BOM Catalog

This document is no longer available beyond version 17.1. Information can now be found here: BOM Management with ActiveBOM for version 24

Applies to Altium Designer version: 17.1
 

Parent article: ActiveBOM

The BOM Catalog tab is a constituent part of the BOM document (*.BomDoc), and essentially the 'nerve center' of the ActiveBOM concept. It is here that you can:

  • Browse a list of all items used in the design. 
  • Manually add additional items to the BOM Catalog.
  • Browse and define real-world part solutions to be used for design items. For items with a range of viable solutions, you can rank your top three, as preferred solutions that may be used by procurement.
  • Obtain and view real-time pricing and availability of items directly from Supplier databases.
  • Set-up target costing per item and compare this to actual costing (based on real pricing data). Cost estimation based on required production quantity can be quickly viewed. Side-step cost blowouts before release by adjusting solutions as necessary to bring pricing back within target.
  • Get an early warning of supply risk – is the chosen part solution within target price and adequately stocked for this design run? Or is it overpriced or worse yet, not in stock!

Working with the BOM Catalog Tab

Working with the BOM Catalog tab is fairly intuitive, even more-so when you break it down into three distinct areas, as illustrated in the image below.

Breaking-down the BOM Catalog tab.Breaking-down the BOM Catalog tab.

These areas are:

  • Item Detail – this is a listing of design items, including those actually used on the source schematic documents, as well as any manually-added items.
  • Selected Solutions – this is the chosen solution(s) that you actively permit to be used/considered when procuring the real-world parts to implement the design items on the manufactured and assembled boards.
  • All Solutions – this is a listing of all supply chain solutions for the currently selected catalog item.

Item Detail

Item Detail - a listing of all items in the BOM Catalog.Item Detail - a listing of all items in the BOM Catalog.

This area of the tab provides a real-time listing of all components and processes used in the design. It automatically lists all components used on the source schematic documents for the board design project, as well as any additional items added manually by the designer. The following data is presented for each item:

  • Status – the status of the item. This depends on the type of item as follows:
    • Core (Managed and UnManaged) – for an item present in the actual design, placed from a vault or non-vault-based library, this field indicates the state of synchronization between the item in the BOM Catalog and the item in the source design. Information is sourced from the design. When synchronized, the status will display as . If a source schematic document is modified in some way, the items resident on that sheet will become unsynchronized, as reflected by the status . The items themselves may not have changed in any way. The system is simply flagging a change to the design source and, therefore, advising a refresh of the BOM Catalog data to re-synchronize the BOM with the source documents. Refresh the BOM Catalog by clicking  at the top-right of the BOM document.
    • Extra – for extra catalog items (that are added manually), the status will initially show as   (for a Place Holder, Process or Managed item) and  (for a Reserved item). If instances of these items are subsequently added to the BOM, the status will change to  to reflect this.
  • Item Type – the type of design item. The following types are supported:
    • Core-Managed – vault-based managed items placed in the schematic design (usually electronic components). They are automatically listed and synchronized with the BOM document. Items of this type are distinguished visually by the  icon.
    • Core-UnManaged – unmanaged items placed in the schematic design (usually electronic components placed from SchLibs, IntLibs, DbLibs or SVNDbLibs). They are automatically listed and synchronized with the BOM document. Items of this type are distinguished visually by the  icon.
    • Extra-Managed – vault-based managed items not present in the schematic design (typically mechanical or other hardware elements). They are managed manually in the BOM document. An initial vault Item is chosen (a Component Item, Blank Board Item, or Assembled Board Item) when adding this item to the BOM, but can be changed to a different vault Item at any time. Items of this type are distinguished visually by the  icon.
    • Extra-Place Holder – unmanaged place-holders. This is typically for those items that will be needed but are as yet not fully known (to have pricing included in the overall board costing estimation). They are managed manually in the BOM document. Items of this type are distinguished visually by the  icon.
    • Extra-Process – unmanaged processes. This is typically for things not relating to physical items on the board itself but required as part of getting the board manufactured, and therefore incurs cost. These might include shipping costs, testing costs, etc. They are managed manually in the BOM document. Items of this type are distinguished visually by the  icon.
    • Extra-Reserved – unmanaged items not present in the schematic design and that need to be accounted for in the design. They are intended to be released to a target vault in the future. A catalog item of this type is linked to a new Item (and planned revision thereof) in a target vault. Once that Item is released, the item in the BOM becomes a standard Extra-Managed item. They are managed manually in the BOM document. Items of this type are distinguished visually by the  icon.

