electrika user guide

User Guide

Copyright © 2010 Electrika Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Electrika Ltd, P.O Box 129, Manchester M22 4XGTel: 0161 945 5124 Fax: 0161 945 3681

E-mail: [email protected]: www.electrika.com

Contents List

ToolsUsing External Discount Files

Set External Discounts Using Headings

Set External Discounts Using Groups

Applications

Making Backups

IntroCover

Welcome To Electrika

Running From Your Hard Disk

Running From A Network

Transferring To Another PC

Quote Repair

General Options

CataloguesBrowsing A Catalogue

Selecting A Manufacturer

Exporting Electrika data to PDF, Excel,CSV, Text

Key Word Search

Catalogue Number Search

Where To Buy

3D Views

Adding To The Local Database

Wholesaler Discount Setup

Using External Discount Files

Setting Up Install Times

Local DatabaseLocal Database

Creating, Importing & Exporting

Create KitsCreate Kits

Site Details Database

Setting Your Rates

Creating Sections & Specials

Cut, Copy & Paste

Quotation Sections List

QuotingCreating, Saving, Opening

Exporting Quotation Data

Quotation Manager

Entering Project Details

Creating Your Own Customer List

Inserting Past Quotes

Costing

Analysis

Printing - Sell Summary

Printing - Design Header & Footer

Printing - Design Cover Page

Printing - Cost Summary

Printing - Costing

Printing - Setup

OrderingEntering Ordering Details

Creating An Order

Job CostingJob Costing

Inserting A Quote Into An Order

Order Print Options

Printing - Header & Footer

Printing - Cover Page

Insert Excel

Insert parts from Excel

Buttons instead of menus!

We have made Electrika as intuitive and easy to use as possibleby providing a Tab structure that allows you to quickly switchbetween any part of the program.

This design also gives you full visibility of all Electrika's featuresvia the buttons - nothing is hidden away. Help text is shown foreach button when the mouse pointer is passed over it.

Welcome!

The Electrika DVD contains what all users of electrical andmechanical products have always wanted!

Powerful but easy to use estimating, ordering and job costingsoftware... computerised catalogues from leadingmanufactures... and all for FREE courtesy of the manufactures.

To improve this service even more we need your activeinvolvement. Please tell us what new features or improvementsyou would like to see in the software and which othermanufacture catalogues you would like to see on the service.

The Benefits Of Using Electrika

Standardised Quotation ProceduresAll you staff will produce high qualityquotations, and new staff can quickly

familiarise themselves with a standardapproach to estimating

Fast access to past contractsIf a new contract is similar to an old one,

then the old one can be recalled fromdisk and modified to produce a new

quotation very quickly

Easy access to pricing and catalogueinformation for 1000’s of products

Using Electrika’s computerisedcatalogues from leading manufactures

More accurate quotationsBy using pre-defined labour rates, andthe pricing information contained in thedatabases, every quotation accurately

specifies material and labour costs.

Collection of important contract dataClarifying all information with the clientearly on in the contract cycle reduces

misunderstandings and verifiescontractual obligations

Experimentation with different configurationsElectrika allows you to experiment with materials from different manufactures or to use different

labour rates, overheads and profit margins and immediately see the effect on price.

Faster quotationsInformation about all the material is

stored in Electrika’s databases, and thecomputer does all the calculations, so

quotations are produced in a much faster

Running Electrika From Your Hard Disk

After installing Electrika, take the DVD out of the drive and re-insert it. This will bring up the option of copying the DVD to thehard disk. The desktop shortcut will also be changed to runElectrika from the hard disk without the need for the DVD to bein the drive.

When a new DVD is issued you will be prompted to update thefolder on the hard disk.

Running From A Network

A. Setup Electrika on the Server

There are two ways of running Electrika on a network. Choose one of the methods below.

Method 1 - If you want users to share everything

Method 2 - If you want users to share only the Manufacturers Database

1.Run the Setup program from the Electrika DVD on the server PC.

2. Click the 'Browse' button to select the location of the Electrika folder to be a shareable area onthe Server e.g. 'Shared Documents' folder. A folder called 'Electrika' will be created for all yoursettings and Local Database

3. Click 'Yes' if you accept the terms of the Licence Agreement. Click the 'Run Install Program'button to complete the setup. An Electrika Icon will be created on the desktop.

4. After Setup has finished, exit Electrika and take the DVD out of the drive and re-insert it. This willbring up the option of copying the DVD to the hard disk. Select a shareable part of the server as thedefault location of the ElectrikaCD folder on the hard disk e.g. 'Shared Documents' folder

When a new DVD is issued you will be prompted to update the ElectrikaCD folder on the hard disk.The DVD can now be removed from the drive.

Users share Manufacturers Database, Local Database, customer list, labour rates, discounts &install times

B. Setup Electrika on each of the client PCs

1. Run Windows Explorer and find the Server PC on the network. On the Server PC open theElectrikaCD folder you created in Step A4. Click on the Setup folder under the ElectrikaCD folder.Inside the Setup folder double-click the Setup file to run the Setup program.

2. On the Setup screen click the 'Browse' button in Step 1. Select 'Network Neighbourhood' or 'MyNetwork Places' and locate the Server PC. Select the location of the Electrika folder on the serverthat you chose in Step A2. (Please note: select the location of the Electrika folder, not the Electrikafolder itself e.g. if the Electrika folder is located at 'Shared Documents\Electrika' you need to select'Shared Documents' and the 'Electrika' part will be added for you).


Each user has their own Local Database, customer list, labour rates, discounts & install times

B. Setup Electrika on each of the client PCs

1. Run Windows Explorer and open the ElectrikaCD folder you created on the network Server inStep A4. Click on the Setup folder under the ElectrikaCD folder. Inside the Setup folder double-clickthe Setup file to run the Setup program.

2. The default location for the local Electrika folder is set to My Documents. If you want to use thedefault location move on to Step 3. If you want to choose a different location click 'Browse' andselect a local location for the Electrika folder. (Please note: select the location of the Electrika folder,not the Electrika folder itself e.g. if you want the Electrika folder to be located in 'My Documents' youneed to select 'My Documents' and the 'Electrika' part will be added for you).


Transferring Your Files To Another PC

Transferring Your Files To Another PC & Making Backups

To Backup or Transfer your Quotes, Kits, Local Databases and Job Costing files

To Backup or Transfer your Customer List, Supplier Discounts & Install Times, Suppliers List and Default LabourRates and Markups

These can be backed up by backing up the folders shown below. To transfer them to another PC just copy the filesfrom your current PC to the same folder on the destination PC.

By default your Quotes, Kits, Local Databases and Job Costing files are found in the following folders:

My Documents\Electrika\QuotesMy Documents\Electrika\KitsMy Documents\Electrika\Local DatabasesMy Documents\Electrika\Job Costing

Electrika will automatically select the last folder you used for Quotes and Kits, thereby allowing you to choose yourown default folders for these files, which may not correspond with the above.

Use the Backup options available in Electrika to create compressed WinZip backups of your data.

To view Backup options:1. Click the Tools tab at the top2. Click the Backups Tab

Every backup you create has the date and time added to the file name.

Use the Restore button to bring back any of the backups.

To transfer your data from one PC to another:1. Create backups on the master PC and save them to a removable USB drive.2. Put the USB drive in the destination PC3. On the destination PC click the Restore button and locate the backups on the USB drive.

And Making Backups

A great way for Wholesalers to easily set discounts for all their customers!

A great way for Electrical Contractors to have their discounts set up for them by their wholesalers!

Wholesalers can set the discounts they get from manufacturers and view net buy prices and markups. They canalso set the discounts give to customers andthey e-mail the discounts file to a customer.


Why use External Discount Files?

This feature will save a great deal of time for both Wholesalers and Electrical Contractors!

A Wholesaler can quickly set up discounts for a customer and e-mail them a Discounts File. An ElectricalContractor can open this file under the Catalogues tab and instantly use the discounts in their quotations,orders and jobs.

Using Discount Files In 4 Easy Steps

The Wholesaler must run Electrika and click the tab, then the tab. You can then choosewhether to setup the Discounts using the Main and Sub Index headings or to use discount groupsprovided by the manufacturers by clicking the appropriate button.

The Discounts Setup screen gives the Wholesaler the ability to quickly set discounts for all the products inthe Electrika database and save a unique file for every customer.

To e-mail the Discounts File the Wholesaler must click the attachment button from their e-mail (usuallypaper-clip icon) and browse to the or folderto locate and attach a discounts file.

The folder is usually either under or under .

