to select, a sample Cobra program in the field to the right.Use this screen to create templates for linking Costpoint labor and non-labor elements to Cobra budget elements. You can set up as many templates in this screen as needed. You must set up at least one template in this screen and enter it as a default in the Configure Cobra Interface Settings screen. These templates allow you to link many multiple accounts to one Cobra budget element.
In the Map Labor Based on Costpoint group box, you can create labor rules by linking the Project Labor Category (PLC), Project Labor Category Cobra (UDEF), General labor Category (GLC), Employee ID, and Advanced option to create a custom code to link the Costpoint labor to the budget element in Cobra. The best business practice is a one-to-one link between the GCL and the Cobra budget element. Use this screen to enter exceptions to the one-to-one link.
Costpoint accounts are typically summarized in a many-to-one link to a Cobra budget element. For example, travel air fair, travel hotel, and so on, are linked to one Cobra budget element called Travel. Mapping for non-labor elements is entered in the table window on this screen. While the labor extraction is assumed a one-to-one link and you list only the exceptions, the Costpoint accounts work differently. accounts that are not mapped to budget elements are passed through as the budget element.
To facilitate in the data entry and validation process, you can select a Cobra budget element file when creating a template. You must have a connection to the Cobra database established in the Configure Cobra Interface Settings screen in order to use this functionality.
You must set up at least one Cobra budget element template before you can complete the Configure Cobra Interface Settings screen or run the extraction process.
Use the fields in this block to enter the template ID and template name. Costpoint uses templates for linking Costpoint labor and non-labor element to Cobra budget elements.
These templates are used in the Manage Cobra Extraction Parameters screen. In the Manage Cobra Extraction Parameters screen, you can assign specific Costpoint projects or Cobra programs to use a specific charge template, budget element template, and cost template during the extraction process. This allows you to customize the relationship between sets of Cobra programs and the Costpoint projects. You can set up as many budget element templates as needed in this screen.
Use this field to enter an identification code for this template.
Use this field to enter a descriptive name for this Template ID. This template name displays in the drop-down list in the Manage Cobra Extraction Parameters screen.
Use this group box specify your option to use as the resource for accounts that are linked to a labor function code.
From the drop-down box to select values that are used as resources for accounts that are linked to a function code of labor in the project account group. Your options are:
Project Labor Category (PLC) — Select this option if you want to use project labor categories to link labor transactions between Costpoint and Cobra. This selection assumes that you have set up identical labor categories in both systems.
Project Labor Category Cobra (UDEF) — Select this option if you want to use the Cobra Mapping Value field in the Assign PLCs table window of the Link Project Labor Categories to Projects screen. You can use the Cobra Mapping Value field to link project PLCs to a specific Cobra value that cannot be easily identified in Costpoint. The extraction process uses the PLC to look up the Cobra value entered in the Cobra Mapping Value field and link it to that value in Cobra.
General Labor Category (GLC) — Select this option if you want to use GLCs to link Costpoint labor to Cobra labor. Costpoint general labor categories are set up in the Manage General Labor Categories screen. General labor categories are required in all Costpoint labor entries and, therefore, are the recommended best business practice.
Employee ID — Select this option to use the employee ID to link Costpoint labor to Cobra labor. This is a very detailed method for tracking costs for budgeting and earned value reporting. If employees resign or are hired during the life of a project, their budgets must be reassigned to other employees. Hence, it is usually easiest to budget by GLC.
Advanced — Select this option if there is not a selection that fits your needs. This allows you to have budget elements that are a substring or concentration of one or more Costpoint fields.
Use the options in this group box to select the method of labor mapping you want to use for this template. Keep in mind that you can create many budget templates and assign them to individual projects, a range of projects, or an individual list of projects in the Manage Cobra Extraction Parameters screen.
The selection made in this group box creates a labor rule that the extraction process uses to link Cobra to Costpoint labor records. You can create a labor rule and also list any exceptions to this rule in the table window at the bottom of this screen. The extraction process applies the exceptions before the labor rule is applied.
Select this option to enable the sample program lookup field. After you select this option, the Add all the Cobra Budget Elements to the Grid button is enabled. You can then enter, or click to select, a sample Cobra program in the field to the right.
Select this option to map this template manually. This option is automatically selected if there is no database connection.
Use the options in this group box to specify where unmapped labor is routed.
Select this option to map unspecified Costpoint labor accounts to the option you specified in the Map Labor Based on Costpoint drop-down list box.
This label changes based on your selection in the Map Labor Based on Costpoint group box. For example, if you selected Employee ID , it reads To a Cobra Budget Element Identical to the Employee ID. The following table describes the captions for this label.
|
Caption |
Definition |
Description |
|
PLC |
Project Labor Category (PLC) |
The Cobra budget element is identical to the PLC |
|
UDEF |
Project Labor Category (UDEF) |
The Cobra budget element is identical to the Cobra UDEF. |
|
GLC |
General Labor Category (GLC) |
The Cobra budget element is identical to the GLC. |
|
Employee ID |
Employee ID |
The Cobra budget element is identical to the employee ID, vendor ID, and vendor employee ID. |
|
Advanced |
Advanced |
The Cobra budget element is identical to the Advanced definition. |
Select this option to map unspecified Costpoint labor accounts to a Cobra budget element. Use the field to the right to enter, or click to select, the Cobra budget element with which you want to associate unspecified Costpoint labor accounts.
Enter, or click to select, a specific class for this Cobra budget element. If you leave this field blank, the default Cobra class is used.
Use the options in this group box to specify where unmapped non-labor is routed.
Select this option to link unmapped non-labor accounts to the Cobra budget element identical to the Costpoint account ID.
Select this option to map unspecified Costpoint non-labor accounts to a Cobra budget element. Use the field to the right to enter, or click to select, the Cobra budget element with which you want to associate unspecified Costpoint labor accounts.
Enter, or click to select, a specific class for this Cobra budget element. If you leave this field blank, the default Cobra class is used.
Use the options in this group box to specify a default Cobra class for the Cobra budget elements and include all Cobra budget elements to the grid.
Enter, or click to select, the Cobra class that you want actual costs to be loaded into. Classes allow you to identify the difference between accruals, commitments, and actual costs. Thus, a particular account in Costpoint might represent a different class for a budget element in Cobra. You must first create a class in Cobra before loading actual costs into this class. Use this field to identify the class.
After you enter a Default Cobra Class and tab past the field, the default Cobra Class defaults into the appropriate rows in the table window at the bottom of this screen. If no rows exist when the Default Cobra Class is entered (for example, if you manually enter Cobra budget elements), any existing rows are populated when the record is saved.
Click this button to populate the table window with one row for each Cobra budget element in the selected Cobra program. This button is enabled only if a connection is successfully made to the Cobra database and a sample Cobra program was entered in the mapping mode.
|
Subtask |
Description |
|
Advanced Mapping Definition for Employee Labor |
Click this link to open the Advanced Mapping Definition for Employee Labor subtask and specify more options for defining the key fields that map from Cobra to Costpoint employee labor. |
|
Advanced Mapping Definition for Vendor Labor |
Click this link to open the Advanced Mapping Definition for Vendor Labor subtask and specify more options for defining the key fields that map from Cobra to Costpoint vendor labor. |
|
Advanced Mapping Definition for Vendor Employee Labor |
Click this link to open the Advanced Mapping Definition for Vendor Employee Labor subtask and specify more options for defining the key fields that map from Cobra to Costpoint vendor employee labor. |
The primary purpose of this table window is to allow you to map exceptions (for example, items where the Costpoint account, PLC, GLC, and so on, does not match the Cobra budget element). You can also use this table window when the Costpoint resource and Cobra budget element match, but a different default Cobra class is desired.
If the Costpoint account cannot be used as the budget element for non-labor, you must enter a record for all non-labor charging accounts in the Costpoint Resource column. Labor accounts use the Costpoint labor mapping method. Add codes to this table only if they are an exception to the labor rule that is selected in the Map Labor Based on Costpoint field.
Use this field to enter L if this is a labor account or N if this is a non-labor account. These types coincide with how the account is used on Costpoint projects. You must include a row in this table for all accounts that function as non-labor, unless you are using the Map Unspecified Costpoint Non-Labor Accounts group box.
If you populate the Cobra budget elements by clicking the Add All the Cobra Budget Elements to the Grid button and you do not enter a type for a row, that row is deleted when the template is saved.
Use this field to enter the Costpoint resource you want to map to the Cobra budget element. You must map accounts if you do not want to pass the Costpoint account as the budget element. You need to map only the exceptions to the rule used in the Map Labor Based on Costpoint drop-down list box for labor types. Similar Costpoint accounts can be mapped to only a budget element. Wildcard characters can be used to perform this mapping for non-labor accounts.
is provided based on the rule, except for Advanced, selected in the Map Labor Based on Costpoint drop-down list box. For example, if you select the Project Labor Category (PLC) option, displays the project labor categories from the Manage Project Labor Categories (PLC) screen.
If you selected Advanced in the Map Labor Based on Costpoint drop-down list box, this field always displays ADVANCED. No lookup or modification is allowed. You can still relate a budget element to an advanced Costpoint item for the purposes of using a Cobra class different than the default. At run time, Costpoint looks through the budget elements mapped to determine whether an advanced value has a different class assigned.
Use this field to select the Cobra budget element to which you want to map the Costpoint resource. If you entered a value in the To Cobra Budget Element field, the applicable Cobra budget elements are available in for this field. You receive a warning if you try to enter a budget element that does not exist in the Cobra system. Entries made in manual mode are validated during the extraction process.
Use this field to enter exceptions to the default Cobra class. The value that you enter in the Default Cobra Class field automatically displays in this field. If this field is empty at the time the file is saved, the Default Cobra Class field is automatically populated.