Components used in the design of type Graphical, Net Tie, and Standard (No BOM) will be ignored by the BOM document and therefore are not brought into the BOM Catalog.

The ability to add any number of extra items to the BOM Catalog gives you more control and enables you to consider the total costing involved with getting your design physically realized by the Supply Chain (procurement, fabrication, assembly, testing, etc.) – the very essence of ActiveBOM's support for full board cost estimation.

  • Design Item Id – this is a unique identifier for the item (within the scope of the BOM Catalog). The entry depends on the item type as follows:
    • Core-Managed, Extra-Managed – the full, read-only Item-Revision ID, sourced from the item in the vault.
    • Core-UnManaged – the read-only Design Item ID, sourced from the placed item on the schematic sheet.
    • Extra-Reserved – default identifier in the format Reserved - n (e.g., Reserved - 1, Reserved - 2); can be edited to something more meaningful. Once linked, this will change to the full, read-only Item-Revision ID, sourced from the linked Item in the vault.
    • Extra-Place Holder – default identifier in the format Place Holder - n (e.g., Place Holder - 1, Place Holder - 2); can be edited to something more meaningful.
    • Extra-Process – default identifier in the format Process - n (e.g., Process - 1, Process - 2); can be edited to something more meaningful.

Duplicate item identifiers are not permitted. For extra (manually-added) items whose identifier can be edited, an error dialog will alert you when attempting to use an identifier already in use by an item in the catalog.

  • Description – the item description. The entry depends on the item type as follows:
    • Core-Managed, Core-UnManaged – the read-only entry for the Description property, sourced from the placed item in the design.
    • Extra-Managed – the read-only entry for the Description field, sourced from the Item's properties in the vault.
    • Extra-Reserved, Extra-Place Holder, Extra-Process – default entry Description; can be edited to something more meaningful.
  • Comment – a comment for the item. The entry depends on the item type as follows:
    • Core-Managed, Core-UnManaged – the read-only entry for the Comment property, sourced from the placed item in the design.
    • Extra-Managed – the read-only entry for the Comment field, sourced from the Item's properties in the vault.
    • Extra-Reserved, Extra-Place Holder, Extra-Process – default entry Enter comments here; can be edited to something more meaningful.
  • Note – optional field in which to enter any pertinent notes regarding the item.
  • Item Source – where the item comes from. The entry depends on the item type as follows:
    • Core-Managed, Extra-Managed – the read-only name of the Altium Vault.
    • Core-UnManaged – the read-only name of the source library (SchLib, IntLib, DbLib, SVNDbLib).
    • Extra-Reserved – for a newly-added item of this type, the entry will display Choose Target Vault. Use the associated drop-down field to choose the required vault from all currently connected (and enabled) Altium Vaults.
    • Extra-Place Holder, Extra-Process – the read-only entry Local (since the source of these item types is the actual BOM document itself).
  • Lifecycle State – this read-only field shows the current lifecycle state for the item and is therefore meaningful only for a vault-based item (Core-Managed, Extra-Managed, Extra-Reserved (when linked to a vault Item)).

Each item also has fields relating to its Selected Solutions outlined below.

Full control is provided over which columns of information are displayed in the BOM Catalog for the listed items. Access controls for toggling column display from the menu associated to the Show control, above the Item Detail grid, or from the right-click menu accessible from the Item Detail or Selected Solutions heading areas (or a column thereof).

You can change the order in which the columns of information are displayed in the Item Detail region. Simply click on the header for a column and drag it horizontally to the required position. A valid position is indicated by the appearance of two vertical green positional arrows.

Grouping and Sorting

Group items using controls provided on the menu associated to the Group By control, above the Item Detail grid.

Grouping controls for the Item Detail region.Grouping controls for the Item Detail region.

Click on an entry to group by that attribute. Only one attribute can be used to group items at any one time. To remove a grouping, and therefore, give a flat listing of items, use the Remove Group By [<Attribute>] command.

The attribute currently being used for grouping purposes has its caption (in the corresponding column header) in bold.

For all data columns, click on the column header directly to sort by that attribute. Clicking multiple times will cycle through descending, ascending, and no sorting.

Group By and Sort By controls are also available from the right-click menu accessible from the Item Detail or Selected Solutions areas. To globally remove sorting, use the Remove Sorting command found on the Sort By sub-menu.

