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V9 - Bulk editing BOMs (bills of materials)

SOS Inventory's bulk editing process for BOMs can be used for items defined as an Assembly or Kit (item group) item type.

Editing assemblies and kits (item groups) via a BOM bulk edit

edit_noteNOTE: A BOM bulk edit cannot be used to create new assembly or item groups. You must add new items in SOS (directly or via an item bulk edit) prior to importing your BOM spreadsheet—or your BOM import will fail.

edit_noteNOTE: If you use categories, you can save yourself time in data entry on the BOM spreadsheet by disabling Include category prefix on item names (formerly “Find items by short name”), located under the General inventory settings (Tools & settings > Configuration > Inventory > General). If this setting is enabled, you will need to preface each item name you enter with its associated category and a colon (e.g., Jewelry:Oval sapphire ring). Do not add a space after the colon, or the import will fail. The same principle applies to subcategories. Disabling Include category prefix on item names (formerly "Find items by short name") allows you to bypass this step and simply enter the item name. However, if you have multiple items with the same short name, this option can cause you to be unable to look up items in SOS Inventory. So carefully choose whether to use this option.

warningIMPORTANT: If a BOM file was uploaded previously, the new imported file will overwrite all existing BOMs in the system. If you do not want to overwrite all existing BOMs, limit your import to include only those BOMs that have been changed or added.

If you do not already have any existing bill of materials in SOS Inventory, manually enter one into the system. It will serve as an example for you to follow on the downloaded BOM spreadsheet. If you already have existing BOMs in SOS Inventory, skip this step and move to Step 2.
1. Go to the Items list (Operations > Inventory > Items) and locate the item record for the assembly or item group for which you want to create a bill of materials.
2. On the item record's Actions dropdown, choose Bill of materials.
3. In the table on the Bill of materials pop-up window, select from the Item dropdown each component item needed and specify the quantity required for each component to build one assembly or item group. Enter a note when necessary for a particular component. A sample BOM table is shown below.
4. Save and close when finished.
Go to Tools & settings > Export data.
1. Under the Inventory section, select BOMs.
2. Under the Columns section, select the button, Add all columns required for import. (Ignore the Filters and Options sections.)
3. Under Retrieve your report, select Email or Download as the method of delivery for the exported data. In either case, a pop-up window will open.
  
  edit_noteNOTE: If you know that you have a large amount of data to process, use the Email option. The resulting file will be sent to you after it is generated.
  1. Email. Sends the exported file as an attachment to the email address(es) you specify. The report file type options are Excel (.xlsx), Legacy Excel (.xls), and Comma-separated values (.csv). Multiple email addresses must be separated by a comma.
  2. Download. Choose the desired report file type—Excel (.xlsx), Legacy Excel (.xls), or Comma-separated values (.csv).
Make a backup copy of the exported data file before editing.
If opening the spreadsheet in Excel and the exported format was also in Excel, you must unprotect the sheet (located under the Review ribbon).
Edit the file.
1. Do not change any column headings.
2. For each assembly or item group:
  1. Enter (or edit) the Assembly (or item group) name, each Component, and the Quantity needed of each component to build one assembly. (See the sample screenshot below of the BOM spreadsheet for assembly 300hp Outboard Motor and its component items as a reference.)
    1. If entering a new BOM, be sure that the spelling, case, and any spacing you use on the spreadsheet for the item names match that of the corresponding item names in SOS Inventory.
    2. If you use categories and chose to keep the Include category prefix on item names (formerly "Find items by short name") enabled: as previously mentioned in the Tip under this section, you must add the appropriate category name, followed by a colon, as a prefix to the item name. Format: category:item (with no space after the colon). For example, Jewelry:Oval sapphire ring. If subcategories are used, the format is category:subcategory:item.
    3. Enter the name of each assembly or item group only one time. Do not repeatedly enter it for each component within the same assembly or item group.
  2. Enter Notes if needed.
  3. Do not edit the data in the LineNumber column, as it is supplied by the system.
Save when finished.
Import your data.
1. Go to Tools & settings > Import data.
2. Under the Importing dropdown, choose BOMs.
3. Drag and drop your Excel or CSV document in the File field, or use the File selector button to choose the file you wish to import.
4. Select Preview. SOS will display the first 10 lines of data, so that you can ensure the correct file of data is being uploaded.
5. If the Preview looks correct, select Import.

SOS Inventory will send a notification indicating whether the import was successful.

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Editing assemblies and kits (item groups) via a BOM bulk edit