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ION tracks mBOM changes through explicit versions. See Bills of materials overview for how versioning relates to part revisions and in-flight runs. This page covers what triggers a new version, the version states, and the release flow.

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When a new version is needed

In general, structural changes (what gets installed, where, and how many) need a new version. Metadata changes (notes, alternates, and clarifications) can be in-place edits.

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Version states

mBOM versions move through: Only one version of an mBOM is Released at a time. Releasing a new version automatically archives the previously released version.

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Release a new version

  1. Open the mBOM card on the part page with the version in Draft.
  2. Make the structural changes.
  3. Use the status dropdown to move the version through In Review and then Released.
The new version becomes Released, and the previous version moves to Archived. To start the next version once the current one is released, click Create new mBom version in the card header.
Group related changes from an Engineering Change Notice into one release rather than several incremental ones. Write a specific release note, such as “Updated R3 to 10kΩ per ECN-2026-0042”, rather than “minor updates”. Don’t edit archived versions, even for typo fixes, since the historical record is part of the audit trail.

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Review and approve a version

A Draft version can go through review before it’s released. Reviewers are assigned per role, and each role can require a set number of approvals. Open the review panel from the mBOM card:
  1. On a Draft version, open the review panel and expand the Reviews section.
  2. Click the add-reviewer control to add a reviewer row. Pick a role, then pick the reviewer (a user or team that holds that role). ION creates an approval request for that reviewer.
  3. Resolve any open feedback and assign every required reviewer.
  4. Click Move to In Review to submit the version. The button is enabled only when all feedback is resolved and every required reviewer is assigned.
Once the version is In Review, each assigned reviewer sees the review controls next to a Review required for role: prompt naming their role. A reviewer approves or rejects with the approve (check) and reject (X) controls. A reviewer can act only on their own assigned review, and can’t change it after approving. When the required approvals are in, move the version to Released with the status dropdown. A reviewer who approved sees a You approved this as confirmation with their role on the released version.

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In-flight runs

When you release a new mBOM version, in-flight runs are unaffected:
  • Each run captures the mBOM version it was started against at create time.
  • Mid-flight runs continue running the old version even after the new one is released.
  • New runs started after the release pick up the new version.
  • The transition is handled per-run. There’s no way to upgrade an existing run to the new mBOM.
To apply a structural change to an in-flight run, use a redline.

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Switch between versions

The mBOM card on the part page has a version dropdown (for example, v1, v2) in its header. Pick a version to view its lines. Each option shows the version’s status, and Draft versions can be deleted from the dropdown. To see a version’s full line items, open the full mBOM with the Go to full mBom link in the card header.

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Programmatic comparison

ION has no built-in page that diffs two mBOM versions. For integrations or scripts, adapt the Compare two aBOM versions query template: fetch the line items for both versions and diff them client-side.