Functional Location Basics

Introduction to functional locations

Functional locations are elements of a technical structure, for example, functional units within a system. Functional locations are created hierarchically, and you install objects on functional locations. The setup of functional locations in your company depend on company requirements. Here are examples of how you can use functional locations:

• Functional (user-oriented, manage objects with similar behavior)
• Process-related (work flow-oriented)
• Spatial (geographical locations, sites)

Each functional location is managed independently in Enterprise Asset Management. Useful features and information extracted from functional locations include:

• Set up functional location specifications
• Set up object specification requirements
• Set up maintenance sequences for preventive and reactive maintenance
• Manage installed objects
• Track active requests and work orders related to installed objects
• Track faults registered on objects
• Track maintenance costs on objects related to a functional location at any given time

Functional locations provide traceability of objects in relation to requests, work orders, fault registrations, production stop registrations, and object counter registrations.

Note

Even if an object is installed on different functional locations during its lifetime, the costs can be related to each different location. This means that object costs are always related to the functional location on which the object was installed at a given time.

Functional locations are not flexible, meaning that once you have set up a functional location hierarchy, you cannot move locations around in the hierarchy. When you have created a functional location hierarchy, the next step is to install objects in the hierarchy. This procedure is described in the Install Objects on Functional Locations section.

All functional locations

Click Enterprise asset management > Common > Functional locations > All functional locations to open the list. The All functional locations list contains all functional locations and displays some of the information related to a functional location. You can also select Active functional locations to see a list of all active functional locations, or My active functional locations to see a list of the functional locations you are related to as a worker (set up in Workers).

In the All functional locations list, click on a link in the Functional location column to show the details view of the selected record. Click the Edit button to open the location for editing. In the details view, you see detailed information related to the location as well as a Related information pane to the right of the screen, displaying the functional location hierarchy. You can expand/collapse the Related information pane.

The action pane buttons are organized in tabs on the action pane. Here is a brief description of the buttons relating to Enterprise Asset Management:

All functional locations list

Related information pane

Create functional locations

When you create a functional location hierarchy, be aware once you have created a functional location, you cannot move it from the original location. This means that you should carefully consider the structure of your functional locations before you start creating them in Enterprise Asset Management. If you regret a functional location, you can delete it, provided that it has not yet been taken into use.

To be able to work with functional locations, you start by creating two "categories" of functional locations:

• Create one default functional location with not sub locations. This functional location is used only as the standard location for objects when you create new objects.
• Create the functional location hierarchies required for managing maintenance jobs in your company.

When you use functional locations, start by creating one default location to be used when you create new objects. This functional location is the one you select in Enterprise asset management > Setup > Enterprise asset management parameters > Objects link > Default functional location field. The default functional location can be used when you create new objects, and you have not yet set up a functional location hierarchy for those objects.

Create a default functional location

When you use functional locations, start by creating one default location to be used when you create new objects. This functional location is the one you select in Enterprise asset management > Setup > Enterprise asset management parameters > Objects link > Default functional location field. The default functional location can be used when you create new objects, and you have not yet set up a functional location hierarchy for those objects.

1. Click Enterprise asset management > Common > Functional locations > All Functional locations.
2. In All functional locations, click New.
3. Insert an ID in the Functional location field, for example, "0000" or "Default", to indicate that this is a special functional location.
4. Insert name for the default functional location in the Name field.
5. Do not select a parent in the Parent field - leave this field blank.
6. In the Functional location type field, select the functional location type to be used for the default functional location. See the Functional Location Types section for more information on how to set up functional location types.
7. Click OK. You should not add further data to this functional location as it is only used as a temporary location for new objects until you install the objects on the functional locations used by your company.

The figure below shows an example of a default functional location. No requirements regarding object specifications or maintenance sequences have been added to this location. The location does not have any sub locations, and no financial dimensions are used on the functional location.

Example of a default functional location

Create functional locations

The following procedure describes how you create the functional locations required for maintenance management in your company.

1. Click Enterprise asset management > Common > Functional locations > All Functional locations. You can create a functional location from grid view or details view.
2. Click the New button.
3. Insert an ID in the Functional location field.
4. Insert a name for the functional location in the Name field.
5. If the functional location is a sub location in a hierarchy, select the parent location in the Parent field.
6. Select a type in the Functional location type field.
7. Click OK.
8. Select the functional location and click the Edit button to add further information.

