Why create solution variants?

It is much more efficient to manage a range of product variants as a single variable structure instead of separate product variants. However, when you configure the variable structure to a 100% BOM, there is no static structure to represent a physical part, order, assembly, or to send to manufacturing. You can create solution variants to capture and identify these product variants without the variability. As the product structure evolves, you can manage its variability. In addition, you can maintain the structure as a separate entity, but retain the links to the content from which it was derived. When the solution variant is opened in Structure Manager, the revision rule and the variant rule of the solution variant is applied on the Structure Manager view. The Variant Configuration view shows the variant rule of the solution variant. You cannot modify this variant rule. After a solution variant is created, the source structure and the solution variant both can evolve over the time. You can update the content changes from the source structure to the solution variant, but not the other way around. You can create solution variants for a single level structure or a multiple level structure. However, you can update the solution variant with only the first level content changes from the source structure currently. You cannot create a solution variant from another solution variant.