You can create a Custom Curve when you want to create and compare curves in a Cash Flow WorkSheet, but you do not want to associate them with data sources of the other curve types (Baseline, Forecast, Actuals (or "spends"), Portfolio).
Custom Curve setup is essentially the same as setting up Baseline Curves.
The following instructions assume that you have created your data sources:
- Go to: Company Workspace > Administration Mode > Standards & Libraries > Cash Flow > Data Sources
- Click Data Sources > Click Open to open the Cash Flow Data Sources (Cashflow Datasources) window > Click Add to add new cash flow data source
- Follow the prompts and click OK when finished
This section explains the following topics:
- To add a Custom Curve for cash flow by Project/Shell
- To add a Custom Curve for cash flow by Summary CBS or CBS
- To add a Custom Curve for cash flow by Commitment
To add a Custom Curve for cash flow by Project/Shell
- Open Unifier
- Click All Projects tab (or your project tab or the tab whose cash flow you want to work with).
- From the Navigator pane, click Cost Manager to expand and click Cash Flow to open the Cash Flow log window (right-hand pane). The Cash Flow log is the starting place for cash flow operations. The log displays all existing cash flow curves and also provides options for creating new curves, copying curves, viewing curve properties, and assigning curve usage privileges to other users. To create a new cash flow, click the New drop-down list (the down arrow) and select Detail Curves. The Properties window opens and displays the General tab as default.
Note: If you have a cash flow template that you want to use, click the New drop-down list (the down arrow) and select From Template to open the Template Log (Cash Flow Templates) window.
- Click to select a cash flow from the Cash Flow log window and click Properties to open the cash flow Properties window.
- In the General tab, enter Name, enter Description (optional), select Active for Rollup Status, and select Project/Shell under Detail Level.
- Click the Curves tab.
- Click Add and select the data source of type Custom. The Cash Flow by Project/Shell - Baseline window opens.
- Complete the fields in this window using the information in the following table and when finished click OK to save work and open the Cash Flow WorkSheet that you added.
In this Field: | Do this: |
|---|---|
Name | No action. This field is filled in automatically with the name of the data source: Custom |
Type | No action. This field displays the curve type: Custom |
Distribution | Distribution spreads the amount value between cash flow time periods. Choose one: Manual: You enter values into each field manually. Auto by default profile: You can choose one of the available Distribution Profiles, that were defined in Standards & Libraries > Cash Flow > Distribution Profiles, or from those that were defined directly in the Project/Shell cash flow log (Edit > Distribution Profiles). This will be used as the default profile; however, at runtime, you can change which profile to use. Click the Select button. The Select Distribution Profiles window opens. Select a distribution profile to use as the default profile for the curve. The default profile is used for the initial display and calculations in the Cash Flow WorkSheet. You can change the distribution profile from the worksheet. If you do this, the default profile will automatically update to reflect the current selection. |
Cost | You can choose the cost column when creating a curve in a Project/Shell but not in templates. Choose one of the following options: Manually enter amounts for each period (available if you chose Manual above): You can enter cost information in the Total field on the worksheet. Auto distribute total amount across all periods (available if you chose Auto by default profile above): This will automatically distribute the amount in the Total field using the selected default profile. Distribute amount from cost sheet column: This option will take the amount in the selected Cost Sheet column, and either allows you to distribute it manually (if you chose Manual distribution), or use the default distribution profile (if you chose Auto by default profile). An example column would be a budget. Note: Cost column can be chosen when creating a curve in a project or shell, but not in templates. |
Schedule From Date To Date | Define the range of dates to use to plot the cash flow data. If you choose to take dates from the schedule sheet elements, the Master schedule sheet for the Project/Shell is used. Determine what dates to start the curve and end the curve. Choose one of the following options for each date: Manual: User enters the date directly in the Cash Flow WorkSheet. Data element from schedule sheet: Choose a schedule sheet data element from the list. The date will be populated automatically from the Master schedule sheet when the cash flow curve is refreshed. If these dates are changed on the Master schedule sheet, then the changes will be reflected on cash flow after the next refresh of the curves. |
To add a Custom Curve for cash flow by Summary CBS or CBS
- Open Unifier
- Click All Projects tab (or your project tab or the tab whose cash flow you want to work with).