Adding an Extra Item

Any number of extra items can be manually added to the BOM Catalog. To do so, click the Add New Item control above the main item grid, or use the grid's right-click Add New Item sub-menu to choose the type of item to be added.

Add extra items manually to the BOM Catalog as required.Add extra items manually to the BOM Catalog as required.

When adding a Vault Item, the Choose BOM Vault Component dialog will appear. Use this to browse for the required Item in any of the currently connected (and enabled) Altium Vaults. This can be a Component Item, a Blank Board Item, or an Assembled Board Item. Once chosen, you can change to a different vault Item by right-clicking and using the Change [<ItemID-RevisionID>] command. This simply gives access to the Choose BOM Vault Component dialog again, with which to search for a different Item in the same, or different vault, as required.

Removing an Item

To remove a manually-added item (Extra-Managed, Extra-Place Holder, Extra-Process, Extra-Reserved) from the BOM Catalog, select its entry in the list, then either use the right-click Delete command or press the Delete key.

Multiple manually-added items can be deleted. Use standard multi-select controls (Ctrl+click, Shift+click) to select the items to be removed then either use the right-click Delete Selected command or press the Delete key.

Core items (Core-Managed, Core-UnManaged) cannot be deleted from the BOM Catalog.

Linking an Extra-Reserved Item to a Target Vault

When an Extra-Reserved item is added to the BOM Catalog, it is initially unlinked. Remember that this type of item is not currently present in the design, yet needs to be, and also is intended to be released into an Altium Vault at some stage. So, through the BOM Catalog, you are effectively reserving a spot for it in the design. At the same time, you need to also 'reserve' a spot for it in a target Altium Vault. This involves linking the catalog item to a new Item (and planned revision thereof) in that vault.

To help demonstrate the procedure, consider the following example Extra-Reserved item in the catalog – an item reserved for a needed tuning diode component. At this stage the Description and Comment have been manually changed to something more meaningful.

Example Extra-Reserved item with Description and Comment filled.Example Extra-Reserved item with Description and Comment filled.

The next step is to choose the target vault into which the data for this new component is to be ultimately released. To think of this from another angle, the vault in which the tuning diode Component Item will ultimately be sourced for re-use in board designs. In the Item Source field, click on the existing Choose Target Vault entry. A drop-down listing of available (connected and enabled) Altium Vaults becomes available – choose the vault required.

Choose the Target Vault as required.Choose the Target Vault as required.

With the vault chosen, a new Item can be created in that vault. To do this, and with the Extra-Reserved item selected, either click the Release To Vault control above the main item grid, or right-click and use the Release To [TargetVaultName] command. The Create Item dialog will appear, in which you can define the new vault Item as required.

A new Item must be created and the catalog item linked to the initial planned revision of that Item. The catalog item cannot be linked to an existing Item in a vault.

Create a new Item in the target vault - a 'reserved' Item to which the catalog item will be linked.Create a new Item in the target vault - a 'reserved' Item to which the catalog item will be linked.

Use the Folder field first, to access the Choose Folder dialog and determine in which vault-folder the Item is to be created. The folder can be an existing one, or can be created on-the-fly. It can be a good idea to specify an Item Naming Scheme as part of the target folder's properties. In doing so, the software will automatically assign the next available unique Item ID, based on that scheme, having scanned the entire target vault and identifiers of existing Items. This is a great time-saver for automatically filling in the Item ID field in the Create Item dialog.

After clicking OK in the Create Item dialog, the new vault Item will be created along with initial revision in the Planned state. Back in the BOM Catalog, the entry for the Extra-Reserved item will now display a status of . Use the right-click Show in Vault Explorer command to browse the linked vault Item directly in the Vaults panel.

Example Extra-Reserved BOM Catalog item linked to the initial Planned revision of a Component Item in a vault.Example Extra-Reserved BOM Catalog item linked to the initial Planned revision of a Component Item in a vault.

Once linked, the target vault cannot be changed, nor can the catalog item be linked to a different vault Item.

The source data is released into the vault Item outside of the BOM document, using standard release procedures. For example, if the vault Item is a Component Item, you will need to release the domain models (schematic symbol, PCB 2D/3D component model, simulation model), followed by creation and release of the definition of that component in a Component Library. Once data has been released into the Item – so it is no longer in the Planned state – refreshing the BOM document (or closing and reopening) will change the Extra-Reserved item to a regular Extra-Managed item.

All Solutions

All Solutions is a listing of supply chain solutions for the currently selected catalog item.All Solutions is a listing of supply chain solutions for the currently selected catalog item.

