A Cost database is a collection of libraries which include the item’s complete description, code and rates with their respective purchase units as per different rate sheets such as DSR (Delhi schedule of rates).
Cost database helps users to directly pick and link the rates of different items in the estimates from pre-defined library. In this way, the user can get the total amount by entering the quantity of an item
(Total amount = Quantity of an item x Rate of per unit of the item as defined in the cost database).
Typical screen of a Cost database -
In any project the right to Add/update a cost database lies with the admin, who can access the cost database from the setting under the profile tab.
Profile>Portal settings>Estimates>Cost databases
https://scribehow.com/embed/Cube_Workflow__rD4fE3jlQr27p22cqAxeug
Further, The user has to provide name, description and assign a default or a custom currency to the cost database, which will in turn appear in the estimate as well.
Once the cost database is created, the user will then have to add the items one by one to the cost database and will have to fill all the below mentioned attributes against each item -
CODE - all the items in the cost database must be assigned a unique code which then appears in the drop down menu under the items tab in the estimate. Codes must be unique and no two items can have same code. For example - 1.0 (refer the picture below)
DESCRIPTION - A brief note about the item has to entered in the description tab so that the user can understand what the item actually is. For example - sample item (refer the picture below)
UNIT - Purchase unit must be entered for the item. To know more about purchase unit click here. For example - Litre (refer the picture below)
RATE - Cost per unit item has to be entered under the rate tab. These value are non editable in the estimate and can only be updated by the admin under the settings tab. For Example - 50 (refer the picture below)