Note

Depending on your setup of functional location stages, you may have to create all sub locations for a functional location, and then change the functional location stage before you can start installing objects. See the Install Objects on Functional Locations section for more information on object installation. See the Functional Location Stages section to learn more about setup of functional location stages.

Details view

In Details view, you will see FastTabs on which you can add and edit information about the functional location.

General information

This section provides an overview of parent and child information in the functional location hierarchy. In the Details section, you can see the number of object specification requirements, maintenance sequences, and objects related to the functional location. In the Inventory section, you can select the site and warehouse to which the functional location is related. Site and warehouse is used in connection with work order item forecasts. When creating an item forecast, site and warehouse information from the functional location of the object is automatically used. In the Stage section, information about the functional location stage is displayed.

Installed objects

Refer to the Install Objects on Functional Locations section for more information on object installation. You can use the View button on this FastTab to show more fields on the FastTab. The Effective and Sub object fields can be shown in the grid.

Object specification requirements

On this FastTab you can add specific requirements for the objects that you install on the functional location. These requirements are for information purposes only. They do not prevent you from installing objects with other specification requirements. Click Add line and select the specification type. Then you insert the relevant Value, select a threshold in the Threshold criteria field and save the record.

Preventive maintenance

Here you can add maintenance sequences and rounds to the functional location, including a start date. The objects installed on a functional location may have other maintenance sequences set up. All maintenance sequences and rounds can be used for scheduling object calendar entries for a functional location and its currently installed objects.

Note

If you update the setup of object types, products, and models on maintenance sequences in All functional locations detail view > Preventive maintenance FastTab after you have scheduled maintenance sequences, existing object calendar entries related to that functional location are automatically deleted. In order to create new calendar entries, which correspond with the updated maintenance sequence setup on the functional location, you must run a new maintenance sequence schedule for that functional location. Read more about maintenance sequence scheduling in the Schedule Maintenance Sequences section.

Address

Insert the functional location address on the Address FastTab. Addresses on functional locations are inherited, meaning if a sub location has no address defined, the address of the parent location is used.

Workers

On this FastTab, you can add workers affiliated with the functional location, and you can select a functional location as primary for the worker. This information is used when a worker creates an operations log. The functional location, which is a primary location for the worker, is automatically selected when the worker creates a new operations log.

Specifications

On this FastTab, you can set values for functional location specifications. These specifications can be used to describe properties or characteristics pertinent to the functional location, for example, structural properties, building type, area descriptions, or location above or under ground.

Click Add line and select the specification type. Next, insert the Value related to the specification type and save the record.

Financial dimensions

You can select financial dimensions for the functional location. Functional Location Types can be set up to allow for automatic update of financial dimensions from a functional location. This means that objects installed on a financial dimension automatically get the financial dimensions for the functional location. This is useful if you want different cost centers, depending on locations.

When data regarding Site, Warehouse, Address, and Financial dimensions are updated on a parent functional location, the related sub functional locations can be updated accordingly if you make that selection during the update.

Financial dimensions of the functional location

Dialog update scenarios

Copy a functional location hierarchy

If your company has several functional locations with similar location structures, you can use the copy function in Enterprise Asset Management to quickly create a number of similar location hierarchies. When you copy a specific functional location or an entire hierarchy, the new location or hierarchy has the same name as the one you copied. After the copy procedure is done, you can easily change the name or other settings on the new functional location, provided that the functional location stage selected for the new functional location allows it.

1. In All functional locations, select the functional location you want to copy. For example, you select a top location (parent) if you want to copy the entire functional location structure including sub locations.
2. Click the Copy functional location button. The location you selected in the list page is shown in the Copy from field.
3. Insert the name of the new location in the New functional location field.
4. In the Parent field, you should only insert a parent ID if the location you are creating should be part of an existing functional location hierarchy.
5. Click OK. The new functional location hierarchy is shown in All functional locations.

Note

When you copy a functional location structure, functional location stages in the new hierarchy are set to the "first stage" that you have created for functional locations. Whether you can rename or delete a functional location using the Rename and Delete buttons in All functional locations, depends on the current stage of the functional location.

Delete a functional location

A functional location with related sub locations can be deleted if no objects have been installed on any of the functional locations you are trying to delete, and if the current functional location stage allows it.

