I have run through the tutorial and built a simple (3 table) mock up of what I am trying to do and really like it so far. I would like some feedback on my final desired outcome and if what I am trying to do is suitable for Grist.
I am an engineer and I am trying to find a way to streamline making a Bill of Materials (BOM) (Parts List) for the equipment I design.
My biggest concern is the ability to create an “indented” BOM. In an indented BOM, some of the “parts” are actually BOMs containing other parts. This nesting can run multiple levels deep. Can anyone advise if there is a reasonable way to do this using Grist tables?
Second, is that I would really like to get an interface with the worksheet in my CAD (drafting) software. So when I draw a system I can either pull data from Grist or push data into Grist. This would be the primary way of generating the BOM by storing a part number with the CAD objects. The intent would be to only have to consider the part number in the drawing, and get all of the description, manufacturer, and pricing from the Grist database. It would need to have a way to handle repeated export and changes to the CAD file. So I would do an initial BOM and them might change parts/add parts/delete parts and want those changes to be handled in Grist. My CAD software can import and export CSV and XLS formats, but it can also provide ODBC connections. Same question as above, can anyone advise if there is a reasonable way of doing this?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Pat Stanford