This area of the tab provides a real-time listing of all supply chain solutions defined for the currently selected catalog item. How the solutions are sourced/managed depends on the type of item:

  • Core-Managed, Extra-Managed – automatically lists all solutions, sourced using the item's associated vault-based Part Choice List Item (PCL). Additional solutions can be added manually by the designer. The PCL for a vault Item can be accessed and managed from the BOM Catalog.
  • Core-Unmanaged – automatically lists any solutions defined through Supplier Links added to the placed part. Additional solutions can be added manually by the designer.
  • Extra-Place Holder, Extra-Process – solutions are added manually by the designer.
  • Extra-Reserved – solutions can be added manually by the designer. Alternatively, while still in the linked state (vault Item not yet released), the PCL for the vault Item can be managed (added, edited, or deleted) from within the BOM Catalog, and the resulting solutions retrieved.

If multiple catalog items are selected, the All Solutions region will only show the solutions applicable to the focused item.

The following data is presented for each solution:

  • Rank – a 'star rating' that can be applied by the user. Ranking can be applied to up to three different solutions (uniquely assigning three stars, two stars or one star). The more stars, the more preferred the solution. A ranked solution will appear as a sub-solution entry in the Selected Solutions region of the catalog.
  • Manufacturer – name of the manufacturer who makes the chosen part.
  • Manufacturer PartNo – part number for the chosen manufacturer part.
  • Supplier – name of the Supplier vending the chosen manufacturer part.
  • Supplier PartNo – part number used by the Supplier for the vended manufacturer part.
  • Description – description for the part.
  • Actual Price – this is the actual pricing (cost per unit) after taking into account the applicable price break offered by the Supplier, and based on the specified production quantity. The applicable price break is determined by the total number of units required for the selected catalog item, which is the number of those items used on a single board, multiplied by the number of boards nominated in a production spin (the value entered in the Production Quantity field at the top-right of the BOM document).
  • Pricing – this region presents pricing information for the currently selected solution, in terms of cost per part. For solutions that utilize parts from a Supplier (searched parts), this information comes directly from the applicable Supplier database. Where available, the pricing for different quantity bands is also presented. Currency is that of the Supplier. For a fully-defined manual solution, the designer has total control over setting pricing, including price breaks.
  • Availability – this region presents availability information for the currently selected solution in terms of how many parts the associated Supplier currently has in stock. For solutions that utilize parts from a Supplier (searched parts), this information comes directly from the applicable Supplier database. For a fully-defined manual solution, the designer has total control over setting stock availability.

The lowest-price solution for the catalog item (the lowest Actual Price), or the highest ranked solution (where ranking has been used), is highlighted in bold in the list of solutions.

The core of a supply chain solution is the Manufacturer-Supplier Part pairing. When a Manufacturer Part is chosen and added to a Part Choice List (for a vault-based catalog item) or Part Choice (when adding a solution manually through the BOM Catalog), the software looks up that part in the applicable Part Catalog, and the Vendor links associated to it. So if you have added a Manufacturer Part that has three associated Vendor links in the catalog, there will be three Manufacturer-Supplier Part pairings – or three supply chain Solutions. Each part pairing consists of the Manufacturer name and Manufacturer-specific part number, along with the Supplier name and Supplier-specific part number.

Affording some level of control over approved Suppliers that can be used when procuring parts for manufacturing, the Solutions returned based on defined Part Choices take into account which Suppliers are enabled for use. Use of an Altium Vault dictates centrally which Suppliers are to be used in an organization, configured through the vault's browser interface. While connected to it, the list of Suppliers on the Data Management – Suppliers page of the Preferences dialog will be disabled. It will simply be a read-only reflection of this centrally-defined list. This also means that if you are using an Altium Vault, the centralized list of Suppliers will be used until such time the Altium Vault is disconnected, at which point the Vault will follow the list of Suppliers defined at the Preferences level.

Grouping and Sorting

Group and sort solutions using controls provided on the respective menus associated to the Group By and Sort By controls, above the All Solutions grid.

Controls are also available from the right-click menu for the area.

Grouping and sorting controls for the All Solutions region.Grouping and sorting controls for the All Solutions region.

Controls work as follows:

  • Grouping – click on an entry to group by that attribute. Only one attribute can be used to group solutions at any one time. To remove a grouping, and therefore, give a flat listing of solutions, use the Remove Group By[<Attribute>] command.
  • Sorting – click on an entry to sort by that attribute in descending order,click a second time to sort in ascending order, and a third click to remove sorting by that attribute. Multiple attributes can be used to sort solutions. To globally remove sorting, use the Remove Sorting command.

