Scenario
A manufacturing team notices that multiple BOM Revisions appear as selectable on a Work Order even when:
- the revision End Date has already passed
- the revision Start Date has not yet begun
This creates confusion because users expect only currently effective revisions to appear in the Revision dropdown.
Solution
In NetSuite, the Active status and Effective Start/End Dates serve two different purposes.
Option 1: Active Status Controls Visibility
If the BOM Revision is marked as Active (the Inactive box is unchecked), the revision remains visible and selectable on transactions such as:
- Work Orders
- Assembly Builds
This means revisions can still appear in the dropdown even if they are outside their effective date range.
To fully prevent users from selecting an old revision manually, the revision should be marked as Inactive.
Option 2: Effective Dates Control Automatic Defaulting
The Effective Start and End Dates determine which revision NetSuite automatically selects based on the transaction’s production date.
Example behavior:
Revision | Effective Dates | Result |
|---|
Rev A | Jan 1 – Mar 31 | Auto-selected only during this range |
Rev B | Apr 1 – Open | Auto-selected starting Apr 1 |
NetSuite uses these dates for automation but still allows users to manually choose other Active revisions from the dropdown.
Notes
- NetSuite prevents overlapping effective date ranges for BOM revisions.
- Open-ended revisions and gaps between revisions are allowed.
- Effective dates do not automatically hide revisions from transaction selection lists.
- Best practice is to:
- set proper End Dates on older revisions
- mark obsolete revisions Inactive once no longer needed
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