Anything you want to track inventory of needs a part number. The part number uniquely identifies what the inventory item is, while the BOM tracks the "recipe" for how to make the inventory, if a particular part is generated via the consumption of other parts (like a Finished Good or Sub-Assembly).

The BOM number is the part number that will be produced

The BOM is where you map your manufacturing process in DataNinja so that you can control how ingredients come together to produce inventory of a product.

A DataNinja BOM contains:

Configuration
Required parts
Attributes (customizable data collection and verification web-form building blocks)
Sampling (AQL)
Approvals
Equipment

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Lingo
Depending on your business processes, one or more of the following terms may be synonymous with what DataNinja means when referring to a BOM: Recipe, Formulation, Routing, MMR etc.

Creating a BOM in DataNinja

To create a new Bill of Materials, click on the 'BOMs' tab in the left-hand sidebar, then click "Add BOM" in the top right.

In the new aside, select the part that will be produced when this BOM is scheduled. The part should be either a Finished Good or a Sub-Assembly.

The Manufacturing Part Class field is an organizational strata for reporting purposes (e.g., Capsules, Stick Pack, etc.). If you don't have any Manufacturing Part Classes set up yet, you can add one by typing the name in the field and clicking Add, or leave it as Other.

The Version is the unique variant of the BOM, for traceability purposes. Once a BOM has at least 1 scheduled manufacturing run associated with it, it can no longer be modified and a copy of the BOM (with a new version number) must be created. Having multiple versions of a BOM also allows flexibility if there is more than one valid way to produce inventory of the BOM Part Number. For simplicity, start with version '1' or '1.0'.

Once the version field has been filled, select a color for the BOM. Selecting a color can help with categorizing, but you can also leave all BOMs the same color.

Additional Fields on BOMs

By clicking 'Show additional fields (+)' when creating/editing a BOM, you can specify some additional settings.

Default Batch Size

This specifies the default quantity to produce when the BOM is being schedule for production. The standard default is 1, but if following this BOM will typically create a greater or lesser quantity of the part, then adjust the number accordingly. This field uses the same Unit of Measure (UOM) as the part.

Minimum Quantity

This specifies the minimum quantity that you can schedule to be produced. The standard default is 1, but if the Default Batch Size is greater than 1, you can adjust the Minimum Quantity to be greater than 1, so long as it is less than or equal to the Default Batch Size. This field uses the same Unit of Measure (UOM) as the part.

Maximum Quantity

This specifies the maximum quantity that you can schedule to be produced per batch. The standard default is 1000, but can be adjusted as long as it is greater than or equal to the Default Batch Size. This field uses the same Unit of Measure (UOM) as the part.

Location

The standard default is the location associated with the part. This is where inventory will be produced into once the BOM is used in production.

Customer

If this part is going to be sold or shipped directly to a specific customer, you can select which customer in this field, or leave it blank.

Variance

The standard default variance is between 90 and 110 percent. Going above the maximum or under the minimum will trigger an escalation. The percent is based on the scheduled quantity, per batch. You can adjust both the upper and lower limits, if you need to be more or less strict about the amount produced in an order.

Click 'Save and Close' when all changes have been made.

Copy a BOM

Copying a BOM makes BOM edits easier, as you don't have to start from scratch to create a new BOM. It's also helpful when multiple parts have similar manufacturing processes or consume similar parts, since you can copy required parts and process steps to a BOM that produces a completely different part. Copies can be made from BOMs in any status.

To copy a BOM, click on the BOMs tab and open the relevant BOM. Below the BOM name on the Edit BOM page, find the copy icon and click on it.

In the dropdown that appears choose from one of the three copy options.

Copy Type	What the Copy Does	Next Required Step
Create basic copy	Copies only the produced part	Enter new version number
Create complete copy	Creates an identical copy of current BOM, under different version	Enter new version number
Copy BOM to another part	Creates an identical copy of current BOM, but the produced part is different	Select new produced part, enter new version number

Make any needed changes to the BOM, then change the Lifecycle (status) to 'Released' so the BOM can be scheduled for production.

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Discontinue a BOM
If the BOM you copy from will be obsolete after your updates to the new version, it's a good idea to set the Lifecycle of the old BOM version to Discontinued. That way the production team can't accidentally select the old version when scheduling, but the version will still exist for traceability.