Click on the column header directly to sort by that attribute.

With no grouping or sorting applied, solutions are ordered according to ranking (where applicable and with three star solutions first), then lowest to highest pricing. For two solutions with the same pricing (and that are not ranked), order is determined by stock level (i.e., the solution with greater availability is listed first).

Adding a 'Manual' Solution

Any number of additional 'manual' supply chain solutions can be added to a selected item in the BOM Catalog. To do so, click the Add Solution control above the All Solutions region or use the grid's right-click Add Solution command. The Add New Part Choice dialog will appear in which you can define the solution.

Add a solution manually to a catalog item as required.Add a solution manually to a catalog item as required.

The dialog consists of two regions –  Supplier Part Choices Search (identical in functionality to that used when making part choices for a vault-based Component Item), and Part Choice Details. The dialog can be used in one of two ways, depending on the part required and from where it is being sourced:

  • Semi-Automated – use the search region to search across the databases of all enabled Suppliers (which can include online Suppliers, and for an Altium Vault, an internal linked ODBC source as well). Once the required part is found, select it then click the  control, located between the Supplier Part Choices Search and Part Choice Details regions. The Part Choice Details region will be auto-populated with the supply chain data from the applicable Supplier.
  • Fully Manual – using the Part Choice Details region, manually enter the information required. This gives you the ability to add and fully define a part from any Supplier without constraining you to those Suppliers partnered with Altium. This is ideal for those catalog items that are not sold in a Supplier's product catalog, such as shipping costs, testing costs, and perhaps that custom part being made exclusively for you by a specialist.

When adding a new solution to an Extra-Place Holder or Extra-Process catalog item, the Supplier Part Choices Search region is hidden by default. These types of catalog item are typically used for entities not generally found in a Supplier catalog. Should you wish to use the search facility – perhaps an Extra-Place Holder is being used for a part after all, for example – click the Show search button at the bottom-left of the dialog.

When manually entering a solution, not all information may be applicable. For example a part sourced from another Supplier will generally require all fields to be filled-in, while a solution for an item relating to shipping costs might only require a supplier name, description and price. Enter as much as is needed to fully define the solution.

Example of a manually-defined solution added to a catalog item, and the resulting entry in the All Solutions list.Example of a manually-defined solution added to a catalog item, and the resulting entry in the All Solutions list.

When entering pricing information in the Price Break region, enter a single number representing the start of each new break – as illustrated in the previous image. Do not enter a range (e.g., 1-9) or use the plus character (e.g., 50+). The latter is added automatically to the number entered when the pricing information is displayed for the solution. If there are no pricing breaks (i.e., a single flat price regardless of units purchased)  enter 1 for the Quantity (the resulting pricing displayed will be 1+).

The  icon is used to distinguish a manually-added solution from one that has been retrieved for a vault-based Component Item through its Part Choice List (which is identified by the  icon), or one that has been retrieved for an unmanaged part in a design, through a defined Supplier Link (which is identified by the  icon).

When adding a solution to an Extra catalog item (Extra-Managed, Extra-Place Holder, Extra-Process, Extra-Reserved), the Actual Price field will display 0 if that item has not been added to the BOM (i.e.,it is not present on the BOM Components tab of the BOM document). Actual Price is calculated based on the number of parts required for a specified Production Quantity and in accordance with price breaks offered by the Supplier. When a catalog item is not yet present in the BOM, it is not being used for the design.

Editing an Existing Solution

A manually-added supply chain solution can be edited at any time. To do so, select the solution and either click the Edit Solution control above the main solutions grid, or use the grid's right-click Edit Solution command. The Update Part Choice dialog will appear in which you can modify the solution as required.

Solutions retrieved automatically from the Part Choice List of a vault Component Item cannot be modified directly from the solutions grid. Any changes must be made through interaction with the list via the Part Choices dialog. Access to this dialog can be made from the BOM Catalog. Likewise, solutions retrieved automatically based on Supplier Links added to an unmanaged part in the design can also not be modified directly through the BOM Catalog.

Edit a manually-added solution at any stage.Edit a manually-added solution at any stage.

Support for Component Supplier Links

Supplier Links added to unmanaged components in a design – through use of the Live Links to Supplier Data feature – are also used as a source of supply chain information, and brought in as solutions into the BOM Catalog. Such solutions are distinguished by the  icon.