- From the Navigator pane, click Cost Manager to expand and click Cash Flow to open the Cash Flow log window (right-hand pane). The Cash Flow log is the starting place for cash flow operations. The log displays all existing cash flow curves and also provides options for creating new curves, copying curves, viewing curve properties, and assigning curve usage privileges to other users. To create a new cash flow, click the New drop-down list (the down arrow) and select Detail Curves. The Properties window opens and displays the General tab as default.
Note: If you have a cash flow template that you want to use, click the New drop-down list (the down arrow) and select From Template to open the Template Log (Cash Flow Templates) window.
- Click to select a cash flow from the Cash Flow log window and click Properties to open the cash flow Properties window.
- In the General tab, enter Name, enter Description (optional), select Active for Rollup Status, and select Summary CBS or CBS under Detail Level.
- Click the Curves tab.
- Click Add and select the data source of type Custom. The Cash Flow by Summary CBS - Custom or Cash Flow by CBS - Custom window opens.
- Complete the fields in this window using the information in the following table and when finished click OK to save work and open the Cash Flow WorkSheet that you added.
In this Field: | Do this: |
|---|---|
Name | No action. This field is filled in automatically with the name of the data source: Custom |
Type | No action. This field displays the curve type: Custom |
Distribution | Distribution spreads the amount value between cash flow time periods. Choose one: Manual: You enter values into each field manually. Auto by default profile per CBS (for CBS Detail Level curves) or Auto by default profile summary CBS (for Summary CBS Detail Level curves) You can specify a default profile per CBS code (or Summary CBS code) one CBS at a time or by selecting multiple CBS codes. See the following instructions for details. The initial distribution profile is default. You can change the distribution profile at runtime. Follow these instructions for CBS Detail Level curves: Note: You can use the same instructions for Summary CBS Detail Level curves To set default distribution profile for one CBS: Click Auto by default profile per CBS > Details to open the Edit Distribution Profiles (CBS Details) window. Click to select a CBS > double-click the cell under the Default Profile column for that CBS > Click the desired distribution profile from the list. Note: You can use Find to search for a specific CBS code. To set default distribution profile for multiple CBSs: Click Auto by default profile per CBS > Details to open the Edit Distribution Profiles (CBS Details) window. Click to select a CBS > Hold down the Ctrl or Shift key on your keyboard and then click each CBS that you want to select > Click Bulk Edit to open the Select Distribution Profiles (Distribution Profiles) window > Click the desired distribution profile from the list > Click Select. Note: You can use Find to search for specific CBS codes. When the Edit Distribution Profiles (CBS Details) window appears, ensure that the correct profiles have been selected and when finished, click Save. |
Distribution (continued) | Use dates from Schedule Sheet: This option enables you to choose a schedule sheet and view the cost distribution information by CBS. Note: The Cash Flow by Summary CBS – Baseline does not have this option. To use dates from schedule sheet, follow these instructions: Select Use dates from Schedule Sheet > Click Select to open the Schedule Sheets window > Select the desired schedule sheet > Click Open. The selected schedule sheet appears in the Use dates from Schedule Sheet field. Note: If a schedule sheet is not selected, the distribution profile displays zeros along the bottom of a Cash Flow Curve graph. When you click OK in the details window, the filter will be applied against the CBS codes coming from the schedule sheet. |
Cost | You can choose the cost column when creating a curve in a Project/Shell but not in templates. Choose one of the following options: Manually enter amounts for each period (available if you chose Manual above): You can enter cost information in the Total field on the worksheet. Auto distribute total amount across all periods (available if you chose Auto by default profile above): This option automatically distributes the amount in the Total field using the selected default profile. Distribute amount from cost sheet column: This option takes the amount in the selected Cost Sheet column, and either enables you to distribute it manually (if you chose Manual distribution), or it enables you to use the default distribution profile (if you chose Auto by default profile). An example column would be a budget. |
Schedule From Date To Date | Here you define the range of dates to use to plot the cash flow data. If you choose to take dates from the schedule sheet elements, the Master schedule sheet for the project/shell is used. |
To add a Custom Curve for cash flow by Commitment
Custom curves are not available for cash flow by commitment.