Slicing

Slicing derives one or more new threads from a source thread: “Derive a new thread from this one. The source stays unchanged and can be sliced again.” It’s the tool for physical subdivision and spin-offs — cutting rods from a bar, splitting a lot into serialized units — where each new item needs its own thread but should stay traceably linked to where it came from.

Unlike a shipment, a slice is a same-team derivation: the new threads are owned by the source’s team, and “ownership of the source is unchanged.” The derivation is recorded in Fabric as lineage.

Where to slice from

The Lineage card on a thread’s detail page has a New slice action.
The Fabric provenance explorer offers Slice this thread.

You can only slice a thread you can edit — this includes threads another team shared with you as an editor (see Destination folder for where those slices land).

Two states make a thread temporarily or permanently unavailable as a slice source:

Already shipped — “This thread has already been shipped, so your team no longer has the active inventory copy to slice from. Create new slices from the current holder’s thread instead.”
Locked in a shipment — “This thread is locked in a shipment that has already been sent or is processing. Slicing becomes available again if the shipment returns for changes or closes without completing.”

The slice composer

Opening a slice action lands you in the composer (“Slice "…"”). Under “What to create” there are three modes:

One slice

Give the new thread a Name (a default like “Slice 1” is suggested) and an optional Description, then click Create slice.

Many slices

Create a numbered batch in one pass:

Set a Quantity and a Name pattern (for example Titanium Rod {n} — {n} is “the slice number”).
Click Generate rows, then edit any individual name or description in the table. Up to 100 slices at once, “created one after another. They share the data and folder below.”
Click Create slices.

From CSV

Drive a batch from a spreadsheet: “One row per slice.” Upload a CSV file, then map columns:

Name column (required) — “Choose which column names each slice.”
Description column (optional).
Existing fields — “Override a copied field’s value from a column. Empty cells keep the source’s value.”
New fields — “Add a field the source doesn’t have and fill it from a CSV column — it’s created on every slice.” Each new field gets a name, a type, and a source column.

Up to 100 rows, “created in one batch.” The composer validates every row and lists issues to fix before Create slices is enabled.

Thumbnail

Choose how the new threads should appear in lists and Fabric:

Use source thumbnail (the default) carries the source thread’s current thumbnail forward.
No thumbnail creates the slices without one.
Upload image attaches the chosen image to every slice and uses that attached file as its thumbnail.

Choose what to copy

The “Copy which data?” card lists the source’s Fields, Files, and Identifiers, each individually selectable. Everything eligible is pre-selected; two kinds of assets can never be copied:

DUST identifiers — “DUST identifiers represent a physical identity and are never copied.” A slice is a new physical item; bind it to its own identifier.
Private assets — marked “Private — can’t be copied.”

As the card summarizes: “The source thread stays unchanged. DUST identifiers and private data are never copied.”

Update the source thread

Optionally, the composer lets you adjust the source in the same operation: “Optionally adjust the source as you slice from it — e.g. a bar’s remaining length once rods are cut off. Blank fields are left unchanged.” Enter new values only for the fields that changed; use “Leave blank to keep current” for the rest.

Destination folder

A Folder is required — “The new thread will be filed here.” (or, for a batch, “All new threads will be filed here.”).

If you’re slicing a thread that another team shared with you, the result belongs to them, not you: “The slice is created in the owning team’s workspace. Pick a folder they shared with you” to file it into.

Where the lineage shows up

After creating, each source–slice relationship is permanent Fabric lineage:

The source thread’s Lineage card lists the new threads under “Derived from this thread”, each row tagged Slice with its creation time. Each slice’s own card shows the source under “Created from”.
In the Fabric provenance explorer, the slice appears as a Slice link in the graph — “Same-team derivation; ownership of the source is unchanged.” — and the full chain (slices of slices, later transfers) stays navigable from any thread in it.

See Fabric for how to read and explore provenance.

FabricExplore the provenance graph that records every slice and transfer.

ShipmentsTransfer threads to another organization — the cross-org counterpart to slicing.

ThreadsFields, files, and identifiers — the assets a slice copies.

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