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| Overview |
OmniBOM provides a compare function that allows you to view the differences between 2 different BOM files or Omnify database BOMs.
OmniBOM can use two different methods for the compare function:
| Sequential Compare |
Compares the BOM items based on the order they appear in the BOM. |
| Match Field Compare |
Allows you to select a field that contains a unique value (such as a part number).
OmniBOM will then search both BOMs to find the match and then compare the items.
Using this method, you will not need to be concerned about the order in which items are listed in the BOM.
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The Sequential Compare will simply perform a string comparison on each item in the order that they appear in each BOM.
This type of compare is the quicker of the two; however, this may not be desirable, since the BOMs could be sorted differently yet still contain similar items.
For example, 2 BOMs contain the following data:
Although the two items are identical, the Sequential Compare would find both of these to be different, since they appear as different item numbers (different order) in the BOM files.
The Match Field Compare will allow you to identify one of the BOM fields as a "Common Field".
OmniBOM will then search for a match in the "Common Field" in both BOMs and align the items numbers based on this field.
In the above example if you ran a Field Match Compare and identified the Part Number field as the common field, the compare function would re-align the second BOM and no differences would appear.
The BOM Compare allows you to compare:
| File |
Select an existing Omnify, Excel, XML, CSV, or Microsoft Access file. |
| Item |
Select an existing Omnify database BOM item and revision |
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Opening a Compare Window |
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To open a compare window select the BOM Compare command from the Tools menu.
When the window is launched, OmniBOM will automatically launch the Select Items to Compare wizard.
Clicking the Cancel button will open the Compare form without loading any BOM files/items.
The BOM window offers 3 different views
- Side by Side View
- Differences
- Summary
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Specifying Compare Files/Items |
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When the window is launched, OmniBOM will automatically launch the Select Items to Compare wizard.
You can also launch the Select Items to Compare wizard by clicking the Select Items/Options toolbar button.
From the first page of the Select Items to Compare wizard, you will be able to identify the Source ("Was") and Compare To ("Is") items/files.
The BOM Compare allows you to compare:
| File |
Select an existing Omnify, Excel, XML, CSV, or Microsoft Access file. |
| Item |
Select an existing Omnify database BOM item and revision |
To specify a BOM file to compare, select the File option in the Type field.
You can then click the Browse (...) button to select the file.
From the Open dialog box, you can set the file type and select the desired file.
If an OmniBOM, Excel, or Access file is specified, you will then be able to select the specific sheet or table you wish to compare.
To specify an Omnify BOM to compare, select the Omnify BOM option in the Type field.
You can then click the Browse (...) button to browse the Omnify database for the desired item/part number.
This will invoke the Select Omnify BOM Item search form.
From the Select Omnify BOM Item search form, you can search the key fields for a specific item.
Once you find the desired BOM item, select it and click the OK button.
The Rev list will display the available BOM revisions.
Once the Source ("Was") and Compare To ("Is") items/files are specified, click the Next > button to set the Field Mappings.
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Field Mappings |
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The next page of the Select Items to Compare wizard allows you to define field mappings and fields to be compared.
You must specify field mappings between the Source and Compare To columns.
The Source list will list all fields in the Source file.
To set the field mapping, click the drop list in the Compare To column.
A drop list will display all available fields in the Compare To file/item.
If you do not wish to map a column select the blank/first entry.
Blank/unmapped fields will not appear in the compare window.
If you do not wish to compare a column, but would still like it displayed in the compare results, click the View Only checkbox.
Once you have specified the fields to compare and include/ignore, click the Next > button.
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Compare Type and Options |
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The Options page allows you to set the Comparison Type (Sequential or Match Field).
When selecting a Match Field compare, you will then be required to select the fields you wish to match on.
To use the Sequential compare method, select the Use sequential row compare option.
The Options page also contains an option for comparing reference designators.
If you check the Compare reference designators option, you can then select the fields that represent the reference designators.
If this option is selected, OmniBOM will automatically expand the individual reference designators for a more accurate comparison.
Once you have specified the compare type and options, click the Finish button to perform the comparison.
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Viewing Compare Results |
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Once the files are loaded into the compare window, OmniBOM will highlight the entire row (default is a yellow color) where a difference has been identified.
The cells that have different values will be highlighted with a different color (default is a gray color) on those lines.
To change the view to either a Differences or Summary view, select the desired option from the view drop list.
The Differences View will display only those items that have been changed.
The Summary View contains a complete summary of the comparison.
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Saving/Exporting Compare Results |
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Once the Compare has finished you can export the results to OmniBOM Compare, Excel, and HTML files.
To export the compare results select the Save/Export toolbar button.
From the Save As dialog box, you will be able to select the format and location of the file.
Note: saving the file to an OmniBOM Compare File (.obcx) will save the original data from the Source and Compare To objects as well as the compare results.
Thus, sending the compare file to other users does not require the original Source and Compare To files/items.
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