Video - InEight Estimate - Linking to Excel

TRANSCRIPT

InEight Estimate's linking capabilities with Excel can be done in one of two ways. A field in InEight Estimate can be populated with a value from Excel, or a cell in Excel can be populated with the data from an InEight Estimate field. This two-way linking functionality allows you to make quick work of complex chores to perform spreadsheet-based takeoff or formula-driven analysis. When you create a job, it comes with an embedded Excel workbook, accessed from the Estimate tab.

This workbook contains pre-defined takeoff and analysis worksheets. You can also create worksheets of your own, where you can create formulas of your own and link the results back to your estimate. Back on the CBS Register, when you link fields from Excel to a field in InEight Estimate, they show up as a blue hyperlink as shown here. You need to do a takeoff to determine the size of a concrete foundation for the estimate.

Note that you have a concrete foundation cost item, but you have not yet determined its takeoff quantity. Back in the jobs embedded workbook, create a new worksheet named Concrete Takeoff. Enter a title at the top of the spreadsheet, and then in the following rows under column A, enter length, width, height, and then volume. Leave column B blank.

And in column C, enter the measurements as yards, with the total volume unit of measure being cubic yards. Under column B, enter a length of 10 yards, width of 10 yards, and a height of 0.5 yards. Calculate the total cubic yards by factoring the length, width, and height quantities, using a formula that multiplies the B2, B3 and B4 fields,.

You now have a takeoff quantity of 50 cubic yards for the total volume. To link this field to Estimate it must have a field name,. Click in the field you want to name. Then click in the field name window and type "volume".

Save the worksheet, then go back to InEight Estimate. You can link fields from the Actions tab or by right-clicking on the concrete foundation cost item, forecast takeoff quantity field, and select Link This Field To Excel. On the Link To Excel dialogue, select the Update Estimate Field from Excel. In the Field To Link window, select Volume.

You may need to click Refresh. If your Name field isn't in the list. Select volume, then click OK. Your Forecast Quantity field for concrete foundation is now linked to the Volume field calculated in Excel, and is populated to 50.

Whenever the data behind your link changes, you can update the link back on the Estimate tab by clicking the Workbook drop-down arrow, and selecting the appropriate option.