Copying Characteristics to Other Processes

We’ve just practiced two simple ways that new Characteristics may be defined in the database: 1). Through a blank spreadsheet; and 2). By importing or linking from an external data source. We mentioned earlier that once a Process has been created, we can use the Define Process dialog box's Add button to define a new Characteristic for that Process. Similarly, you can use the Add Characteristic option from the selected Process’s right mouse menu in the Explorer view.

Select a Process from the Process branch, then select the Add Characteristic option. Enter a Characteristic Name, then select the OK button to save the new Characteristic.

In some cases, you may find it easier to copy an existing Characteristic’s properties to a second process, rather than create the second Characteristic from scratch.

From the Explorer view, first open the Acme Production folder in the Process menu. Then, from the Customer Service folder, click on the Processing Time characteristic in Order Processing, and drag the characteristic label to the Turbo Booster process in the Acme Production folder. Select Yes when prompted to add the new characteristic. Review the new characteristic properties to ensure they are the same as the original properties.

Note that only the Characteristic properties were copied, not the data.

From the Explorer view, select the Processing Time characteristic in the Turbo Booster process (Acme Production folder). Select the Show Data option from the right mouse or Characteristic menu, and see that there is no data in the new Process Characteristic created.

You can also copy entire Processes, including their Characteristics, or move a Characteristic (and its data) from one process to another. In addition, you can copy a selected property from one Characteristic to any number of other Characteristics using the Copy Property feature. This is useful for making changes to a given property across multiple Characteristics.