TABLE OF CONTENTS Configuration Status Accounting (CSA) is the function that provides an accurate, timely information base concerning a product and its associated product configuration information throughout the product life cycle. The purpose and benefit of CSA is to capture and maintain product configuration information to ensure that current and historical configurations of the product and product configuration information can be accurately determined throughout the product life cycle. It is important that all essential CSA information be accurately related to the exact applicable version/revision of the product, see EIA-836.
The purposes of configuration status accounting are to ensure:
That data about the product and product configuration information is captured as the product evolves through its life cycle;
Retrieval of current, accurate information concerning change decisions, design changes, investigations of design problems, warranties, and shelf and operating life calculations;
Access to complete product configuration information; and
Historical traceability of product configuration and product configuration information.
Systematically capture, record, safeguard, validate, and disseminate data about the product and product configuration information.
CSA correlates, stores, maintains, and provides readily available views of an organized, indexed collection of product configuration information. CSA provides access to accurate, timely information about a product and its product configuration information throughout the product life cycle.
Some of the information elements (metadata) stored and maintained include the following (also see Table 4):
metadata related to Product Definition Information (such as document identifiers, part numbers, changes installed in a given unit, and effective dates)...
