Original Date: 11/12/2001
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

Frontier Electronic Systems has developed the Configuration Management/Repair History Database, an automated system that tracks as-built configuration and repair histories of units, and the assemblies contained within those units. This user-friendly database reduced the time needed to identify configuration/repair information from eight hours to five minutes.

One of the key aerospace programs at Frontier Electronic Systems (FES) required several units to be recalled for rework. To determine which units contained the recalled subassemblies, engineers had to manually review paper records. Additionally when a unit was received for repair, it was difficult to determine whether each of the assemblies installed in the unit met the lowest acceptable revision level. The company realized that a database was needed to track the configuration of each unit. In 1999, FES developed the Configuration Management/Repair History Database.

The Configuration Management/Repair History Database is a Microsoft Access 97 application that tracks configuration history of subassemblies and repair history. The as-built configuration is entered into the database shortly after delivery to the customer. If the configuration is changed during a repair, a configuration change record is added to the database to reflect the most current configuration data. Under each serial number is a listing of the serial numbers and revision levels for each of the assemblies installed in a unit. The Configuration Management/Repair History Database also utilizes a table which contains the lowest acceptable revision level for each assembly. The data from this table is compared to the current revision data entered for each assembly and, if the revision of the assembly does not meet the lowest acceptable revision, the data record is flagged. The flagged data records provide users with an easy way to determine whether or not the assemblies meet the lowest acceptable revision level. When a unit is returned for repair, the database user prints a report containing the current configuration information for the unit. The configuration report indicates whether or not the assembly meets the lowest acceptable revision. Any repairs made are documented in the database. Users can view either the entire configuration/repair history of a unit or just the history of a specific assembly.

The Configuration Management/Repair History Database is user-friendly and requires minimal training to operate. The database provides users with information on original build date, original shipping date, configuration change date, contract number, test procedure, Test Failure Report data, and repair history. Since implementing the Configuration Management/Repair History Database, FES has reduced the time required to identify configuration/repair information from eight hours to five minutes.

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