1. In All Functional locations, select the functional location you want to delete.
2. If required, update the functional location to a functional location stage that allows deletion of a functional location.
3. Click Delete.

Note

If you cannot delete a functional location, instead you can handle deletion by setting up a functional location stage for this purpose. For example, you can set up a "Scrapped" or "Deleted" stage, which should not be an active stage, in the Functional location stages form.

Install objects on functional locations

When you have created functional location hierarchies, next step is to install objects on the relevant functional location. Refer to the Objects chapter for more information on how to create objects.

If you have created an object hierarchy, the entire hierarchy must be installed on a functional location. This means that only top-level objects (objects without a current parent object) can be selected on a functional location, and all related sub objects will be included in the installation on the functional location. When you install objects on a functional location, the financial dimensions of the functional location may be automatically transferred to the object, depending on the setup on the functional location type selected on the functional location. See the Functional Location Types section for more information on how to set up functional location types.

Note

You can set up object types on a functional location type. If a functional location uses a functional location type that has object types related to it, then, when you install objects on the functional location, only parent objects with a similar object type is shown in the list of possible objects to be installed on the functional location.

After you have installed objects on a functional location, you can replace a parent object or an object hierarchy, if required. Just as with installation of objects, you select a parent object to be replaced, and all related child objects will also be replaced. Read more about how to replace objects on a functional location at the end of this section.

Install an object hierarchy on a functional location

1. Click Enterprise asset management > Common > Functional locations > All Functional locations or Active functional locations.
2. Select the functional location on which you want to install an object.
3. Click the Install object button. In the Specifications section, you will see a list of the object specifications requirements set up on the functional location type used on the functional location. The specifications are for your information. The system does not validate the specifications against the Object specifications that may be set up on the object you select. You must carry out that validation after you have selected an object in the Object field.
4. In the Object field, select the parent object you want to install. All related child objects are automatically included in the installation. In the Object specifications section to the right of the object list, you will see the object specifications related to the selected object.
5. In the Effective field, select a date and time to indicate the start time of the object installation. From this date and time, costs regarding the object and related sub objects will be related to the functional location.
   
   Note
   
   The object specifications set up on the object have been added to the Specifications section. Weight was added as a requirement on the functional location. If the object has requirements of the same type, the object requirements values will be added to the Value fields. This means that you can validate the object values against the requirements set up on the functional location. The requirement set up on the functional location is marked with a check mark. The second and third lines regarding Length and Width were added as object requirements. Those lines do not have a check mark because they are requirements from the object, not the functional location.
   
6. Click OK.
   
   Note
   
   If you want to change the installation of an object and install it on another functional location, the procedure is the same as described in steps 1-6 in this procedure. When you install the object on a new functional location, the object is automatically uninstalled from the previous functional location. Any active requests or work orders that may have been created on the object before you re-installed it on another functional location are not automatically transferred to new functional location. If required, you must manually re-create those requests and work orders for the object after re-installation on a new location.
   
7. If you want to see a list of all the objects, including sub objects, that are installed on the functional location, select the functional location in All Functional locations, and click the Objects button.
8. If you want to see a list of active requests, active work orders, or fault registrations related to the objects installed on a functional location, select the functional location in All Functional locations, and click the Requests or Work orders or Faults button.

Note

When object-related data are changed, those data are automatically updated on the functional location on which the object is installed. The automatic update relates to changes on requests, work orders, object fault registrations, production stop registrations, and object counter registrations.

Object specifications: Specification section

Object specifications: Parent object selection

Object specifications: Requirement setup

Auto-create one object on a functional location

It is possible to set up functional location stages and functional location types to handle automatic creation of one object on a functional location. The object gets the same ID and name as the functional location. This may be useful if you are handling maintenance on large, static objects, for example, a building.

Before you can auto-create an object on a functional location, the following setup data must be available:

• Create a functional location type in which you have selected an object type in the Object type field. Refer to the Functional Location Types section.
• Create a functional location stage that handles auto-creation of an object by selecting "Yes" on the Create object toggle button. Refer to the Functional Location Stages section.

When the setup data are available, you are ready to create an object.

1. In All Functional locations, ensure that the functional location on which you want to auto-create the object uses the functional location type set up for handling auto-creation of an object.
2. Select the functional location in the list.
3. Click Functional location stage and select the stage you created for this purpose. One object is now automatically installed on the functional location. The object has the same name as the functional location.