For a modeler, the IDE complements VC's standard modeling utilities (PMEVC and low-level SAP transactions). The fully textual representation and the IDE are useful in situations where a graphical user interface becomes laborious to use.

In addition to the benefits of textual modeling described below, VClipse works in local memory and on local files rather than on a server-side model repository. This way the IDE avoids delays for client-server round trips and can even be used in offline mode.

Furthermore VCML allows to organize a model according to its logical structure. That is, closely related objects can be declared nearby each other, independently of their (technical) object types. When used thoroughly, this feature also makes models easier to understand and to manipulate.

Certain operations on text files are provided by Eclipse and other IDEs off-the-shelf and do not even require the IDE to have any understanding of the used language:

• The IDE supports full-text search over the entire set of product models or over specific parts of it. The search is not restricted to a particular object type (such as characteristics, characteristic values, constraints, procedures, etc.). Regular expressions can be used for powerful matching.
• Many changes across multiple model objects can easily be executed as search-and-replace operations. For example, you might want to replace a technical term by a more appropriate one in all your products.
• To understand the difference between the models of two similar products or between two versions of the model for one product, textual comparison of models is supported. When models have diverged, the comparison tool also helps to merge them back into a unified representation.
• This also allows to use mainstream version-control systems like Git or Subversion for managing model versions. Different modelers can even perform their own local changes on the model and let the version control-system merge these changes later.
• Inconsistent models can be represented easily. This is particularly helpful for representing intermediate states during larger changes to the model.
• Comments can be added to each aspect of a model. Parts of a model can even be deactivated easily by marking them as comments.
• Task tags such as "TODO" or "FIXME" can be used to mark and list places in the code where more work is required.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, a textual representation makes it much easier to communicate about models. You can easily add (parts of) a model to an e-mail, discussion forum, or a presentation slide. And if you wish, you can even print it out.

Based on its understanding of VCML and the languages for dependencies, VClipse provides additional utilities for modelers:

• Syntax highlighting makes models easier to read.
• Navigation from places referencing an object to the object's definition, or in the opposite direction.
• Renaming objects simultaneously in the object definition and in all the places where the object is referenced.
• Model validations such as checking for length and size restrictions.
• Suggestions for completing partial input ("content assist")
• Suggestions for "quick fixes" to correct typical simple mistakes. There are also quick fixes creating objects that are referenced but do not yet exist. This feature makes modeling in a top-down direction very convenient.
• Tooltips displaying information about a referenced object conveniently without the need to navigate to it.
• Templates for quickly setting up frequently used patterns.
• Outline views to provide an overview of the model in document order or PMEVC-like order.
• Folding of text blocks allows to temporarily hide details that are currently not relevant.
• Integration of the automated model testing engine ConfigScan from Fysbee and an integrated language for describing test cases.

Textual model representations are not only useful for manual editing, but they can also be the result of the compilation from a customer-specific high-level modeling language.

Furthermore a textual model representation is very helpful for migrating models from some other configuration engine to SAP VC or from SAP VC to another engine. A translator can use textual models as its input and output. Typically large parts of a model can easily be translated automatically from one engine to another but for certain details an automatic translation is impossible or simply not worth the effort. In these cases the translator can emit comments with untranslated parts of the input model, providing a convenient starting point for a manual completion of the translation.

Finally notice that we are also providing tools similar to VClipse and VCML for the configuration tool PROS Cameleon CPQ.