Solutions sourced from Supplier Links cannot be edited in the BOM document directly, nor can they be deleted from it.

Ranking Solutions

An item in the BOM Catalog may have a considerable number of supply chain solutions depending on how many Part Choices have been defined for it and how many enabled Suppliers vend those chosen parts. The catalog gives you freedom of choice by allowing you to select up to three preferred solutions. This selection is made possible through the provision of Solution Ranking.

Ranking is implemented using a simple 'star rating' system. Up to three different solutions in the list can be uniquely assigned one of the following ranks:

 – High rank

 – Medium rank

 – Low rank

Ranked solutions appear as sub-entries of the catalog item in the Selected Solutions region of the BOM Catalog tab. On the BOM Components tab (and ultimately the generated BOM for manufacturing), they appear as Solution 1 (High rank solution), Solution 2 (Medium rank solution) and Solution 3 (Low rank solution).

Ranking must be applied to at least one solution for each catalog item for the supply chain data to appear on the BOM Components tab. This is so that the software knows under which solution (Solution 1, Solution 2, or Solution 3) to present the data.

Assigned ranks are unique. No two solutions can be assigned the same rank. If, for example, a solution has been given the highest rank (three stars), and this rank is then assigned to a different solution, the original solution will no longer be ranked.

With the required solution selected, controls to define ranking are available from the menu associated to the Set Rank control or from the solution grid's right-click Set Rank sub-menu.

Set ranking for up to three preferred supply chain solutions, giving the procurement specialist some 'wiggle room' when it comes to purchasing the parts for
manufacturing.

To remove ranking from a solution, select the solution then use the Clear Rank command from the Set Rank control or the right-click Set Rank sub-menu.

Deleting a Solution

A manually-added supply chain solution can be deleted at any time. To do so, select the solution and either click the Delete Solution control above the main solutions grid or use the grid's right-click Delete Solution command.

Solutions retrieved automatically from the Part Choice List of a vault Component Item cannot be deleted directly from the solutions grid. Removal of manufacturer part choices must be made through interaction with the list via the Part Choices dialog. Access to this dialog can be made from the BOM Catalog. Likewise, solutions retrieved automatically based on Supplier Links added to an unmanaged part in the design also cannot be deleted directly from the solutions grid.

Managing the Part Choice List for a Linked Extra-Reserved Item

Additional solutions can be added manually to an Extra-Reserved type of catalog item at any time, however, while that item is still in the Linked state, you can manage its Part Choice List directly from the BOM Catalog. Note that this is only possible if the linked vault item is a Component Item. To do so, select the Extra-Reserved item in the catalog, right-click and choose the Manage Part Choice List command from the menu. The Manage Supply Chain Part Choices dialog will appear.

Management of the linked Component Item's Part Choice List in this manner is possible only while the initial revision of that Item is still in the Planned state (not yet released). Once released and the BOM document is refreshed, the Extra-Reserved item becomes a standard Extra-Managed item. From this point, management of the Part Choice List for the Component Item can still be performed from the BOM Catalog, but is accessed differently.

Manage the PCL for an Extra-Reserved item's linked Component Item in the vault, directly from within the BOM Catalog.Manage the PCL for an Extra-Reserved item's linked Component Item in the vault, directly from within the BOM Catalog.

From here, creation and management of the Part Choice List is performed in the same way as from the Supply Chain view for the Component Item in the Vaults panel. Interaction with the Part Choice List is performed within the Part Choices dialog. This dialog is accessed using the applicable command on the drop-down menu associated with the  icon, at the top-right of the Solutions region of the dialog. 

Use the Part Search region on the left of the Part Choices dialog to browse the supported (and enabled) Supplier's databases for the required part(s). Once a part is found that meets the engineering criteria for the design component, click the  button to the immediate right of the search results. The selected part will be added to the Manufacturer Part Choices region of the dialog – this is the Part Choice List that will be stored in the next revision of the Part Choice List Item upon clicking OK.

The Part Choices dialog - the direct interface to the Part Choice List item for a vault-based component.The Part Choices dialog - the direct interface to the Part Choice List item for a vault-based component.

The list presents added parts in terms of Manufacturer and Manufacturer Part Number. As many parts as needed can be added to the list, however, remember that they must be equivalent in that any part in the list can represent the design component on the manufactured and assembled board and perform the same function as per designed requirements.

