GAEB Interface and Calculation#
General#
With the app "GAEB Interface "KVS& Calculation"" you can optimize the participation in a tender by importing the received GAEB files for the preparation of the offer into your Business Central at the push of a button. You can then easily make the created offer available to your customer again in GAEB format.
The app offers you the following advantages:
- Simple and clear quotation costing in the planning book sheet
- One-click creation of inquiries, quotations and orders from the planning ledger sheet
- Continuous presentation of the contribution margin and the project success during costing
- Maximum time savings through data import and export at the click of a mouse
- No transmission errors due to elimination of manual entries
- Accurate and simple costing including overhead, overhead and profit margins
- Clear version management of tenders and offers
Introduction GAEB Interface & Calculation#
GAEB Interface & Calculation | KUMAVISION App from KUMAVISION on Vimeo.
Link to Microsoft App Source "KUMAVISION GAEB Interface and Calculation"
GAEB setup#
In order to be able to use the functionalities of the app "GAEB Interface & Calculation", some settings on the GAEB setup card are required in advance. In the following, the setup options of the fields are explained in more detail.
Inforegister General#
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Unit price breakdown | Field to enable/disable unit price breakdown. |
| GAEB format | Specifies the standard GAEB format for import and export. |
| Assign manufacturer article no. | If the switch is set, it is checked whether the article no. in the GAEB file corresponds to a vendor article no. in the system. |
| FA Change status on release | If the switch is set, when the order is released, the status of the simulated FA corresponding to the "FA status" field is changed. |
| FA Status | Status to which the FAs should be changed if the "Change FA status on release" field is set. Transfer long texts to document Transfer long texts to sales document |
| Takeover in offer for sale | Specifies how the LV groups should be transferred to the sales offer. If the value is Bundle, only the group prices of the highest level are displayed, otherwise all rows with prices are displayed. |
| Headline line in sales offer | Specifies whether to create a heading line with the project description. |
| Standard quantity | Standard quantity |
| Automatic parts list calculation | Activates automatic calculation for items with bills of materials. |
| Standard OZ mask | Specifies the default OZ mask for manual calculations. |
| Automatic position numbering | If the identifier is set, the lines will be numbered automatically when closing the spreadsheet if the OZ Mask field is filled. |
| Level lock | Specifies the level of the locks. If several users are working on one calculation/tender, "rows" should be used to avoid overwriting. |
| Calculation basis | Specifies whether FA or GAEB BOMs are to be used as the basis for the calculation. |
| Working day hours | Working day hours |
Inforegister Surcharges#
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Show surcharges | If the identifier is set, the surcharges will be shown during export. |
| Standard surcharge | Default value for the Surcharge (%) field when the line type is Item and no other surcharge is set up. |
| Standard surcharge 2 | Default value for the "Surcharge 2 (%)" field if the line type is Item and no other surcharge is set up. |
| Surcharge 2 (%) Basis | Basis for the calculation of surcharge 2 (%) |
| Standard Surcharge (Res.) | Default value for the Surcharge (%) field when the row type is Resource and no other surcharge is set up. |
| Standard Surcharge 2 (Res.) | Default value for the "Surcharge 2 (%)" field if the line type is Resource and no other surcharge is set up. |
Inforegister No. Series#
The number series for the GAEB documents are stored on the "Number series" info tab.
Inforegister archiving#
On the "Archiving" information tab, the descriptions for the archiving reason are stored in the "Archiving reason" field in case of the respective document archiving.
Inforegister Colors Calculation#
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Style position | Specifies color and style for items in the project spreadsheet. |
| Style note | Specifies color and style for notes in the project spreadsheet. |
| Style group | Specifies color and style for groups in the project spreadsheet. |
| Style alternative | Specifies color and style for alternative items in the project spreadsheet. |
| Style Incomplete | Specifies color and style for incomplete items in the project spreadsheet. |
| Style locked | Specifies color and style for locked items in the project spreadsheet. |
Inforegister Support Information#
On this info tab you will be presented with information about the app.
Unit assignment menu ribbon#
To avoid having to select items for each row individually, the "Unit Assignment" function is available in the ribbon.
The "Unit" and "Description filter" fields can be used individually or in combination. If you create a row without a filter, it will always be used as long as no other row matches the unit mapping settings.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit from the tender. |
| Description filter | This filter searches the description of a GAEB line when the lines are imported. |
| Type | Type, which should be filled in the GAEB documents, if the assignment achieves a hit. (Combination of the GAEB unit and the description filter). |
| Article Copy Template | Article no. to be filled in the GAEB documents if the assignment results in a hit. (Combination of the GAEB unit and the description filter). |
| Resource/Resource Group | Resource group/resource to be filled in the GAEB documents if the assignment gets a hit. (Combination of the GAEB unit and the description filter). |
| G/L account | G/L account to be filled in the GAEB documents, if the assignment gets a hit. (Combination of the GAEB unit and the description filter). |
| Article import | Specifies how to proceed with the item from the Item Template field. If the value is set to Use, the item will simply be used. If Copy is selected, the item will be copied with the number series from the "Number series" field. There is an option to lock the articles after copying to prevent them from being used in planning or orders until they are released. |
| No. Series | No. series for the copied items if the "Item import" field is equal to "Copy". |
Standard Surcharges Ribbon#
To make your work easier, there are several places in the system where you can assign a default overhead for the "Overhead" and "Overhead 2" fields.
