How do configurations work in SolidWorks and what are their applications?

Configurations in SolidWorks allow multiple variations of a part or assembly within a single file. Each configuration can have different dimension values, suppressed features, component configurations, or display states. Applications include creating part families with different sizes, design iterations, simplified representations for drawings, and left/right hand versions. Design tables (Excel integration) efficiently manage configurations with many variations by linking dimensions to spreadsheet cells.