Effective Dates and Cost Rates Hierarchy

After you create cost rate tables in Vision, you can associate the tables with individual projects, employees, or both.

The method that you choose when you associate a cost rate table with a project or employee determines how Vision applies cost rates for employee timesheet transactions and billing transfers when those transactions are posted to your projects.

• Project Info Center — You associate cost rate tables with your projects using the Cost Method and Cost Table fields on the Accounting tab of Project Info Center. You can specify a different cost rate method, table, or both at each level of a project's work breakdown structure.
• Employee Info Center — You associate cost rate tables with employees using the Cost Method and Cost Table fields on the Time tab of Employee Info Center. The cost rate method and table selections on this tab override the cost rate information that is entered on the Accounting tab of the Employee Info Center.

Cost Rates Hierarchy

When you post employee timesheet transactions to a project, Vision looks first at the project record and then at the employee record (if necessary) to determine how to apply cost rates.

Vision uses the first setting it finds, based on the following hierarchy:

1. Project Info Center record WBS3 — Cost Method field on the Accounting tab.
2. Project Info Center record WBS2 — Cost Method field on the Accounting tab.
3. Project Info Center record WBS1 — Cost Method field on the Accounting tab.
4. Employee Info Center — Cost Method field on the Time tab.
5. Employee Info Center — Job Cost Rate field on the Accounting tab.

Project Cost Rate Methods (Hierarchy Levels 1 through 3)

Because Vision looks first at the project record, the options that you select in the Cost Method field on the Accounting tab of the Project Info Center (at the lowest level of the work breakdown structure) determine how cost rates are applied. The options are:

• None — This is the default option. When you select this option, Vision moves up the work breakdown structure and uses the first Cost Method specified (if any), for the project.
• From Employee Cost Rate — When you select this option, Vision uses the cost rate that is specified for the employee in the Employee Info Center.
• From Labor Rate Table, From Category Rate Table, From Labor Code Table — When you select one of these options:
  • And the employee is not covered by the table selected in the Rate Table field, Vision uses the cost rate that is specified for the employee in the Employee Info Center.
  • And the employee is covered by the table selected in the Rate Table field, Vision uses the employee's cost rate from the table, if the timesheet detail date is on or after the effective date specified on the table. If the timesheet detail date is before the effective date specified on the table, Vision uses the cost rate specified in the Employee Info Center.
  • And the employee is covered by the table selected in the Rate Table field, but no effective date is specified for the employee, Vision uses the employee's cost rate from the table, regardless of the timesheet detail date.

Employee Cost Rate Methods (Hierarchy Levels 4 through 5)

Based on your selections at the project level, Vision may or may not look at the employee record. Vision looks at the employee record if any of the following apply:

• The Cost Method for all levels of a project's WBS is set to None.
• The Cost Method for the project is set to From Employee Cost Rate.
• The employee is not covered by the Labor Rate Table, Category Rate Table, or Labor Code Table specified for the project.

If Vision looks at the employee record, the options that you select in the Cost Method field on the Time tab of the employee record determine how cost rates are applied. Your options are:

• None — This is the default option. When you select this option, Vision uses the employee's cost rate as specified in the Job Cost Rate field on the Accounting tab of Employee Info Center.
• From Labor Rate Table, From Category Rate Table, From Labor Code Table — When you select one of these options:
  • And an effective date is specified for the employee, Vision uses the employee's cost rate from the table, if the timesheet detail date is on or after the effective date that is specified on the table. If the timesheet detail date is before the effective date specified on the table, Vision uses the cost rate that is specified on the Accounting tab of the Employee Info Center.
  • And no effective date is specified for the employee, Vision uses the employee's cost rate from the table, regardless of the timesheet detail date.