Compare and Update Service BOMs

You can compare a Service BOM against a selected source and review differences in a structured dialog. The comparison is initiated from the Service BOM or from individual lines, against Service BOM, Service BOM Archive, Document BOM, Document BOM Archive, Construction Order, or Construction Order Archive.

The purpose is to compare existing BOM structures with each other (not master-data-based comparison), identify differences, and optionally transfer changes into the selected target structure when updates are allowed (for example, into an empty or reusable Service BOM structure).

Important

If the selected target is an archive (Service BOM Archive, Document BOM Archive, or Construction Order Archive), comparison runs in compare-only mode. In this mode, no changes are written to the archived document and update actions are not available.

Archives can be used as both source and target. When comparing two archived versions (archive-to-archive), both are in compare-only mode and no changes can be applied to either.

The matching rules for the base compare process are:

  • Scope – Source and target children are matched only within the same parent (Belongs to Entry No. field).
  • Identity (field values) – Matching uses Type, No., Variant Code, geometry (Depth, Width, Length), and Pre‑Order as applicable.
    Note

    "Move" pairing does not use Operation No. and matches on Type, No., Variant Code, Pre‑Order, and Depth/Width/Length (with progressive relaxation when needed).

  • Ambiguity – If more than one candidate matches under the same parent, no automatic "Modify" is assigned (remains "Insert"/"Delete" for user decision).
Note

For exact rules that determine Insert, Delete, Modify, and Move (matching, ambiguity handling, apply behavior, renumbering), see Action Types in BOM Compare.

Together with the BOM Compare & Update feature, this process:

  • Compares all lines by checking all relevant lines in source and target and detects:

    • Insertions (lines in source, missing in target)
    • Deletions (lines in target, missing in source)
    • Modifications (same line under the same parent, but allowed field values or substructures differ)
    • Movements (identical line shifts from one parent to another and can be uniquely paired as "Insert" and "Delete" across parents)

  • Displays differences in the BOM Compare & Update page (shows each delta):

    • Field differences (only those marked Include in Insert and Include in Modify = true in the BOM Compare Fields page).
    • Substructures are compared independently (attributes and related sub-entities in their scope) and can trigger "Insert"/"Modify"/"Delete" within that scope.
    • Color-coded visualization: added, removed, changed, moved.
    • Manual changes in the target can be flagged (conflict indicators where applicable).

  • Allows you to select which changes to apply (all, none, or selected changes), when updates are allowed for the selected target:

    • Apply direction: Changes are written to the selected target. To reverse the direction, start the compare with swapped source/target on the request page; within a compare session the direction is fixed.
    • When updates are allowed, changes are written directly into the selected target Service BOM (including subordinate entities where applicable).
    • Optional validations may run depending on configuration.

    If the selected target is an archive, compare-only mode applies and no changes can be applied.

Process Flow and Usage

The general process flow for comparing and updating service BOMs is illustrated in the following diagram.

Process flow for comparing and updating service BOMs

These steps are described in more detail in the following sections.

Define Source and Target in Compare BOM Page

To define source and target Service BOMs and open the comparison page:

  1. Open the Service BOM page and either:
    • choose Functions > Compare BOM on the Actions menu to open the Compare BOM page for the entire Service BOM.
    • select a line and choose Functions > Compare BOM on the Lines FastTab to open the Compare BOM page for that specific line.
  2. In the Compare BOM page, enter source and target in the Source No. and Target No. fields.
  3. (Optional) If comparing archived versions, specify the version number in the Source Version or Target Version fields.
  4. If started from a Service BOM line, define the line reference in the Source Ref. No. and/or Target Ref. No. fields.
  5. Choose the OK button.
Note

The current Service BOM (or selected line) is set as target by default, but source and target can be swapped before running the compare.

Update Service BOM Lines in BOM Compare & Update Page

The BOM Compare & Update page opens with all detected differences.

For Editable Targets

  1. Review and adjust differences as needed:
    • Skip Lines (Optional) – Set any line to Skip to exclude it from update actions, or use mass skip actions (Skip Item, Skip Work Center, Skip Insert, Skip Modify, Skip Delete) to quickly skip groups of lines.
    • Move Lines (Optional) – Use Auto Move or Move actions to pair and move Insert/Delete lines as needed (see Movements).
  2. Apply Changes – Choose the Apply Changes action to write all non-skipped differences to the target and then choose the OK button to complete the application.
  3. Review Only (Optional) – Close the page without applying if you only want to review differences.

For Archive Targets

Archive targets (Construction Order Archive, Document BOM Archive, Service BOM Archive) open in compare-only mode. You can review differences but cannot apply changes.

Archive-to-Archive Comparison

When both source and target are archives, the comparison runs in compare-only mode for review purposes. No changes can be applied in this scenario.

Movements

After defining source and target in the Compare BOM page, re-parentings are shown in the Compare & Update page as Insert and Delete. They become a Move only when you either:

  • choose the Auto Move action (pairs unique candidates).
  • select exactly one Delete line and one Insert line and then choose the Move action (manual).

The base comparison (field values) for movement matching are Type, No., Variant Code, Pre‑Order, Depth/Width/Length; a single unique pair is required, otherwise it stays Insert and Delete.

When a movement occurs, corresponding lines are updated as follows:

  • The moved line Action changes from Delete to Move.
  • The target line changes from Insert to None (or Modify if allowed fields differ).
  • The Moved from assembly field specifies the description of the parent node from which the line(s) has been moved.
Note

Choose the Undo Move action to revert the movement (skipping is not possible with movements).

When the movement is applied, the existing target node is re-parented. When the target is a Service BOM line, the Belongs to Entry No. field is updated on the moved line, and sub-lines follow the new parent.

Numbering Normalization

After applying changes, BOM line numbering may be re-assigned. As a result, the visible *Entry No. of lines can change without line creation or deletion.

Additionally, the compare page recalculates its Entry No. Representation to reflect the current hierarchy.

See Also

BOM Compare & Update for Construction Orders
BOM Compare & Update for Document BOMs


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