Business Central gives you the tools to manage production BOMs—but when you’re working with complex, multi-level assemblies, the standard Structure view doesn’t always keep up. It shows relationships, but not shortages, location-specific availability, or what’s feasible to build right now.
This post breaks down how manufacturers are improving BOM visibility and speed—without bouncing between screens or running into certification issues.
Can I see shortages across a multi-level BOM in one place?
Instead of viewing components one level at a time, some users work with tools that let them drill down into the full hierarchy—instantly calculating what’s short for a specific build quantity. By entering a target quantity, the BOM dynamically adjusts to show real-time supply and demand.
That means planners can answer “Can we build this?” before generating a production order.
How do I update a BOM without jumping between item cards?
One common frustration is having to go through the item card just to get to the BOM. Some workflows let you open and edit the production BOM directly. This saves time and lets you update key fields like quantity per, routing link code, or UoM—right in context, without navigating away.
Edits can also trigger certification logic automatically, reducing delays.
What if I want to convert a component into a phantom BOM?
In some cases, a component needs to act like a phantom or become its own production BOM. Instead of recreating the structure or restarting certification, you can switch the type on the fly—directly from the viewer. This speeds up change management while respecting Business Central’s built-in BOM governance.
Can I share BOM details for costing or planning reviews?
Yes. Once the BOM is loaded and filtered, many planners export the view directly to Excel for costing or planning discussions. Finance teams can run quick pricing estimates without needing to rebuild the structure manually—especially useful during reviews or pre-production planning.
You can explore this approach and how it improves BOM workflows in this blog post.
Disclosure: This post summarizes features and workflows used by Business Central users to improve BOM visibility and planning. No paid links or promotions are included.
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