Once an item has been created in PLM, open it from the data card of one of the design files or from the Items tab within PLM to view it.
The item page is where users will manage everything related to that item: view and edit item fields, manage the Bill of Materials (BOM), add design files, and more.
Exporting an Item
1. Click the Export button at the top of the item page.
2. Select Use custom format label to apply a file naming convention to the exported design files. Add or remove curly brackets for the metadata that should appear in the file name.
3. Choose the files to export. Options include an Excel spreadsheet of the Item Properties and values as well as the native or universal formats of the CAD and Drawing design files.
4. Click Export.
Editing Item Properties
Click Edit in the top right corner to populate or make changes to the default item fields and those specific to the item category that appear in the Details tab.
Regenerating Part Number
Click the circular arrow beside the Part Number to regenerate it at any point.
Making an Item Obsolete
Change the Is Active field from Active to Obsolete and click Save in the top right corner.
Assigning an Item to a User or Project
From the dropdowns, choose the relevant Owners and/or Projects.
You can filter by Project throughout PDM e.g. when viewing the list of all items or when adding them to a change. See Creating Projects to create these at the company level.
Adding and Deleting Alternates
Having alternates for items allows planners or engineers to select permitted substitutes from a dropdown on any BOM line where the item is referenced, and to swap them in directly on the BOM. See Choosing and Swapping Alternates for more information.
1. From the Alternates tab, click the Add button.
2. Select the item(s) that can be used interchangeably. Narrow the search by name, part number, or project. Click Add.
An item can only serve as an alternate once. If it's already assigned as an alternate, it won't appear as a selectable option in this dialog.
3. Delete an alternate by clicking the trash can icon to the right of the item.
Viewing and Exporting the BOM
BOM Views and Structure Types
From the BOM tab, choose between views from the first dropdown to show different child item metadata. These are created by admins and can be managed from the BOM Views setting.
Toggle between Direct, Indented, and Parts Only structure types from the second dropdown.
The children files must be linked to a PLM item for them to appear in the assembly item BOM.
Exporting a BOM
1. Click the Export button.
2. Select Use custom format label to apply a file naming convention to the exported design files. Add or remove curly brackets for the metadata that should appear in the file name.
3. Choose a BOM structure type that should be represented in the Excel export.
3. Select the type of files to export. Options include an Excel version of the BOM as well as the native or universal formats of the CAD and Drawing design files.
4. Click Export.
Where Used
Visit the Where Used tab to see where this item is referenced elsewhere in PLM and how many times. The default list is for the latest revision of these items. Click Show All Revisions to view previous ones as well.
Hold the CTRL/command button on your keyboard and click on the Name field of the parent items to launch it in a new tab.
Managing Design Files
Downloading Design Files
1. In the rightmost column, click either the desired universal file format or the download icon for the native file.
2. You may be notified that the file needs to be generated. Once generated, click the desired format again and it will go to the downloads folder on your computer immediately.
Right-click a file and choose Download as another method to retrieve the native file.
Choosing Source PDM Data
When there are multiple design files associated with the same item, users can choose which is the source for the item thumbnail, BOM, and metadata synced from PDM. This can be done at the time the item is created, a design file is added, or adjusted any time from the Design Files tab of the item page.
The BOM SOURCE is relevant for items that are allowed BOMs and have design files with children.
Managing Suppliers from Item Page
Viewing and Editing Suppliers
Click on the Suppliers tab to view the suppliers that have access to an item. Any MPN entered by a supplier for the revision being viewed will populate in the column to the right of their name.
Edits can be made to the primary/alternate type, permissions, and access. To remove a supplier, click the trash can icon to the right of the supplier name.
If you are viewing a released version of the item, you may or may not be permitted to make changes depending on if the Allow Managing Suppliers on Released Revisions setting is enabled or disabled by an admin.
Viewing Supplier-Specific Metadata
Admins can choose which item fields are visible to suppliers as well as which fields suppliers are allowed to enter vendor-specific information into (see Item Categories and Fields). Values entered by suppliers exist separately and will not overwrite internal values.
From the Details tab, switch the dropdown from Internal to the relevant supplier.
Information entered by suppliers (if allowed) is read-only.
Viewing Item History
Click on the History tab to see the events related to the item revision that is currently being viewed from the Revision dropdown, who performed them, and when. Some examples you may see:
Thumbnail/BOM/Metadata synced from PDM
Updated revision attributes
Added design file
Added to change
