File Management

This set of resources provides you information how to manage files using OpenBOM

The file is an essential component of data management. CAD files, specification, drawings, and many others – they are part of product development and many pieces of essential information is stored in files. OpenBOM provides flexible, scalable, and robust mechanisms to manage files and link to files stored in other storage.

You can easily connect single or multiple files to any record of information in OpenBOM – item (catalog), item instance (BOM). order, PO, vendor, etc. The foundation of this mechanism is the Reference Property type. 

OpenBOM provides a flexible and robust mechanism to track and manage changes. It includes the following functions: 

1. OpenBOM Object Models and Files

At OpenBOM, we have been thinking about files, file storage, and file management. OpenBOM has two main services allowing for the management of files and supporting multiple data management workflows that involve files. 

  • OpenBOM allows you to manage CAD and other files using the OpenBOM Design Projects service where you can manage file versions.
  • You can have the file attached to Item and Item Revisions. Later on, you can get files attached to Orders, POs, service BOMs, and maintenance orders. 

The follow object model shows you the full scope data that can be managed in OpenBOM. 

Logical data model

OpenBOM data model

Design Folders, Files

Files can be stored and managed in Folders using Design Projects. Design Project (introduced in Sep/2023) allows to upload files and manage revisions of your projects including CAD and other files, manage revisions, and sync them with your local disc (it was introduced in Sep 2023 and became part of OpenBOM free subscription). 

Reference Object Property 

A reference property is a granular data element in OpenBOM that can be attached to multiple data types – items, BOMs, orders, POs, etc. This data element allows you to store a file as an attachment and by doing so, has this file always associated with a specific data set – Item, Item Revision, BOM, etc. It is flexible and powerful. Read more about it below and in the Properties documentation. 

Item Revisions and Files 

Reference object property allows you to store files attached to objects such as Items. An additional mechanism – Item revisions will take care of automatically storing file revisions each time an Item revision is created. Which gives you a fully-fledged file revision managed in the product structure. Check more about it in Revisions and Change Management documentation. 

2. Reference Property Type and File Storage

Reference property type gives you two options:

  • Connect link to the file located in external cloud storage (eg. Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, etc.)
  • Upload file to OpenBOM internal storage (OpenBOM storage).

You can add multiple reference type properties to the same record and this is a way to manage to add multiple files to the same item record

3. Security and Access Control

The connection with external storage is doing via a link (URL) placed in the reference property. OpenBOM doesn’t control the security of your storage – a separate login will be needed if you use external storage such as Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. In the case of OpenBOM storage, the access control is managed by OpenBOM. Everyone having access to the catalog, BOM, or another OpenBOM object, will have the access to the file stored in OpenBOM storage.

4. How to upload file to Reference Property

There are three main options to upload files to OpenBOM: 

  1. manual using reference property user interface; 
  2. automatic upload using OpenBOM CAD Add-ins; 
  3. REST API.

Check Reference Property type and CAD Add-ins documentation for more information on how to add files.

Here is a sample video how to use OpenBOM reference property to store files


5. Demo Data

Check OpenBOM demo data to check how files can be managed. In the picture below you can see examples of CAD files, PDFs, and other files connected to item and BOM records.

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