This can be done at three different levels, which equally represents the hierarchy for determination:
- Debtor
- Customer price group
- GAEB facility
The fields are explained in more detail below:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Art 2 | Here you can specify the type of element to which you want to assign the surcharge. |
| No. | Here you can enter the number of the group or record to which you want to apply the surcharge. The selection depends on the type chosen in the previous field. |
| Description 2 | Description of the group or record. |
| Surcharge (%) | Default value of the surcharge (%) |
| Surcharge 2 (%) | Default value of surcharge 2 (%) |
| Start date | Date from which the surcharge is applicable. |
| End date | Date by which the surcharge is levied. |
Process#
Import tender#
To import an RFx, first call up "Calculations" via the user search.
Via the menu item "New" > "Import RFx" or "Import XML RFx" you have the possibility to perform the import. After a successful import, the RFx will be opened immediately and you can start with the calculation.
Quotation costing#
By calling up the "Calculations" you can easily carry out the offer calculations. To do this, select the desired offer via the calculations overview.
The offer itself is divided into the following info tabs:
Inforegister General#
On this info tab you will be presented with general information such as the description and closing date of the RFP.
Inforegister lines#
On the "Lines" info tab, the positions of the RFP are displayed in hierarchical order.
Inforegister Description#
On the "Description" info tab, the long texts of the individual tender items are displayed.
GAEB information register#
GAEB specific information is displayed on this info tab.
View original tender#
To open and view the original RFx, go to "Related" > "Information" > "Original RFx" from the ribbon.
Note
Please note that it is not possible to edit the alert from this view.
Project spreadsheet#
Within a quotation, the "Project costing sheet" can be opened. To do this, select the menu item "Actions" > "Offer" > "Calculation" via the menu ribbon.
Lock#
To prevent data from being overwritten, you can set various locks in the "GAEB Setup".
If the lock is set at user level, the quote will be locked by the user who opens the calculation. The quote can only be unlocked by the same user by executing the "Unlock calculation" function in the ribbon.
Note
A prerequisite for this functionality is that a costing sheet has been created for each user in the GAEB setup.
On the other hand, if the lock is set up at row level, multiple users can edit a calculation at the same time without overwriting each other's input. As soon as a user creates a new row or edits an existing row in the book sheet, the "Locked by" field is automatically filled with his user ID.
Selected rows can also be locked manually using the "Lock row(s)" function. Likewise, the "Unlock row(s)" function can be used to unlock them again.
If it is necessary to unlock rows by a user who, for example, is absent and cannot perform this function, the "Force Unlock Row(s)" function is available. Make sure that you use this function carefully, as this can lead to data loss.
Color representation#
The opened project costing book sheet displays the items according to the tender. In the GAEB setup, different colors can be assigned to the different lines to improve their display.
Infoboxes#
Several info boxes are displayed on the right side of the map.
Description#
You can add notes (hints) before and after each line by using the "Insert Note" function. The "Description" info box displays the long and/or short texts as well as the notes (hints) for each line.
Additional information#
This info box shows the total duration of the required resource for the selected row. In addition, the average unit cost of the resource and the last date of use are displayed.
Project evaluation#
This infobox presents the unit cost, the unit cost including the first overhead, and the unit cost including the second overhead, broken down by resources and materials.
Prices#
To obtain a price, you can fill the items with items from the Business Central master data or with dummy items (items without inventory value) and enter the unit costs and up to 2 overhead rates. In addition, you can enter fixed costs, which are then independent of the quantities in the lines.
Surcharges#
If the offer contains a position with a "free quantity", it is possible to adjust the quantity. In all other cases, the quantity values are not editable. The "Distribute surcharge" function allows you to change or set the surcharges for several or all lines.
Select Distribution type="Set" on the request page of the report if you want to overwrite the old overhead value with the overhead in the Value field. Select "Change" to increase or - in case of a negative value - decrease the current overhead in the rows by the value from the Value field.
You can use the overhead field to specify whether this should affect the first or second overhead.
Notes#
The Show/Hide Notes action can be used to show or hide the notes in order to reduce the number of displayed lines and get a clear overview of the calculation.
Multilevel calculation#
Production parts list#
If you want to use production orders, select "FA" as the calculation basis in the GAEB setup.
Note
Please note that if this setting is selected, the steps in the following section can only be performed by a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Premium user.
