OpenBOM 101 – Introduction to BOM types

Oleg Shilovitsky
Oleg Shilovitsky
10 May, 2019 | 2 min for reading
OpenBOM 101 – Introduction to BOM types

In this video, I’d like to introduce you to BOM types. There are three fundamental BOM types – Single Level BOM, Multi-level BOM and Flattened BOM (report). Here is a picture that gives you an idea of OpenBOM types.

Single BOM is the basic of OpenBOM data model. It is a flat list of items with a set of attributes (properties). It has mandatory ID property called Part Number, which can be renamed. List of properties can be custom, so you can add any properties.

Mult-level BOM is a structure that OpenBOM creates by visualizing single level BOMs and Parent-Child relationships.

Finally, Flattened BOM is a read-only flat list that contains all parts and assemblies in top-level structure with rolled up quantities.

OpenBOM model allows you to create and manage any types of bill of materials from very simple part lists to very complex multi-disciplinary structures with a diverse sett of properties in each level.

OpenBOM connects structure on demand regardless of what order of definition. You can first create sub-levels and later top-level BOMs. You can also do it in the opposite mode – top down.

Watch this video for basic demonstration of OpenBOM BOM types.

Conclusion.

Three fundamental BOM types give you a full range of flexibility when it comes to the definition of simple part lists and complex structures.

In the next video, I will show how easy create new BOM structures from scratch.

Best, Oleg

PS. Let’s get to know each other better. If you live in the Greater Boston area, I invite you for a coffee together (coffee is on me). If not nearby, let’s have a virtual coffee session — I will figure out how to send you a real coffee.

Want to learn more about PLM? Check out my Beyond PLM blog and PLM Book website

Related Posts

Also on OpenBOM

4 6
9 July, 2025

A few days ago, I posted an article titled Is your data BOMable?, where I explored the readiness of your...

8 July, 2025

Let’s be honest – keeping track of accurate Bills of Materials (BOMs) is one of the biggest challenges in engineering...

3 July, 2025

Walk into any engineering office today, and you’ll see it immediately: Excel open on someone’s screen. Spreadsheets have been the...

2 July, 2025

Engineers rarely build entirely new products from scratch. Whether designing machinery, electronics, or high-tech projects, most products are evolutions of...

1 July, 2025

At OpenBOM, our vision has always been clear – to create an open and flexible information model, built using modern...

30 June, 2025

At OpenBOM, we know that managing changes is one of the most critical – and often challenging – aspects of...

27 June, 2025

At OpenBOM, we talk to manufacturing companies of all sizes – startups, mid-sized innovators, and established enterprises, and most of...

26 June, 2025

Products are becoming increasingly complex and teams are distributed across geographies. It brings up a question about how to improve...

25 June, 2025

At OpenBOM, we make engineering data accessible to business functions—procurement planning, supply chain management, cost estimation, and more.But to make...

To the top