We recently purchased SolidWorks PDM and are working our way through all the implementation issues. One thing that has me puzzled is how to keep BOM rev's matching their respective files.
My understanding is that a computed BOM only works with a SolidWorks assembly, which has SolidWorks parts in it. So, for instance, spec.docx would not show on a computed BOM. To get around this, and to use line item numbers, it appears that a named BOM is a decent solution.
However, it appears that I cannot "paste as reference" a *.bom onto a file, probably because they reside in different views. So, how are people ensuring that a BOM gets rev'd at the same time as the file? Training is not the answer, if people can mess it up, they will mess it up.
I looked at Items, but I don't like that it's yet another interface. I want to see all of my files/BOMs/items at the same time in one window.
I would counter that it shouldn’t be your goal to keep a named BOM and its assembly always in the same revision. They are two different documents that have different jobs.
The quantities can be different, the named BOM can have additional items that you don’t want to model i.e. paint, grease, shipping labels, shipping pallets, assembly manuals, -the calculated BOM may have a quantity of 5 fasteners but you only buy one box…. In short since a named BOM gets touched by different people than make the calculated BOMs, it needs to have the ability to have its own independent revision schema.
Recall that named BOMs can be checked in and out AND go through workflows. They certainly can go through the same workflow as your CAD files, but oftentimes their lifecycles are so different [purchasing and manufacturing can have more say of its contents than a calculated BOM] sometimes it makes sense to make a new workflow just for them.
Since the named BOM contains your assembly, and the assembly has a revision, it is easy to say “This named BOM at revision D, contains assembly 1234 which is at revision B”