Documentation Update and OpenBOM Demo data (BOM and Part Catalog)

New OpenBOM release is out! Hooray….. I’m so happy. It includes lot of stuff Some of these features like Integrated search and Solidworks Part Catalog Extractor were previewed last week.

Today, I want to talk about what we did in a new release to improve user experience (especially for new users) — documentation update and demo sample data.

Updated OpenBOM documentation

Writing help and documentation for OpenBOM which is in development with releases every 4 weeks is like never ending job of Golden Gate Bridge painting.

We realize that updating documentation is somewhat similar to painting Golden Gate Bridge problem. You finish painting on one side and you can immediately start painting on another side.

This release contains brings several sections of the OpenBOM online documentation up-to-date. Here are few changes that were made in this release:

  1. Online documentation home page was improved. It gives you list and links of main updated topics and easy links to getting started information.
  2. Several sections in the documentation were improved: Registration and Quick Start as well as Getting Started.
  3. We added a new chapter to OpenBOM documentation — OpenBOM Model and Concept.

More improvement will be coming in the future.

OpenBOM Demo data — sample Part Catalog and BOM

We recognized the need to provide some additional content to assist users, especially new users, to get started using OpenBOM. We added a new feature called ”Getting Started”. This is the first release of Getting Started and will be expanded in future releases of OpenBOM.

The demo data (BOM and Catalog) is a simple example of OpenBOM capabilities and includes a sample Single Level BOM and related Catalog as well as a short video explaining how to create BOMs using the catalog.

After signing in go to Help->Getting Started and “Add demo data”. A catalog called “Skateboard Partsmaster-DEMO” will be added to your catalog list and a BOM called “Skateboard 7000 Single Level- DEMO” added to your BOMs list.

The Demo Part Catalog provides an example of central part management using OpenBOM

The Demo BOM is a simple part list using a Catalog and demonstration of formulas and totals calculations. The BOM refers to the Part Catalog and demonstrates how to refer to a catalog from your BOM.

The Getting started video provides a one minute getting started review of using the DEMO part catalog in the DEMO BOM.

Conclusion.

We are focusing on user experience. To provide demo data and focus on documentation was one of our priorities. We’ve heard about it from many new users and long time customers of OpenBOM.

We just rolled out a new release of OpenBOM. I gave you some heads up about what is coming. Today more information is available.

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.

OpenBOM (openbom.com)

Written by

Online tool to manage you Bill of Materials and Part Catalogs. Real-time collaboration for teams and supplier, sync data with CAD, PLM, ERP. More - openbom.com

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade