For many controls engineering teams, reporting is one of the most time-consuming and error-prone parts of the design process. Bills of materials, wire lists, and terminal reports are often created manually or maintained outside the CAD environment. As designs change, keeping those documents aligned with schematics becomes increasingly difficult—and mistakes tend to surface downstream, when they’re most expensive to fix.
AutoCAD® Electrical approaches reporting differently by generating documentation directly from electrical design data. This isn’t just a workflow preference; it’s a measurable productivity advantage. In an Autodesk productivity study comparing plain AutoCAD and AutoCAD Electrical, report creation and updates were among the tasks showing the most dramatic time savings.
In plain AutoCAD workflows, reports are typically built using tables or spreadsheets that must be populated and updated by hand. When components are added, removed, or reused, engineers must remember to revise multiple documents separately.
This manual approach introduces several challenges:
As project size and revision frequency increase, the effort required to maintain accurate documentation grows disproportionately.
AutoCAD Electrical treats reporting as an extension of the design process rather than a separate task. Because components, wires, and terminals are defined as data—not just geometry—the software can generate reports directly from the project database.
Common AutoCAD Electrical reports include:
When a design change is made, these reports update automatically. Engineers don’t need to rebuild tables or manually reconcile quantities—the data stays connected to the drawings.
One task in the Autodesk productivity study focused specifically on creating and updating a bill of materials. In the study, the same user completed this task using both plain AutoCAD and AutoCAD Electrical under controlled conditions, measuring commands used, user interactions, and total time.
In plain AutoCAD, generating a BOM required manually creating a table and entering tag numbers, quantities, and descriptions. In AutoCAD Electrical, the BOM was generated automatically from schematic data and updated with a single command. The result was a 97% reduction in time required to create and update the bill of materials.
This finding reinforces a broader trend identified throughout the study: tasks that rely heavily on manual data entry and coordination benefit the most from AutoCAD Electrical’s electrical intelligence.
Reporting errors don’t stop at the drawing set. An incorrect BOM can delay procurement. An outdated wire list can slow panel fabrication. Inconsistent terminal information can create installation issues in the field.
By generating an accurate AutoCAD Electrical BOM and related reports directly from design data, teams reduce uncertainty across departments. Manufacturing and installation teams gain confidence that what they’re building matches what was designed, even as changes occur late in the project.
AutoCAD Electrical provides powerful reporting tools, but many organizations don’t fully leverage them. Without proper setup, standards, and training, reports may still require manual cleanup or fail to reflect real design intent.
Hagerman & Company helps controls engineering teams implement AutoCAD Electrical reporting in a practical, scalable way. From configuring report templates and BOM structures to aligning wire numbering and component standards, Hagerman focuses on turning built-in functionality into reliable, repeatable workflows.
If your team is spending too much time maintaining reports—or correcting errors downstream—Hagerman can help you apply AutoCAD Electrical reporting tools in a way that delivers the same productivity gains demonstrated in Autodesk’s study.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help transition to AutoCAD Electrical!