To remove a part from the list, select its entry and click the Remove button at the bottom of the list.

When the OK button is pressed, the part choices made will be saved. If this is the first time adding part choices for a Component Item, the list will be saved in an initial revision of a new Part Choice List Item. If this is an amendment to an existing list for a Component Item, the list will be saved into a new (the next) revision of the existing Part Choice List Item. The solution(s) – based on enabled Suppliers that vend the chosen part – will be retrieved from the applicable part catalog and displayed back in the Manage Supply Chain Part Choices dialog. OK out of this dialog; the solution(s) will be retrieved from the vault and presented in the All Solutions region for the item in the BOM Catalog.

Managing the Part Choice List for a Vault Item

Additional solutions can be added manually to a vault-based catalog item (of type Core-Managed or Extra-Managed) at any time. You can also create/manage the vault-based Part Choice List Item for the targeted Component Item directly from the BOM Catalog. Interaction with the Part Choice List is performed within the Part Choices dialog. This dialog is accessed using the Create / Edit PCL Solutions List command on the drop-down menu associated with the  icon at the top-right of the All Solutions region.

Define the list (or modify it) by choosing parts as required (as described in the previous section). When the OK button is pressed, the part choices made will be saved. If this is the first time adding part choices for a Component Item, the list will be saved in an initial revision of a new Part Choice List Item. If this is an amendment to an existing list for a Component Item, the list will be saved into a new (the next) revision of the existing Part Choice List Item. The solution(s) – based on enabled Suppliers that vend the chosen part(s) – will be retrieved from the applicable part catalog and presented in the All Solutions region for the item in the BOM Catalog.

Selected Solutions

Selected Solutions - chosen solutions to be used for items in the BOM Catalog.Selected Solutions - chosen solutions to be used for items in the BOM Catalog.

This area of the BOM Catalog tab presents real-time information on selected solutions for the items in the catalog – solutions that can be ultimately included into a generated manufacturing BOM. For each catalog item, the selected solution(s) presented – from all of its possible solutions (as presented in the All Solutions region) – are determined in one of the following ways:

  • Default Solution – by default the solution with the lowest Actual Price (based on number of boards in a production spin) will be used as the singular selected solution. In the All Solutions region, this solution is distinguished by the use of bold highlighting.
  • Ranked Solutions – up to three different solutions can be selected for use through assignment of rank.

The following data is presented for each solution:

  • Rank – rank applied to the solution. A ranked solution will appear as a sub-solution entry in the region .
  • Target Price – manually-entered target price for the catalog item. By default, this entry will initially be 0 for all item types.
  • Actual Price – this is the actual pricing (cost per unit) after taking into account the applicable price break offered by the Supplier and based on the specified production quantity. The applicable price break is determined by the total number of units required for the selected catalog item, which is the number of those items used on a single board multiplied by the number of boards nominated in a production spin (the value entered in the Production Quantity field at the top-right of the BOM document).
  • Manufacturer – name of the Manufacturer who makes the chosen part.
  • Manufacturer PartNo – part number for the chosen Manufacturer part.
  • Supplier – name of the Supplier vending the chosen Manufacturer part.
  • Supplier PartNo – part number used by the Supplier for the vended Manufacturer part.
  • Stock – current availability, i.e., how many parts the associated Supplier currently has in stock.
  • Supply Risk – a qualification of the state of the supply chain; can have the following states:
    • No Solution – the catalog item has no supply chain solutions currently defined for it. Add a solution as required.
    • Clear – the selected solution for the catalog item (or highest ranking solution for multiple, ranked solutions) has an actual price equal to, or less than, the specified Target Price set by the designer AND is adequately stocked for the specified production quantity.
    • Price target missed – the selected solution for the catalog item (or highest ranking solution for multiple, ranked solutions) has an actual price greater than the specified Target Price set by the designer.
    • Not enough stock – the selected solution for the catalog item (or highest ranking solution for multiple, ranked solutions) is not adequately stocked for the specified production quantity.
    • Not enough stock,Price target missed – the selected solution for the catalog item (or highest ranking solution for multiple, ranked solutions) has an actual price greater than the specified Target Price set by the designer AND is not adequately stocked for the specified production quantity.

Only the Target Price is editable. This value is used as a calculating factor in Supply Risk and is also used in the calculation of the overall Target price per board, the value for which is displayed at the top-right of the BOM document.

