Items, statuses, revisions, and versions in Upchain

The item is the central organizing principle in Upchain. Let’s start by exploring the item data model in Upchain and the information associated with an item.

What is an item?

To understand how an item in Upchain can be of use to you, we’ll explore the types of data managed by an item.

Key takeaways

1. Items in Upchain are a level within the bill of materials (BOM).
2. Each item contains a wealth of information, such as item attributes, CAD files, translations, documents, and markups.
3. The item data model helps identify items from one another. The model consists of item number, major and minor revision, and item version number.

Item types and statuses

Items in Upchain have assigned types, as well as statuses, to help identify where they are in their development lifecycle. Identifying the item types and statuses is the first step for managing items in Upchain.

Key takeaways

1. Remember to select your project first to properly set the context in which you are working.
2. Icons displayed next to the item name help identify the item type.
3. Items are assigned a status of either development, pending, or released. These statuses determine whether the item can be edited and who has access to it.

Item versions and revisions

An item may require modification throughout its lifecycle. The version and revision numbers make it easy to identify how a design has developed over time. Understanding the relations between item version, revision, and statuses will help you manage your bill of materials effectively.

Key takeaways

1. Revision and version numbers work together to indicate where an item is in its lifecycle.
2. Revision numbers only change when the item is released, indicating it has been formally approved.
3. Items with a status of pending or released are locked from editing, with the exception of a few key attributes.
4. To begin a new revision of a released item, a new item version must be created. The new item version will be in a development state.