Creating functional models

You can create functional breakdowns with Microsoft Office Visio or directly with the Systems Engineering perspective. You can create an initial model structure in Systems Engineering, and then add Visio diagrams later. Likewise, you can create the initial diagram in Visio, then generate the functional model structure in Systems Engineering. Teamcenter keeps the functional model synchronized with any changes you make in Visio and saves both in the database.

You can nest functions in parent-child relationships in the familiar structure line format using Systems Engineering.

If you are creating a system that is based on a previous design or revising an existing design, you can copy another functional model structure or selected function blocks from it to use in your project.

If you use Visio, your administrator can create diagram templates to represent the various types of functions, connections, interfaces, and trace link relations in your system.

A diagram template is a blueprint for the diagrams end users create. It defines the content and application domain of the diagrams. It holds information about the diagram members, relations, and the application domain for a diagram. A diagram template has a Visio template file associated with it. The Visio template holds the stencil or the collection of shapes for an application domain.

A diagram is the graphical representation of a function and its underlying structure, based on the membership and relationship rules specified in the diagram template.

An interface may be input to the selected function, output from it, or bidirectional. A connection joins two interfaces. Dangling connections are not permitted in functional modeling; you must always associate both interfaces with a connection or the system deletes the connection when you perform a save operation.

A functional model structure comprises multiple building blocks, each of which represents a discrete function of the system. (Similarly, you can create a logical model that represents the same system in terms of logical blocks.) A building block is represented in the Systems Engineering perspective by a structure line of the appropriate type, either functional, logical, or requirements.

You can delete a function with the Systems Engineering perspective or Visio unless:

• It is used in another functional model structure.
• There are multiple revisions of it.
• The only revision is in a released state.
• It is in a workflow.

If the function has children, you can optionally delete all of the children, subject to the same restrictions as when you delete a top-level function. Teamcenter also deletes any trace links and connections associated with the function.