Data Relay
Genesis edition only.
The Data Relay is accessed from the Direct and Overhead Cost Schedule Ribbon menu or right-click context menu.
This feature allows contributing items in the current project to be populated with data from similar schedule items from another project. When opening the Data Relay window, you will be prompted with a Project Selection window allowing you to specify which project you will compare the Schedule Items against.
Data Relay window
Once you have selected the comparison project, pressing the Analyse button will bring up a side by side list of Schedule items. On the left hand side the items from your current project (Local Items) will be displayed, and on the right hand side the corresponding schedule items from the selected project (Source items) will be displayed.
Selecting any item in the current project will cause the schedule items in the Source Project view to be sorted based on a rank determining the items relevance to the selected local item. The relevance is managed by a range of configurable options that evaluate the rank for each Source item.
Note: By default, the order of ranking is: Item Number -> Description -> Unit.
The 
column will inform you of any item that currently can not be selected in the local items grid for any reason. Hovering your mouse over the icon in this column will inform you of the specific reason that this item is not eligible for Data Relay.
Once you have your Local Item selected, ticking any checkbox in the Source Item grid will assign the Source Item's Cost Estimate content to the locally selected item. It will also carry across all aspects of the Cost Estimate.
Once selected, the Item information will be populated into the Assigned Item Details column in the Local Item's grid. This will allow you to see which items are being populated in the current analysis. Once the Proceed button is pressed, the data will be carried across and a Conflict Resolution window will be raised if there is any conflicting data.
Data Relay window - Assigned Item Details
PARENT AND CHILD ITEMS
When checking a Source Item to be assigned, if it is represented as a parent item a change in the layout of the Source Items will occur. All Child Schedule items for the assigned Source item will be nested below the parent item. This allows you to then pick and choose which additional items will be brought over as part of the assigning of the top-level Source item. These items will be added as individual items and not appended to the Local Item's Cost Estimate.
Data Relay window - Child Items
DATA RELAY OPTIONS
Within the Options window, you can specify which Schedule Item properties will be used when comparing Source items with the selected Local item.
You also have the ability to change the weighting given to each column. The weighting can be changed by selecting the desired column and using the Up and Down buttons to increase/decrease the influence the column has on the ranking within the analysis.
The columns available to be ranked on consist of:
- Item Number
- Description
- Unit
- User-Defined columns that exist in both projects.
Data Relay Options window
CONTEXT MENU OPTIONS
The Data Relay window also provides you with a list of commands located in a right-click Context menu.
|
FUNCTION |
DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
|
Restore Local Items Layout |
If columns have been removed, adjusted or relocated, clicking the Restore Layout button will restore columns to their default layout for the Local Items (which are shown on the left-hand side). |
|
Restore Source Items Layout |
If columns have been removed, adjusted or relocated, clicking the Restore Layout button will restore columns to their default layout for the Source Items (Items (which are shown on the right-hand side). |