PREVIEW VIDEO: Save Rollup Calculations To Catalog(s)

Oleg Shilovitsky
Oleg Shilovitsky
9 September, 2021 | 2 min for reading
PREVIEW VIDEO: Save Rollup Calculations To Catalog(s)

Calculations are one of the most important, powerful, and demanded features in OpenBOM. I haven’t seen a single company in my life that doesn’t care about calculating product cost. There are many examples of other calculations – mass, volume, inventory, etc. But cost remains on the top list, of course. 

You can check OpenBOM documentation and refresh your knowledge about the OpenBOM formula and calculation before reading below. 

One of the missing features in the OpenBOM calculation model was not allowed to save calculated results (eg. cost of the sub-assembly) to the catalog. 

This is how it looked like without saving the data in the catalog. While BOM provided the calculation, the output was not preserved in the catalog(s). 

This is how it looked in the BOM. 

And this is how it looked in the catalog (empty). 

To fix the problem a new option – “Save rollups” to the catalog was introduced in OpenBOM formula definitions. 

The new feature allows each rollup formula to decide if the total for this BOM will be saved in the catalog line item. 

After applying the new formula feature the data is saved properly.VIDEO DEMO

Watch the video to see how the feature works. 

Conclusion 

OpenBOM’s flexible, robust and powerful formula and calculation engine allow you to perform different calculations in catalogs, BOMs, and orders. The most powerful is the ability of OpenBOM to roll up calculated values (e.g. Mass, Cost, Weight, etc.) from lower BOM levels to the upper level. In such a way, you can easily calculate the total cost of the assembly by rolling up the values of the cost for each sub-assembly. 

The new feature of saving rollup value to catalog allows OpenBOM to close the gap in the ability to access calculated costs in the catalog and enable much easier information streaming between multiple business functions. In our case, it is the engineers working on the BOM and procurement people looking at how to maintain the data in the catalog. 

Check out what OpenBOM can do for you – REGISTER FOR FREE and start your free 14-day trial today. 

Best, Oleg

Related Posts

Also on OpenBOM

4 6
2 April, 2026

A SolidWorks model is essential. A BOM is essential. Drawings, PDFs, STEP files, and DXFs are essential too. Many teams...

2 April, 2026

In the previous article, I wrote that engineering teams usually do not lose control because CAD design is wrong. The...

2 April, 2026

In my experience, manufacturing companies that rush a new product introduction process usually pay for it later. They see production...

1 April, 2026

How file-based workflows, disconnected BOMs, and the limits of PDM combine to create a product data problem most engineering teams...

31 March, 2026

Last week I wrote about where product lifecycle knowledge gets lost, and I also published a longer piece on Beyond...

30 March, 2026

How to define part number strategy, revision control, and BOM types early in your OpenBOM rollout When companies start an...

27 March, 2026

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “what type of bill of materials do I actually need?”, you’re not alone. In my...

27 March, 2026

This guide explains the product release process in manufacturing – what it is, how it works, and how PLM software...

27 March, 2026

This guide explains how revision control works in multi-level Bills of Materials (BOMs): what it is, why it’s complex, and...

To the top