Having some confusion internally around best practices with BOM versioning since BC has a separate table for the versions and the active version does not display in the BOM designer page. If you don’t notice the active version field you could easily edit a non-active BOM.
Because of this, some people internally wanted to do one of the following two things:
Build Backwards: Create a new BOM version as a copy of the original, close it out and then make changes on the original. The versions act as an archive.
Empty Original: Clear out the original BOM page so that you know there is a version associated with this BOM.
Both methods don’t seem to be what BC intended the setup to be. It seems to me to be more of a training problem than a method problem. Train the users who are editing BOM’s where to look to confirm they are on the right page.
All that to say that I just need some input on best practices with this.
BC’s BOM versioning is designed to keep versions as controlled records. The best practice is simple:
Keep the original BOM active, create new versions only when you need to track historical changes. Use the Status field to control what’s active or closed.
Your team is right, it’s mostly a training thing. Users need to check the Status field before editing. If your process is more complex (approvals, date-effective versions), you might need custom workflows, but standard BC handles most cases fine.
What’s your manufacturing setup look like? That shapes what versioning approach works best.
This definitely trips people up! In the past we have done the “Empty BOM” approach.
I like the Build Backwards in theory but the Versions page makes it easy to see the current, active version. So clearing out the original page easily shows people that there are active versions to look and using the ending dates or status ensures the right BOM pull in to various spots.
I would handle it this way and do a little training as you both mentioned.
I would recommend a simple modification to the Item Card/SKU record, add a flow field to the Active BOM Version. This allows a single click access to the active BOM. Drilling into the BOM, then the Version List, then the actual active BOM is cumbersome. Make it a single click flow field and save your Users some clicks.
