Importing and managing eCAD items in Upchain

Now that we have our files ready, let’s import our electrical components into Upchain. We’ll then learn how to access and manage our newly created items.

Before you start:

You must have the required files created for the import process, as discussed in the previous lesson. This includes the Excel file with the BOM structure, the zipped project files, and the drawing PDF. 

You must also have an Excel eCAD template created.

Importing eCAD items into Upchain

Let’s create new items in Upchain by importing our electrical components. We’ll then learn where to find all information associated with our items.

Key takeaways

1. Before importing to Upchain, you must first create an electrical package end item in the Upchain Web app. The electrical package item is the only item type that has the option for importing eCAD documents.
2. The project files (a .zip file) and an Excel spreadsheet are required to import the electrical components.
3. By including the PDF of the drawings, other project team members will be able to view the drawings using the PDF Viewer within Upchain.
4. We can view the details for the end item or individual components, but only as the parent package item.

Checking out and checking in eCAD items into Upchain

It’s time we learned how to manage our electrical items and BOMs. We’ll examine how to use the check out and check in functions to ensure proper version control.

Key takeaways

1. To modify an electrical BOM, the electrical package item must be checked out from Upchain, modified, and then checked back in.
2. The items you check out will be placed in a locked state and will remain locked until you either cancel the check out or check the item back into Upchain to version it up.
3. When checking in the electrical package, the file names must be identical to their original names for Upchain to recognize changes.
4. The version number for the item’s documents will increase each time the electrical package is checked out and checked in.