	Yes	No	Yes
PROTOTYPE	Yes - Marked Modified	Yes	No
PRODUCTION	Yes - Marked Modified	Yes	No
OBSOLETE	No	No	No

Status progression

As described above, each component can have one of four different values:

   Design, Prototype, Production, or Obsolete.

These status values are progressive. Once a value is set and approved through a Change Order, it can not be reverted. This is meant to mirror the natural progression of a component as it matures from an initial concept design through prototyping into production and eventual end of life.

Revisions

Each status may encompass multiple revisions identified by unique revision values. Duro adopts a common revision format in manufacturing, utilizing integers (1..999) for prototypes and single letters (A..ZZ) for production-ready components. This approach ensures consistent and clear product maturity tracking, contrasting with other tools that use meaningless identifiers. 

Meaningful revision values clarify a component's development stage, streamlining workflow by defining resources and procedures based on status. This removes ambiguity and facilitates quick identification of chronological changes, aiding teams in responding promptly.

Note: To request custom revision schemes, contact [e-mail].

The permissible revision values for each status are outlined in the following table.

Status	Empty	Integers	Letter
DESIGN	Yes	1..999	A..ZZ
PROTOTYPE	No	1..999	No
PRODUCTION	No	No	A..ZZ
OBSOLETE	Yes	No	A..ZZ

Component tabs

The component view page has two main sections. At the top is the component summary information, such as thumbnails, status, description, and any relevant category-specific values. The bottom section is further divided into three or four tabs, depending on category type: Documents, Sourcing, Assembly, and Variants.

Documents

The Documents tab collects all document files associated with the component. Any file type can be included, and each document is revision-controlled. This tab can hold data within the following fields: Name, File Type, File Size, Document Type, Status, Revision, and Last Updated. The Documents table can be customized to present any combination of the aforementioned fields as column headings.

Sourcing

The Sourcing tab lists manufacturers, distributors, and price quotes for procuring or supplying the component. Each component can have its own list of sources from which it is purchased or manufactured. Each source may contain multiple manufacturers, distributors, and prices. 

This tab holds two separate tables, one for the rolled-up cost and one for custom components. The rolled-up cost table holds data in these fields: MPN, Manufacturer, Minimum Quantity, Unit Price, Lead Time, and Last Updated. The custom table has the following column headings: MPN, Manufacturer, MFR Description, Datasheet, Distributor, DPN, DIST Description, Package, Package Quantity, Minimum Quantity, Unit Price, Quote Lead Time, and Last Updated. Both tables in the Sourcing tab can be customized to present any combination of the aforementioned fields as column headings.

Duro makes it easy to capture all sourcing information in an easy-to-read tree structure. A single source has three nested elements:

 - MANUFACTURER

  - DISTRIBUTOR

   - QUOTE

Following this hierarchical tree structure, many manufacturers, distributors, and quotes exist. In other words, one manufacturer can have many distributors, and so on.

Duro will search through all products, components, and Change Order fields for strings that match any search terms entered in the Search Bar, giving the largest number of possible matches.

ELEMENT	DESCRIPTION
MANUFACTURER	The original manufacturer or designer of the component. The manufacturer may be a commercial company with their own product line or a contract manufacturer producing custom components. A manufacturer will assign a unique Manufacturer Part Number (MPN) for each unique component, specific to that manufacturer only.
DISTRIBUTOR	Many manufacturers of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components will not sell directly to the end user but will sell through multiple distribution channels. A single component from a manufacturer may have multiple distributors, each with its own distributor part number (DPN) and quotes.
QUOTE	Each distributor's DPN may offer multiple price breaks at different quantities and lead times.

Manufacturers

FIELD	DESCRIPTION
Manufacturer *	The name of the manufacturer of the component
MPN *	The manufacturer will assign a unique MPN for each component. You can use the corresponding CPN (Customer Part Number) value if your company is the original manufacturer.
Description	The manufacturer often provides a short description of their components. This is a helpful field, but it is not required.
Lead Time	The number (integer) of days or weeks it takes to receive the component once ordered.
Unit	Unit value for the lead time, either days or weeks.
Datasheet	Many manufacturers publish PDF datasheets for their components on their websites or their distributors' websites. This field allows you to record a link to the datasheet for easy reference.

^* required field

Distributors

FIELD	DESCRIPTION
Distributor *	The name of the distributor through which the component will be procured.
DPN *	Each distributor will assign their own DPN to a manufacturer's component. This DPN value is unique to the distributor only.
Description	Often, the distributor will have their own brief description of a manufacturer's component. This is a helpful field but not required.
Package	Components can be delivered in one of several different package types. Each has its purpose and minimum quantities. Example packages include: BULK, PACK, TRAY, TAPE & REEL, CUT TAPE, CUSTOM REEL, TUBE, AMMO PACK, SPOOL, INDIVIDUAL.
Package Qty	The number of component units included in an individual package.

^* required field

Quotes

FIELD	DESCRIPTION
Min Qty *	The minimum quantity for the specific price break and lead time.
Unit Price*	The unit price for an individual instance of the component. Note: The default format for currency is the USD, but this can be customized if needed. Please refer to our Currency FAQ for more information.
Lead Time	The number (integer) of days or weeks it takes to receive the component once ordered.
Unit	Unit value for the lead time, either days or weeks.

Assembly

The Assembly tab houses a list of child components and their quantities for the specific assembly. In this location, you can see what components must be produced for the product in question to be considered a finished good. Child components can have data in any of the following categories, which are represented as column headings: CPN/Name, Quantity, Level, Images, Category, Procurement, Workflow State, Revision, Ref Des, Item Number, EID, Status, Notes, Mass (kg), Unit of Measure, Unit Price, Total Price, Total Price, Lead Time, Description, MPN, Manufacturer, and Last Updated. The Assembly table can be customized to present any combination of the aforementioned fields as column headings.

Variants

Duro offers a feature to let users associate similar components as variants, which is captured in the Variants tab. For example, if the same component is offered in multiple colors, each color option would be a variant of the same component. This allows for easy reporting, efficiencies for procuring components for your build schedule, and visibility in finding Bill of Materials (BOM) differences across variants. Variants alter the form, fit, or function of the original component. The changes are minor, such as having a different color. Not all products will have variants. Variants do not count against your subscription component count limit. Variants show data in these tables: Assembly, Specifications, and Documents. The Variants tab can be customized to present any combination of the variant components shown as column headings.

Pro Tips

Tagging a component as "favorite" allows you to search for it more easily. In the Search Bar of the Duro application, type in "is:favorite" and hit Enter. These will populate a list of all your favorite components. Please refer to our Search Feature article to learn more about search terms and functions.