Efficiently Importing Multi-product BOM

This guide will walk you through a  feature in Buymanager  that allows you to import multiple Bill of Materials (BOMs) in a single, streamlined process. This method is designed to save you significant time and effort. 

What is This Feature?

• This feature enables the simultaneous import of multiple product BOMs (e.g., for various circuit boards) into Buymanager using a specially formatted Excel file.
• It's a way to manage complex product structures efficiently, especially when dealing with products that share common components or have multiple sub-assemblies.
   

Why Do You Need It? 

• Enhanced Efficiency: Ideal for projects involving multiple similar boards or products, allowing for quick setup of their respective BOMs.
• Data Consistency: Helps maintain uniformity in your BOM data by using a standardized import template.
• Streamlined Quoting: Quickly set up complex product structures within your quotes, speeding up the entire quotation process.

Who is This For? 

• Audience: This guide is primarily for Procurement Specialists, Engineers, and System Administrators who regularly manage and import complex Bill of Materials, especially for electronic assemblies or products with multiple sub-components.
• Prerequisites:
  • You need access to the Deal  functionalities within Buymanager
  • Familiarity with creating and managing quotes in Buymanager is beneficial.
  • Administrator or specific import rights may be required to perform these actions.
  • Important Note: While there's no strict limit to the number of BOMs you can import, very large files might impact your system's performance. For optimal efficiency, this process is most effective when importing  three distinct BOMs.

How It Works: Step-by-Step Guide to Multi-BOM Import

Let's get started with preparing your data and importing it into Buymanager. 

1. Preparing Your Excel BOM File

Your Excel file needs a very specific structure to ensure a successful import. It must contain two distinct tabs.

Tab 1: "Product"

This tab lists the finished products (e.g. your circuit boards) that you want to import.

• Columns Required:
  • product code (BOM): The unique identifier for your finished product.
  • Description: A brief description of the finished product.
  • Quantities: The quantity of each finished product.
• Key Concept: "Dummy BOM" (Level 0)
  • In this tab, you will list your finished products (e.g., "Board A," "Board B") as Level 1 items.
  • Crucially, you must also include a "Dummy BOM" entry. This is a placeholder, a "fake product" at Level 0, and it is absolutely mandatory for the multi-BOM import process to work correctly. It acts as the root for all your imported BOMs.

 

Tab 2: "BOM"

This tab contains the detailed structure of each Bill of Material, including all components for your finished products.

• Columns Required: This tab will include your usual BOM information, but with two critical additions for this process:
  • BOM Level: This column is essential.
    • Your finished products (from the "Product" tab) will be listed here as 1
    • All components for these finished products must be listed as 2
  • Other standard BOM columns like  Description, Quantity  should also be present.

 

2. Importing Your BOM into Buymanager

Once your Excel file is prepared, follow these steps in Buymanager: 

1. Create a New Deal: Start by creating a new deal as you normally would.

   • Navigate to the Deals section and initiate a new deal.

   

2. Initiate Import: Within your new deal, locate and click the "Import" button and choose your file. 

   
   
   This action will begin importing the data from your "Product" tab.

3. Quantity Processing: Choose the appropriate method for processing your BOMs (see also article here on Consolidated or aggregated costing) 
   
    
4. Access the Product Page: You will then be directed to the Bill of Materials (BOM) import page.
5. Import "Dummy BOM": On the first line of the import interface, ensure you import the "Dummy BOM" (Level 0) entry. This is crucial for establishing the root of your multi-level BOM structure.

6. Configure Import Template Settings: update or create an import template as usual, with 

• Additon of two essential fields to your import mapping:
  • Item Code: This refers to the article code (part number) that already exists in your Buymanager item database.
  • Level Number: This is specifically for multi-level BOMs and corresponds to the BOM Level column you set up in your Excel file.

7.Select Header Row: Continue the usual import procedure by selecting your BOM tab and the header row in your Excel file.

8.Map Columns: Carefully map all the columns from your Excel file to the corresponding fields in Buymanager.biz. Don't forget to map the two newly added columns (Item Code and Level Number)!

9. Resolve Suppliers: Proceed to resolve any suppliers associated with the imported items.

10. Verify Levels: After mapping, you should see the different BOM levels (eg. product 1, 2,3) correctly displayed

11. Search/Create Items: Search for existing line items in your database or create new ones as needed for any components not yet recognized.

1. Generate & Save BOM: Generate the complete Bill of Materials and save it.
2. Refresh Quote: The page does not automatically refresh after saving. To see the updated BOM structure, exit the current quote and then re-enter it.
3. View Complete BOM: Once refreshed, you can right-click on one of your imported finished products to view its complete, multi-level Bill of Materials. This full BOM will now be saved in your article database.