If the item has been set up as a production item, you can set up a background structure for costing to get a more detailed overview of the costs. To do this, select the "Unfold Bill of Materials" call to open a new book sheet. It shows the items from the bill of materials that are linked to the current item, as well as the routing from the master data. In this view you can select the "Insert row" function to add new rows or the "Delete" function to delete existing rows. The purpose of the book sheet is to specify the cost of the offer item in more detail.
If the book sheet also contains a production item, you can use the "Unfold BOM" function again to go one level deeper. This allows you to define any number of levels.
Closing the sheet takes you one level higher again.
Note
Please note that closing the book sheet will not transfer the prices and changes to the higher level.
Run the "Transfer prices" function to transfer the prices and changes to the higher level.
Also in this book sheet you can distribute the surcharges as described in the previous section. The data maintained in this book sheet will not be included in an export, as it is only internal information that will be used for detailed costing and, if desired, for demand planning.
GAEB Calc. Parts list#
If you do not use the production orders from the calculation, select in the "GAEB Setup" the "GAEB Calc. Bill of material" as calculation basis.
Note
No premium user is required for this procedure. Without the setting "GAEB Calc. Bill of material" the steps in the following section cannot be performed.
Manage GAEB parts list#
On the article card you can create a new parts list with the call "GAEB parts list" or, if a parts list is already assigned to the article, edit an existing parts list.
To enable editing of the parts list, its status must be "Open". If this is not the case, you can use the "Reset status" function to reset the status to "Open". When you have finished editing the BOM, change its status to "Released" to make it available again. When the BOM is no longer needed, you can archive it using the "Close BOM" function.
Use GAEB parts list#
If the item has a GAEB bill of materials, you can build a background structure for costing to get a more accurate overview of the costs. Select the "Unfold BOM" function to open a new book sheet. It shows the items from the BOM that are associated with the item, as well as the resources and resource groups from the master data. In this view, you can select the "Insert row" function to add new rows or the "Delete" function to delete existing rows.
The purpose of the book sheet is to specify the cost of the bid item in more detail. By selecting the work to be performed and the material to be used, and adding overhead (if applicable), planning can be done at a more detailed level.
If the book sheet also contains an article with a GAEB parts list, you can use the "Unfold parts list" function again to go one level deeper. This allows you to define any number of levels.
Closing the sheet takes you one level higher again.
Execute the "Transfer prices" function to transfer the prices and changes to the higher level.
Also in this book sheet you can distribute the surcharges as described in the previous section. The data maintained in this book sheet will not be included in an export, as it is only internal information that will be used for detailed costing and, if desired, for demand planning.
Export quotation costing#
To export a quotation, you must first open the map that belongs to the quotation. To do this, call up the "Calculations" via the user search and open the desired card.
Via the menu item "Actions" > "Interfaces" > "Export offer" or "Offer XML Export" in the menu ribbon, you can export the offer into the GAEB90 format or into the GAEB XML format.
Manual quotation calculation#
To create a manual calculation, call up the "Calculations" via the user search. You can create a new calculation manually via "New" > "Create calculation".
After you have created the manual price calculation, the calculation book sheet opens automatically. In this book sheet you can insert new lines with the functions "Insert line before" and "Insert line after".
You can define the line accordingly via the "Line type" field. To avoid manual numbering, execute the "Perform position numbering" function in the menu ribbon.
You can export the offer via the "Actions" > "Export" > "Export offer" menu item in the ribbon.
Transferred into a sales offer#
To submit the calculation or the created quotation not only in GAEB format, but in a conventional commercial format, select the menu item "Interfaces" > "Transfer to sales quotation" in the ribbon on the quotation card. The quotation lines will now be transferred to a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central standard quotation.
Confirmation of an offer for sale#
There are two ways to confirm a sales offer. The first variant is used when the sales offer has been confirmed by phone or in writing and there is no order confirmation in GAEB format. To confirm the offer, open it and select the "Confirm offer" function.
If the offer was confirmed by an order confirmation in GAEB format, call up the "Order confirmation" via the user search and execute the "Imported order confirmation" function via the menu ribbon.
Regardless of the variant used, the ordered lines are transferred to a Microsoft Dynamics Business Central™ standard sales order. From the sales order, you can control its execution.
Archiving and versioning#
Sales offers are archived in the following cases:
- When preparing an offer for sale
- When confirming the offer
- When confirming an addition
- Manual according to choice
- When restoring a previous offer
Under GAEB Settings, you can enter a code in the Archiving reason field that specifies the reason for archiving.
There are two ways to restore an archived sales quote.
Recovery from the offer:#
In the RFx, you can select the "Related" > "Information" > "Versions" function. This opens an overview with all archived versions associated with this RFx.
To restore a previous version, select the "Restore Calculation" function. During this process, the current version is archived.
Recovery from the archive:#
Call up the GAEB → Arch. Quotations via the user search. For this overview the same function "Restore calculation" is available.
Note
Please note that closing the book sheet will not transfer the prices and changes to the higher level.
What happens after the free trial#
What happens after the free trial? from KUMAVISION on Vimeo.