Plug Costs

If you elect to map the Cost Source field (in the Cost Item Labels, Tags, and Assignments mapping section), the Plug or Detail value is imported from the Excel column. The Cost Item Plug Costs mapping section allows the mapping of Excel columns to Estimate's lowest level cost categories.

You can define the imported plug costs as Unit Cost or Total Cost in the Plug costs are field. Use the following step-by-step to create plug costs.

Step by Step — Creating Plug Costs

  1. From the Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS) Register menu, choose Data Source > Import/update CBS from > Excel.

  2. Select the Define Mapping button.

  3. In the Plug costs are field:

    • To import plug costs as Unit Cost in the CBS Cost Category tree on the Plug tab of the Cost Item Record, select the Unit radio button.

    • To import plug costs as Total Cost in the CBS Cost Category tree on the Plug tab of the Cost Item Record, select the Total radio button.

Just as with a manual entry on the Cost Item Record, entering a Unit Cost results in the Total Cost being calculated, and entering a Total Cost results in the Unit Cost being calculated.