BOM Preview Page

The BOM preview page provides a preview of the EBOM structure and its selected parts for a product configuration. Visual cues in the table are used to indicate conflicts in parts for the EBOM generation process. The missing parts in the EBOM generation process can be resolved iteratively by resolving the parts and clicking Apply. Each time you click Apply, modifications made for parts are applied to the associated features for future product configurations.

To access the BOM preview page, first access the Properties page for a product configuration. For details, see Viewing Product Configuration Properties. Then from the page Actions menu, click Preview BOM.

Note: To successfully preview a BOM, the product configuration must be associated with the top-level part of the context product and should have a part family as GBOM.

Related Topics
Running a Search
Generating a PBOM for a Product Configuration
Generating/Viewing an EBOM for a Product Configuration

Table Columns



The BOM preview Structure View table has the following columns:

Column Description
Display Name The marketing name of the feature. This name is used for product data sheets.
Name The name of each feature in the product configuration in a structure navigator. This column contains highlighted links. Click on any name in this column to view the Properties page for that object, or click in the row to view the Properties page in a new browser window.
Description Details about the feature
Part Reuse  
Selected Options The rule associated with the feature. Click any link in this column to view the rule expression.
Selected Action An icon indicating which action has been performed for the part:

-- A new part has been created for the feature.

-- An existing part was added to the feature.

-- A part was generated from the associated part family for the feature.
Selected Part Information Section
Part Usage  
Part Number The part number for a part under the feature. Click any link in this column to view the BOM Powerview page for that part. If the inclusion rule for the feature does not evaluate True, then ??? is displayed in the column and you need to select a valid part for the rule.

Note: An EBOM can be generated only if a part number is assigned. Part Number is a mandatory column and must not be removed when creating a custom table view.
Standard Actions An icon indicating which actions are available for the part.

Note: Standard Actions is a mandatory column and must not be removed when creating a custom table view.
Custom Actions

If a part is missing from the feature, the following actions are available:

Icon Name Action


Create New Part

Creates a new part for the feature.Click on the page or see the Engineering Central Help.


Add Existing Part

Adds an existing part to the feature. The Search page opens, where you can define criteria to search for parts that currently exist in the database.


Generate from Part Family

Generates a new part for the feature from the associated part family. If the part family for the feature does not evaluate True, then the part cannot be generated.

If a part is valid for the feature, the following actions are available:

Icon Name Action


Replace Part by Create New

Replaces the part by creating a new part. Click on the page or see the Engineering Central Help.


Replace part by Add Existing

Replaces the part by adding an existing part. The Search page opens, where you can define criteria to search for parts that currently exist in the database.


Replace Part by Generate from Part Family

Replaces the part by generating a new part from the associated part family. If the part family for the feature does not evaluate True, then the part cannot be generated.

Visual Cue An icon to indicate a possible conflict for the part in the BOM generation process:

The Higher Revision icon is shown if a higher revision of the part exists. You can add or replace a part with a different revision of the part.

The Invalid Quantity icon is shown if the quantity for the part is a negative value. On mouse over, a message is displayed indicating that the quantity for the part is invalid. You need to edit the quantity rule or quantity value for the part for the BOM generation process.

The Obsolete Part icon is shown if the part has become obsolete but has not been removed from the feature. You need to replace the part for the BOM generation process.

-The Compare Differences icon is shown if the part has been replaced in the BOM generated from the product configuration and has not been replaced in the technical product structure. A comparison is made based on type, name, and revision for top level child objects.

The Used in BOM icon is shown for valid parts of top level features.

Note: This is a mandatory column and must not be removed when creating a custom table view.

If a duplicate exists for a part, the Part Number is not shown. To resolve a conflict:

  1. Click in the Part Number column of the table for a part. The Resolve Duplicates page opens with a list of duplicate parts.
  2. Select which part to use from the list.
  3. Click Submit.
  4. After clicking Submit, you can click in the Part Number column again to change the part to be used.
Revision The part revision number or code
State The current state of the object in its lifecycle
Type The type or subtype
F/N The Find Number is an ID that is used on drawings as bubble callouts. Find Numbers are usually integer values: 1,2,3,...
Quantity The quantity of the object included in the product or feature. If this value is required, you can type a value and then click Apply to submit the changes.

Note: Quantity is a mandatory column and must not be removed when creating a custom table view.
Unit of Measure The unit of measure of the object included in the product or feature
Usage Standard, Reference, Per Sales Order, or As Required
Component Location Similar to Reference Designator, but is used to give additional location information and/or can be used by industries other than electronics. For example, it can be used to indicate which motor is failing all the time, the one by the window or the one by the furnace.
Reference Designator The Reference Designator ID is used on Printed Circuit Boards to indicate the location of where an electronic component is to be inserted. Reference Designators are usually values like R1, R2, R7 or C1, C5 (i.e., 'R' stands for resistor and 'C' for capacitor).