Data Management Capabilities > Using Excel to Export and Import Product Data > About Importing Product Data from Excel > Considerations for Importing Product Data > Considerations for Importing Product Structures or BOMs > File Format for Importing Product Structures or BOMs
File Format for Importing Product Structures or BOMs
The following table describes the format of data in a product structure or BOMs import worksheet. It defines the column header, whether the column is required, and the description of the data that can be entered for each column.
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In a spreadsheet, all discrete values (a value that must be one of few fixed values) must be entered as an internal value, not the display value. For example, for the Default Unit attribute, use as_needed (internal), not As Needed (display).
Column Name
Required
Editable on reimport
Description
Action
Yes
Yes (for deleting)
Actions include Add, Delete, and Replace.
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The Replace action allows you to swap a child part in a BOM during bulk import using three optional columns — Original Number, Original Organization ID, and Original Container, to identify the part to be replaced. These columns are ignored for all actions other than Replace.
Level
Yes
The level of the component in the part structure hierarchy. For example, if part_1 had children part_2 and part_3, and part_3 had a child part_4, the level for each part is specified as follows:
• for part_1, level is 0
• for part_2, level is 1
• for part_3, level is 1
• for part_4, level is 2
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If you do not have the parent part at level 0, the Preview step in the Import from Spreadsheet window does not display anything.
Number
Yes
No
The part number.
OrganizationID
No
No
The owning organization for the component part. The default value is the organization from the owning container.
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Organization ID is required if you want to import parts that do not belong to the target organization.
Container
No
No
The default value of the container from which the import tool was launched.
The following example shows the full path to the container:
/wt.inf.container.OrgContainer=PTC/wt.pdmlink.PDMLinkProduct=Test_Product
where PTC is the name of the organization and the Test_Product is the name of the product.
Revision
No
No
Specifies which revision of the parent part is getting updated.
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The baseline created upon import captures the revision specified in the spreadsheet. When looking at the product structure, the revision shown will be based on the active configuration specification. To view the configuration from your spreadsheet, use the baseline that was created with import.
View
No
No
Specifies which view of the structure is getting updated. Enter Design or Manufacturing. If you have created a customized view using the View Administrator, it can also be listed as the value.
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If the selected view does not contain a child part, a part not found error is displayed.
Quantity
No
Yes
Defines the number of parts in the assembly. The default value is 1.
Unit of Measure
No
Yes
Quantity unit for the parts in the assembly. The default value is ea. Other possible values are as follows:
• as needed: as_needed
• kilograms: kg
• meters: m
• liters: l
• square meters: sq_m
• cubic meters: cu_m
Reference Designators
No
Yes (but it must be unique)
Reference designators specified using shorthand format (for example: R1, R3, or R1-R10).
Use the following syntax rules for specifying reference designators:
• A reference designator consists of an alphanumeric string prefix, followed by a numeric integer suffix. For example: R57, PS1, A66A2.
• The first and last characters in the prefix must be alpha characters. For example: R1, RAX3, R4X5.
• Use a comma to separate sequences of reference designators. For example, R1, R2, R7.
• Reference designators can be specified as a sequence and as a range. For example: R1-R7, R10, R12.
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The number of occurrences must not exceed the quantity when using the unit of measure Each. If you modify the quantity or reference designators, the existing occurrences may also be updated accordingly.
Trace Code
No
Yes
The trace code value on the part usage link. Use any of the following values:
• untraced: 0
• serial number: S
• lot number: L
• lot/serial number: X
Find Number
No
Yes
Identifies the ‘Find Number’ for the usage link.
Line Number
No
Yes
Identifies the line number of the part within a manufacturing bill of materials. Also known as position numbers that are used with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
Component ID
No
No (for an existing usage link)
An internal alphanumeric key, typically generated by CAD, uniquely identifies a child part within a parent structure. This value must be left blank for a new part usage. Optionally, it can be used to reference an existing part usage.
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Component ID is ignored when the preference com.ptc.windchill.ixb.importer.bom.oldBOMSheetImportLogic is enabled.
Quantity Option (for configurable parts)
No
Yes
Integer value parameter in the parent configurable part's logic base that controls the quantity of this component.
Inclusion Option (for configurable parts)
No
Yes
Boolean value parameter in the parent configurable part's logic base that controls the inclusion or exclusion of this component.
Type
Yes
No
The type of usage link created. For a part usage link, set the value to wt.part.WTPartUsageLink.
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