How revisions work
What a revision is, when to make one, and what happens to the old one.
A revision is a frozen snapshot of a part at a moment in time — its fields, its files and its BOM together. Every part starts at revision A. When you need to change something that's already been released, you create revision B; A stays exactly as it was, forever.
What a revision captures
- Every field on the part
- Every attached file at the version it held
- The BOM structure and quantities, if it's an assembly
- Who created it, when, and the description of what changed
When to revise
| Situation | Do this |
|---|---|
| Part is still WIP, never released | Just edit it. No new revision needed. |
| Part is released, and the change affects form, fit or function | New revision, through a change order. |
| Released, and it's a typo in a description | Follow your company's policy. Many allow correcting non-controlled fields without a revision; some don't. |
| Supplier price changed | No revision. Supply chain data isn't revision-controlled. |
Reading the history
The Revisions tab lists every revision with its date, author and description. Open any one to see the part exactly as it stood — including downloading the files as they were at that revision. This is what lets you answer "what did we ship in March?" precisely.
Superseded revisions remain in full. That's the point of revision control, and it's what an auditor will ask to see.
Email [email protected] and a person will pick it up. Include the part number and what you were doing — it saves a round trip.