Including Design Data in an Excel-format Bill of Materials (BOM)

A common approach to BOM generation is to export the BOM data from Altium Designer, into a company-preferred Excel format spreadsheet. The BOM is generated from the Report Manager, which can be accessed from:

• ActiveBOM's Report menu
• The schematic and PCB editor's Report menu
• A BOM Report Output configured in an OutputJob

The Report Manager's Export Options includes two XLS File Format options:

• MS-Excel (*.xls, *.xlsx) - requires Microsoft Excel
• Generic XLS (*.xls, *.xlsx) - uses a built-in XLS file generator, Microsoft Excel is not required

When an Excel option is selected a pre-defined Excel template can then be selected in the Template dropdown. When the Export button is clicked in the Report Manager the BOM data is generated and loaded into a new Excel Worksheet using the format defined in the chosen Excel template.

How Design Data is Mapped in the Excel Template

Altium Designer data is mapped into the spreadsheet by including special Field and Column statements in the Excel template. The Field statement is used to map a single parameter, for example, a document parameter called Title. The Column statement is used to map per-component parameters, for example, the Designator component parameter.

Fields

The Field statement is used to map a document or project parameter, for example, the Title, into the BOM. The Field declaration is replaced by the passed value, as shown in the images below.

Fields are used in the format:

Field=<FieldName>

An example is Field=Currency

Fields should be defined above or below the Column region of the template.

Columns

Column declarations are used to map per-component parameters, for example, each component's Designator, Description, user-defined parameters, and so on. This can also include: line numbers, PCB location data, and custom column data entered into the BomDoc if there is a BomDoc in the project. The Column declaration in the template is replaced by the ColumnName string, with each row below being populated by that column value for each BOM Item, as shown in the two images below.

Columns are used in the format:

Column=<ColumnName>

An example is Column=Designator

Notes:

• Each column defined in the template must be displayed in the Report Manager for that column of data to be transferred. For example, in the images below, the Line # column is displayed in the Report Manager, so can be included in the BOM (using the syntax Column=Line #). Note that the Line # column is only available as a user-configurable column when generating reports from an ActiveBOM BomDoc. 
• The data will be presented in the Excel spreadsheet in the same row order as the Report Manager. Use the Report Manager's column sorting and sub-sorting feature to sort the rows as required.

Mapping Project-Level, BOM Header Information

Project-level information is typically mapped using the Field= statement, into the header of the BOM document.

Mapping Document and Project Parameters

As well as the Field statements listed above, schematic Document Parameters (both default and user-defined parameters entered in the schematic document's Properties panel) and Project Parameters (Options for PCB Project dialog) can also be used as Fields, or as Columns.

Mapping BOM Item Information

The core region of a BOM is the grid of BOM Items, typically using a row for each component. Each column in this grid represents a component property, such as the designator, value, and so on. Columns are defined by entering the component property/parameter (BOM column heading), in the format:

Column=ColumnName

An example would be Column=Description, or Column=Designator

Column information can be taken from several sources, including: