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 Service BOM (for example, into an empty or reusable Service BOM structure).

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):

    • 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.
    • Changes are written directly into the selected target Service BOM (including subordinate entities where applicable).
    • Optional validations may run depending on configuration.

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. If started from a Service BOM line, define the line reference in the Source Ref. No. and/or Target Ref. No. fields.
  4. 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 Compare & Update Page

The Compare & Update page opens with all detected differences that you can apply or skip.

  1. Review the changes.
  2. Set any entries to Skip as needed.
  3. Choose the Apply Changes action.
  4. Choose the Yes button to confirm the change and then choose the OK button on the confirmation message.

You can also close the page without applying changes.

Movements

After defining source and target in the Compare BOM page, re-parentings are shown in 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 for movement matching are the field values of 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. For Service BOM lines, 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, visible line identifiers can change without line creation or deletion.

Additionally, the compare page recalculates 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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