Bill of Materials (BOM) synchronization is a process that considers differences in product structure and BOM Line properties at all levels. For example, in top-down design, assembly structures may be modified outside the Solid Edge environment and then opened in Solid Edge. You expect to see the changes in Solid Edge even though they were made outside of Solid Edge. The BOM out-of-date check recognizes a change made in an editor other than Solid Edge that includes either a structure change or a BOM Line property change. This includes the addition of new or existing items not yet synchronized. In some cases, the direct document could even be a virtual component, and all levels of the structure could require synchronization.
When an assembly structure is changed outside of Solid Edge, and then opened in Solid Edge, you are notified via the Structure Synchronization dialog box. The dialog box indicates the top level assembly that requires structure synchronization, the candidate assemblies, and unique assemblies found. You have the option to synchronize the changes, and also whether or not to check out the assemblies. A status message and a process indicator bar indicates the progress of the overall synchronization process.
Another example of synchronization occurs when a component of an assembly is revised. When you open the assembly, if you use the revision rule As Saved, the assembly is opened with the original component. When you open the assembly using the revision rule Latest, the Structure Synchronization dialog box gives you the opportunity to synchronize and use the revised component in the assembly.
Teamcenter Product Structure occurrences that have a Solid Edge Assembly Dataset and include a Solid Edge Assembly document are candidates for BOM synchronization. Even if the top level assembly is opened Read Only, you have the option to continue with synchronization. The subassemblies are checked out with write access even though the top level assembly is Read Only.
Bill of Material synchronization is controlled in Solid Edge Embedded Client with the Teamcenter Preference SEEC_BOM_Synchronization and is False (off) by default. To enable BOM synchronization, set the Teamcenter Preference SEEC_BOM_Synchronization=True.
Note:
See the Solid Edge Embedded Client Administrator's Guide for details regarding setting Teamcenter Preferences.
A log file captures the specific details of the BOM synchronization. The Log Files entry in the File Locations page of the Solid Edge Options dialog box determines the location of the log file. The Enable structure synchronization logging option on the Manage page of the Solid Edge Options dialog box turns the logging off or on.
Each log file uses a naming convention consisting of a description, the Item ID and Revision, and a timestamp followed by the .csv extension. For example, StructureSynch_000303–A_20100730140037.csv. In this example, 000303–A is the Item ID-Revision.
The timestamp is a 14 digit unique identifier using the format YYYYMMDDHHmmss where:
YYYY is the year. In the example, 2010.
MM is the month. In the example, 07 is July.
DD is the day. In the example, 30 is the 30th.
HH is the hour using a 24-hour clock beginning at midnight which is 00 and going through 23, which is 11:00pm. In the example, 14 is 2:00 pm.
mm is the minute. In the example, 00 is 00 minutes past the hour.
ss is the seconds. In the example, 37 is 37 seconds past the minute.
The log file displays column headings in English followed by the properties of the parent, children, and children's properties.
Note:
If an Item Revision contains a Solid Edge dataset, but the dataset is empty (no file is contained in the object), it is assumed this is as a result of a failed transaction.
Solid Edge Embedded Client has the capability to synchronize BOM Line quantity per occurrence. This is sometimes called quantity override. By default, Solid Edge exchanges integers with Teamcenter. In the event an item is defined as a non-graphic part, such as grease or paint, you need the ability to represent the quantity as a real number (4.32 ounces) or set the quantity to A/R (as required).
To support quantity as a real number, Solid Edge part must have the following custom properties defined and the Teamcenter unit of measure (UOM) must be a non-null value.
Name: SE_ASSEMBLY_QUANTITY_OVERRIDE
Type: Number
Value: 0
Name: SE_ASSEMBLY_QUANTITY_STRING
Type: Text
Value: <Teamcenter UOM>
The custom property SE_ASSEMBLY_QUANTITY_STRING captures the type of unit and the number of decimal places you require. For example, Liters;4. You must separate the unit type and the decimal places with a semi-colon (;).
Tip:
If the number of decimal places you require is two, there is no need to specify a value for the decimal places.
To support quantity as A/R (as required), the custom properties must be defined as follows:
Name: SE_ASSEMBLY_QUANTITY_OVERRIDE
Type: Number
Value: 1
Name: SE_ASSEMBLY_QUANTITY_STRING
Type: Text
Value: A/R
The characters A/R are the only characters accepted by Teamcenter. This is particularly important when you map properties for adding unmanaged documents to Teamcenter using Add to Teamcenter. The A/R characters are not localized.
Note:
If any BOM lines are set to A/R (as required), the part is considered a non-graphic part and the custom file properties are set accordingly. While it is possible for you to override the quantity in Teamcenter and set the quantity to an integer value, the custom properties are not removed and the part file is considered a non-graphic part.