Many ECAD tools have the ability to create and export a BOM (Bill Of Materials). The BOM is simply a listing of all the parts used in a design along with associated data such as quantity, part number, layer, reference designator, and so on. Typically, an ECAD tool will export data in the form of a CSV (Comma Separated Value) file. This file can be imported into Windchill and used to generate a BOM in the Windchill Workgroup Manager, which is then attached to the design document.

In addition, Windchill Workgroup Manager supports the addition of one or more variant BOMs. These are BOMs that pertain to secondary versions of a design that may differ from the main design in some way. For example, one might create a design for a product that has certain built-in features. He may then go on to create a “deluxe” variant that has additional features, or a “budget” version that has certain features left out. Each of these would be considered a variant of the main product, and would have a variant BOM associated with it.