Foundation setup data is a technical way of saying "this is the place where your category labels are stored." The different label categories are organized into tabs on this form. To access your Library Foundation Setup Data from the backstage view, select Library from the side menu. On the Library landing page, select the Setup tab, then select Foundation Setup Data to open your Library Foundation Setup Data register.
This register contains all the labels that you'll use to categorize data in your job. Think of each tab on this form as a mini database of labels. When you create a new job, these labels will copy automatically from the library into your new job. The Account Codes tab is where you can store the standard cost codes used by your accounting system, so you can reference your estimate's cost data to the information in your accounting software.
You can also use Account Codes to compare and benchmark costs and hours from project to project. Note that your codes can be set up as a multi-level structure, as you can tell by the numbering and color of your codes. Click on the Tags tab. This tab comes with a lot of default labels known as tags.
Think about anywhere in the system where you want to label something and users will have a drop-down list of values to choose from. For example, you could have a tag called "area" with a drop-down list containing your tag values, such as area 1, area 2, and area 3. You can use these values to label elements of your estimate, such as cost items in your Cost Breakdown Structure or pay items in the Pay Item and Proposal Register. Once you've labeled your items with these values, you can group, sort, or filter them accordingly.
Filter to just the tags being used in the Cost Breakdown Structure by hovering over the Register column header, and then clicking on the column Filter icon. Select Cost Items, then click OK. The register now only shows the tag values being used in the CBS Register. Notice Tag 1 has four values that will show up in its dropdown list, which are Estimator 1, 2, 3, and 4.
On the Work Breakdown Structures tab, you can set up alternative structures of your estimate for when you need to have multiple variations and summary reports of an estimate. The WBS you create will retain the same relationships between items as in the original estimate and only changes the view and how items are arranged in hierarchy. The Units of Measure tab is where all your units of measure options are stored that you'll use throughout your project. Notice each unit of measure can have a conversion factor.
For example, scroll down to "yards." Note that 1 yard is equal to 0.9144 meters. Should you need to change from yards to meters, the system will automatically adjust your quantities based on the conversion factor.
To create a new unit of measure, click on New on the Actions menu. Click in the Unit of Measure Name field, and type M2. For measurement type, select "area." For measurement systems, select "metric", change the default alternate measurement to "square yard", and then click OK to save your unit of measure.
Click on the Currencies tab. The default currency is set to US Dollar, but you can also enter the exchange rate for other currencies, so you can estimate with whatever currency you need. Multiple currencies can be used in the same project. The next four tabs are related to your resources.
These tags are used to organize your resources into different categories. There are four main categories for your resources: resource file description, geographic area, wage zone, and organizational categories. These are where the tags for those values are stored. The remaining tabs are for more advanced features or related to project execution and are not covered in this course.
To close the Foundation Setup Data Register, click the X on the Forms tab.
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