Cobra 8.3 Help System

Using the Help Search
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Element of Cost Page of the wInsight Wizard

Use this page to select the elements of cost that are exported to wInsight. Data in Cobra is exported against each selected export structure using each of the selected elements of cost.

The information entered on this page is placed in the XML file as follows:

  • Selected elements of cost are placed in the <Units> section of the XML file.
  • After the units are defined, the project data is summarized and exported for each selected export structure's lowest level element by unit. This data is placed in the <EarnedValues> section of the XML file. It links to the unit section using the un_id field.
  • Future time-phased budget and forecast data is exported to the <FutureEtcs> section of the XML file. This data is summarized and exported as defined above the earned value data.
  • The selected manpower unit is exported to the <Manpowers> section of the XML file using the calendar set defined.
  • The F4Unitid field under the <Contract> section is mapped to the unit_id field in the <Units> section for the unit selected.

Element of cost

Use these options to specify the cost units and the fields that are used as the element of cost. You must select at least one element of cost. Select one of the following options:

Field Description
Dollars Select this option to export every result marked as currency.
FTE Select this option to use hours in calculating FTEs using the following equation:

Total scheduled hours/total productive hours for the period from the calendar assigned to the project.

Hours Select this option to select results with the result code H.
Other Select this option to export data using an element of either a level of the resource structure or a code of the resource structure assigned to the selected project. Select one of the following options:
  • Level of resource: Select this option to display the values 1 through n based on the number of levels in the resource file assigned to the project.

    For example, if the resource file is broken down to show Labor and Material at the second level, and Level on resource structure is selected as 2, the export includes cost data for each of those level 2 elements for each exported structure's lowest element.

  • Code on resource: Select this option to export the Element of Cost, or a code field assigned to the resource structure, as units in the wInsight export.

Include these result codes as elements of cost

Use this grid to select result codes to include as Element of Cost units in the XML file when exporting data. The grid displays a list of result codes associated with the resource file assigned to the project; however, the list excludes Hours, FTEs, and empty result codes, since these are included in the check box selections above.

By default, all options in the grid are cleared. However, if you are loading a configuration saved in a previous version with the Include Overhead as element of cost option already selected, the O - Overhead option is automatically selected in the new grid.

Manpower Units

Use these options to specify the unit to use in the IPMR Format 4 report in the export. Select one of the following options:

Field Description
Hours Select this option to create a IPMR Format 4 in hours. The sort code of H in the resource file defines the hours result.
FTE Select this option to calculate an average head count using the productive hours in the fiscal calendar. The sort code F in the resource file defines the FTE result.
Aggregated FTEs Select this check box to summarize the FTE result data. This summarizes the weekly data and exaggerates the monthly FTE by the number of weeks in the month. The sort code of F in the resource file defines the FTE result.

When you skip periods in reporting calendars, Cobra usually calculates the sum of the values between the skipped periods. The exception to this rule is when you report on FTEs. For example, if you are using rolling wave reporting and you want a monthly CAP with FTEs, Cobra does not calculate the sum of the FTEs for the weeks to give you a monthly value. In the CAPFTE report, Cobra searches for results that use a sort code of F. The values for this result are replaced by the hours (sort code of H) divided by the productive hours found in the fiscal calendar.