A branch is a variation of a product. For example,
a product that is called Interior is branched
to create Interior (cloth=leather, model=luxury) for
the Car (model=luxury) configuration. Interior is
branched again to create Interior (cloth=suede, model=sport) for
the SuperCar (model=sport) configuration.
In
the product tree, the Interior branches look
like this:

The branches
signify variations of Interior. Many child
products of Interior might work for all of
the variations, such as Colors and Springs.
Other child products, such as Thread and Seats,
are probably different for each branch.
Procedure
- In the Browse Products screen, right-click
over the product to branch from and select Check Out New
Branch.
- In the Check Out New Branch dialog
box, enter a dimension and a value.
A branch dimension
helps describe how a branch is unique by defining one of the features
of the branch. Configurations consider dimension and value pairs as
part of the selection criteria, along with versions. A dimension consists
of a name and value pair. A branch can have more than one dimension
and value pair, but dimension name and value pairs must be unique
for each branch.
You can create a Product-Local or Shared dimension.
A
product-local dimension usually defines a specific aspect of a product
branch, such as a dimension name of cloth and
value of leather. Product-local dimensions
apply to products only. However, you can add any product-local dimension
to a product configuration so that the configuration collects the
right set of products.
A shared dimension usually defines a
general aspect of a configuration or product branch, such as a dimension
name of model and value of luxury.
If
you want to know which dimension and value pairs for a product are
shared and which are local, select a product in the product tree and
look under Dimensions in the right pane.
For
dimension and value pairs, you can order values to make certain values
more specific than others. See Dimension values precedence.
Manage
dimensions by using the Manage Branch Dimensions screen
(Products > Manage Branch Dimensions).
- Click Create.
If you
look at the product tree, the branch pin icon shows the pinned state
for the new product branch. The new branch is temporarily branch pinned
in place. The branch pin occurs so that, even if the dimension and
value pairs for the new branch do not match those of the product configuration
its in, you still see the new branch in place.
When the new
branch is checked in, it is unpinned, so users might see one of the
following outcomes.
- The branch remains in place because it is the best match for the
product configuration.
- A different branch is used because the dimension and value pairs
for the new branch did not match those of the product configuration
or because a different branch was a better match.
If you are using the Rational Team Concert™ integration
and you branch a connected product and then share the product variant,
the normal rules of product tree management apply to the new product
variant. See Versions and variants.