Let’s talk about different BOM types. The fundamental flexible OpenBOM model remains the same. But we are adding many features and functions that will make your OpenBOM experience much easier.

In addition to two existing BOM types — (1) Multi-level and (2) Single-level BOMs, we introduced a new type of BOM representation (3) — Flattened. Think of a flattened BOM as a list of all the parts from all levels of your BOM listed together and the aggregate total quantities for each part are shown. It’s a great way to see the quantities of ALL Parts (no matter what level of the BOM they appear) with their summed quantities.

Flattened really only makes sense for a multi-level BOM.

The following picture can give you an idea about what is that:

Think about simple skateboard combined of board, screws, axle, wheels and more screws. All together, you can see them organized in an assembly (Skateboard) and subassembly (Axle Assy). However, when you get to a single-level BOM, you will see only one level including Parts and next level assemblies. The purpose of the Flattened BOM type is to display a flat representation of your BOM with distinct components and corresponding quantities collected from all sub-levels of a specific assembly.

The examples below demonstrate the same BOM displayed as the three BOM types:

Single level:

Multi-level:

Flattened:

But pictures can tell only part of the story. The following video shows how easy you can switch between BOM types. User experience is extremely important here and we’re doing it easy and simple.