Ranking must be applied to at least one solution for each catalog item for the supply chain data to appear on the BOM Components tab. This is so that the software knows under which solution (Solution 1, Solution 2, or Solution 3) to present the data.

The Target Price can be quickly set to the Actual Price (provided the Actual Price is not 0.0) for one or more selected catalog items. To do this, simply select the item(s) required, right-click then choose the Set target price to actual price command.

Display of Ranked Solutions

Where ranking has been employed for the solutions associated with a catalog item, the highest ranked solution will be presented as the main selected solution entry, along with sub-entries for all ranked solutions. Use the expand/contract control to the left of the item to gain access to these sub-entries.

Presenting ranked solutions in the Selected Solutions region for a catalog item.Presenting ranked solutions in the Selected Solutions region for a catalog item.

SUPPORT FOR OLD-STYLE COMPONENT APPROACH

Many designers still employ old-style component methodologies. For passive components (resistors, capacitors, inductors), it is common to see libraries of schematic components where those components share a common symbol but when placed on the schematic, are given different values parametrically. So a group of capacitors might share the one symbol, and therefore have the same Design Item ID, but through a differentiating parameter, they are given different values of capacitance and are therefore unique in terms of distinct physical components that are required when the board is manufactured and assembled.

The ActiveBOM has functionality to detect and separate any components in a design that share a common-Design Item ID - presenting them as unique entries in the BOM Catalog tab and allowing you to correctly and independently assign solutions for them.

Flagging Ambiguity

The Status Ambiguous Component is used to reflect the situation where multiple components exist in the design with the same Design Item ID but differ in their parametric information.

Components that share a common Design Item ID are highlighted in the BOM Catalog using the status Ambiguous Component.

Components that share a common Design Item ID are highlighted in the BOM Catalog using the status Ambiguous Component.

Facilitating Differentiation

While several components in a design can use the same symbol/design item ID, it is their parametric data that distinguishes them - typically a different value in their Comment field. For the ActiveBOM to be able to essentially compare, detect, and separate these common items, there needs to be some way to define the distinguishing parameter to be used. For unmanaged components (non-vault or DBLib-based), identification is extended through the use of a customizable set of parameters. This set is determined through the Document Options dialog (with the BOM document active, click Design » Document Options from the main menu).

Specify component parameters by which to differentiate components that possess
the same design item ID.

Comment, ValueDescription, and Footprint parameters are added to the differentiation list by default. In the majority of cases, it is one (or a combination) of these parameters that is used to distinguish components that share the same core schematic symbol (and therefore the same Design Item ID).

Simply add parameters with which to differentiate the common design items. Controls are available to add new parameters to the list, edit existing parameters, or remove parameters, as required. For each parameter, use its associated Parameter State field to specify whether it is included as a variable for differentiation (Check) or excluded (Ignore).

The default CommentValue, and Description parameters are all set for inclusion in the checking, while Footprint is set to be ignored. For the most part, discrete components will vary in comment and/or value and/or description, therefore footprint checking is not essential. However, the presence of the Footprint parameter for differentiation caters for the situation where discrete components, such as two resistors, might have the same value and description, but be available in two different packages (e.g., 0402 vs 0603). In this case, simply switch the Parameter State from Ignore to Check.

Determine whether a parameter is used in component differentiation.

Determine whether a parameter is used in component differentiation.With the required parameters specified, click OK. The ambiguous components will be 're-assessed' for uniqueness based on the parameters enabled for checking. The BOM Catalog data will be refreshed and the results presented. If components were successfully differentiated based on the supplied parameters, they will be listed as their own distinct entries and their status will change to Up to Date. If differentiation could not be proven, the condensed component entry will remain along with the status Ambiguous Component. In this case, add another parameter through the Document Options dialog that differs between the affected components.

An example of successful differentiation. Three unique capacitor components share the same Design Item ID - CAP - but differ in their capacitance values,
specified through their respective Comment parameters. By specifying the Comment parameter be used for checking, the single condensed entry in the BOM
Catalog correctly becomes three distinctly unique entries.
With ambiguity resolved, you can proceed to define separate and distinct supply chain solutions for the components.

Variant Support

To support variants, the BOM Editor includes a Variants toolbar. Select which variant of the design to use with the BOM using the drop-down field at the left. This provides a listing of all currently defined variants for the design. To use the ActiveBOM feature with the core base design, ensure that the entry is set to [No Variations].

Quick access to the Variant Management dialog is provided using the  button on the Variants toolbar.

Note

The features available depend on your level of Altium Designer Software Subscription.

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