About Part Float

This section describes how assemblies and structures are updated when one or more of their child parts is revised.

This page discusses:

Floating Defined

Floating occurs when you update an assembly or structure BOM when a new revision of a part is available. When you update the revision, the new revision "floats" to all levels of the BOM that use the part. Floating occurs only when the new revision is available and the user initiates it.

On premises only: This section describes options that are available for part floating. If these options are not available, part floating is not enabled. Request your administrator to enable part floating.

Environment: On premises only

The diagram below illustrates a simple float. Before the float, Router and Font-Assy include rev1 of the child part in their EBOMs. Upon release of child part rev 2, each EBOM retains rev 1 but shows that a higher revision is available. You then have the option to either update each of the EBOMs to use revision 2 or to retain revision 1.



Two basic rules determine whether you can update a part to a newer revision:

  • An unreleased BOM can contain released and unreleased parts. Therefore, you can update a part to either a released or unreleased revision.
  • A released BOM can contain only released parts. Therefore, you cannot update a part to an unreleased revision.

Note: Part float is not automatic for development phase parts. To update a part in a development phase BOM, click the icon in the Status column.
Note: When you create a new revision of a part, the latest unreleased version of any specification may be attached to the part is floated to the new revision of the part. The specification must be released for the new revision to be released.

Replacement of a Part with its Latest Released Revision

You can update a part in an EBOM to the latest released revision of the part.

Whenever you replace a part with its latest released revision, remember that:

  • You can replace parts with only the latest released part. Unreleased revisions are ignored; however, if the latest revision is unreleased, the revision indicator will continue to display after the update.
  • Updating the part revision affects only the BOM that is on-screen. Updating does not affect other BOMs in the database.
  • Obsolete parts, whether parent or child, do not update.
  • You can update to later revisions that have FN or RD values different from the current revision.

Who Can Apply Floating

All users can see that later revisions are available; however, only users with these roles can float parts to later revisions:

  • Design Engineer
  • Senior Design Engineer
  • Author
  • Leader

Revision Indicators

An orange revision indicator accompanies the name of a child part whenever at least one newer revision of that part exists.

The newer revision can be either released or unreleased. In any list of parts that includes the child part, such as a parts list, Engineering view, or EBOM, the indicator accompanies the part in the list. In the child part properties page, the orange indicator appears in the properties page header.

Note: The revision indicator does not mean that a newer revision of the part can be used but only that a newer revision exists.

Replacement of a Part with its Latest Revision

You can update a part in an EBOM to the part's latest revision, regardless of whether the revision is released or unreleased.

Whenever you replace a part with its latest revision, remember that:

  • If multiple higher revisions exist for a given part, the part is updated to the latest revision, regardless of whether the latest revision is released or unreleased.
  • You cannot update a child part of an unreleased version if its parent is released.
  • Updating the part revision affects only the BOM that is on-screen. Updating does not affect other BOMs in the database.
  • You can select which obsolete parts not to update.
  • You can update to later revisions that have FN or RD values different from the current revision.

Replacement of a Part with a Selected Revision

You can update the part with any of the higher revisions based on parent part maturity.

You can update the revision of a part to any later revision, not necessarily the latest revision. The later revision can be either released or unreleased.

Whenever you replace a part with its latest released revision, remember that:

  • A child part will not update to an unreleased revision if its parent is released.
  • Only one part at a time can update to the revision you select. Select the part itself before you select the updated revision.
  • Multiple instances of a part at the same BOM level must be the same revision.
Note: You cannot replace a child part revision that is In Work with a previous version of the child part that is released.

Revision Management

You can update the revision of one or more parts to any later revision, not necessarily the latest revision. The later revision can be either released or unreleased. This feature lists all the parts in the BOM that have later revisions. You can then select for each part the revision to which you want to update. The changes take effect throughout the BOM. You can select only one revision for each part.

After a part is updated to the latest revision, users are notified and previous revisions cannot be selected through latest released command. For example, assume that a part has these revisions and lifecycle states:

  • Revision1 - Released
  • Revision2 - Released
  • Revision3 - In Work

If you update the BOM with latest revision (Revision3) using "Replace by Latest Revision", you cannot update the BOM with Revision1 or Revision2 using "Replace by Latest Released Revision".

Selecting Multiple Revisions

If a BOM contains multiple instances of a part at the same level, all the instances of the part at that level must have the same revision.

For example, an assembly can include a revision 3 and a revision 4 of a sprocket but only at different levels of the BOM. No one level of the BOM can contain both revisions.

Floating Configured Parts

Several rules determine the behavior of BOMs that contain configured parts. These rules determine which revisions of parts (and of their parents where applicable) can be updated.

  • You cannot update a revision of a released, configured parent part.
  • All configured parts in a configured WIP BOM retain their revision number when you release the BOM.
  • When a pending effectivity change for a released, configured part goes into effect, the revision of the part's parent does not change.
  • You can update a released child of a released, configured parent part.