Terms relating to the Configuration Infrastructure

Configuration Infrastructure

The components of the Configuration Infrastructure create the prerequisites for configuration to take place.

Configuration Dialogue

A Configuration Dialogue is the dialogue between the Headless Configuration API (HCA) and a Configurator in the context of a specific Configuration Session. In an iterative process the Configurator makes Decisions and the HCA responds with Consequences. The HCA ensures that the Configuration State is always valid (feasible).

Configuration Engine

The Configuration Engine is the main configuration component that is implemented as a Micro Service. It can be consumed via a REST-API. The Configuration Engine also manages Configuration Sessions enabling user-friendly Configuration Dialogues. The Configuration Engine is is at the core a Constraint resolver with a very high performance.

Configurator

A Configurator is an application which consumes the HCA.

Configuration Session

A Configuration Session mainly consists of the current Configuration State. It additionally provides associated meta information.

The Configuration Model Deployment Store stores and provides the deployed Configuration Models.

Global Attribute Id

The ability to nest Configuration Models and reuse them when modelling product or system components requires an Attribute identifier that is unique across the Models. Therefore, an object with the corresponding properties for mapping the identifier components is used. The Global Attribute Id is practically a resource path, which can also be called an "Attribute Path" because it is the path to an Attribute. An example:

{
  "attributeId": {
    "localId": "RimSize",
    "sharedConfigurationModelId": "TechnicalCommonalities",
    "componentPath": ["Rim"]
  }
}

The 'localId' is the name (identifier) of an Attribute in a Configuration Model under consideration, for example the Component Configuration Model 'Rim'. The 'sharedConfigurationModelId' is the name of a Shared Configuration Model which is used in the model under consideration ('Rim').

Constraint Id

A Constraint Id consists of a "localId" which is the name of a Rule and of a "configurationModelId" which is the name of a Configuration Model. An example:

{
  "constraintId": {
    "localId": "BigPowerRequiresManualTransmission",
    "configurationModelId": "Automobile"
  }
}

Headless Configuration API

The Headless Configuration API (HCA) is the interface to a Micro Service System that among others contains the components: Configuration Engine, Configuration Model Deployment Store and respective REST-API-Services.

Session

Session is used as a synonym for Configuration Session.

Snapshot

A Snapshot is an internal, immutable representation of a certain version of a Configuration Model. It is used within a Configuration Session. A Snapshot is created from a Configuration Model and it’s a flat (fully inherited) representation of it.