When the customer receives the discounts file as an e-mail attachment it should be copied into the folderif it is a .dis file or .dgr file.

The customer selects the tab and ticks the box for . The buttons next tothe tick box can then be used to select and open one of the new discounts files.

In this way customers can quickly swap between their own discounts setup (by un-ticking thebox) or any number of external discount files.

Tools Discounts

Electrika\Discount Files Electrika\Discount Files Groups

Electrika My Documents Program Files

Electrika\Discount Files Electrika\Discount Files Groups if it is a

Catalogues Use Ext Disc Open

Use ExtDisc

Step 1 The Wholesaler sets the discounts

Step 2 Wholesaler e-mails file to Customer

Step 3 Customer gets Discounts File

Step 4 Customer ticks Use Ext Disc option

To display the Discounts Setup Screen:

Click the tab, then the tab and thebutton.

Tools Discounts SetupDiscounts Using Main & Sub Index Headings

Setting Up External Discounts Using Main & Sub Index Headings

Step 1Browse the Electrika databaseto find the items you would like

to assign discounts to.You can select a Manufacturer,Main Index and Sub Index, orsearch for a catalogue number

Step 2Select which group of

items to apply thediscounts. You can apply

the discounts to wholegroups of items at a timeor to individual catalogue

numbers.

Step 4

Save

Repeat steps 1-3 until you haveassigned discounts for all the

manufacturers products. Click thebutton to save the discount

structure under a particular file name.You can then e-mail the discounts file

to a customer.

Step 3

Note:

Decide if you want to apply a Buy or Sell Discount,type in the discount and click an Apply button.

Discounts are assigned by Catalogue Number,so all items with the same Catalogue Number will

have the same discount, even if they are in adifferent group to that selected in Step 2.

Please note:When you save the discounts to a file only your SellDiscounts are saved. Your Buy discounts are neversaved in the external discount files. They are only

saved on your PC and only you can see them.

To display the Discounts Setup Screen:

Click the tab, then the tab and thebutton.

Tools Discounts SetupDiscounts Using Manufacturer Discount Groups

Setting Up External Discounts Using Manufacturer Discount Groups

Please note:When you save the discounts to a file only your SellDiscounts are saved. Your Buy discounts are neversaved in the external discount files. They are only

saved on your PC and only you can see them.

Step 1Select a Manufacturer you

would like to setup thediscounts for.

Step 2Type in the Buy or Sell

discount for each group of

Step 3

Save

Repeat steps 1-2 until you haveassigned discounts for all the

manufacturers products. Click thebutton to save the discount

structure under a particular file name.You can then e-mail the discounts file

to a customer.

Applications

Click the Applications Tab to install or run thesoftware applications available.

Making Backups

You can make backups of yourdata by selecting one of the options

and clicking Backup.

You can also restore

clicking Restore.

your data byselecting one of the options and

Quote Repair

If you have a problem with a quotation file click the QuoteRepair tab to view the procedures for fixing the errors.

General Options

In the Electrika programme certain columnscan be repositioned. Click here to reset back

to the default settings.

Displays a searchablelist of all UK wholesalers

Selecting a manufacturer

Manufacturer Catalogue layoutTrade1 Qty2 Trade2

Qty2 Qty3 Trade3 Qty3.

Unit Hrs StatusD

Click on the manufacturer name or the button next to it to view the manufacturer selection window.

Where applicable up to three Trade prices may be shown. is for quantities less than , forquantities between and , and for quantities greater than For items without a split-packprice only one Trade price is shown.

The column shows a default install time for each item (not always provided), and the columnshows a for discontinued items, which are displayed in purple.

See below for a full description of all the buttons available

Browsing A Catalogue

Allow you to set install times for anygroup of items

View the manufacturerselection window

View the Main & SubIndex headings of themanufacturer currently

selected

View the PDF documentsavailable for the current

manufacturer

Search the databaseusing Key Words

Search the database fora Catalogue Number

Switch between showingthe data only or data and

product images / PDFlinks.

View the currentmanufacturer’s contact

details

View products in 3D

Add the highlighted itemto the active Quote,Order, Kit or Local

Database

Print the manufacturer data currentlyshown. You can select a range of

pages to print by clicking the PrinterSetup button on the Preview(spanner on printer symbol)

All the text information will be printedon a single page, together with theitem description, info line product

image.

Allow you to set supplier discounts for any groupof items

If the box is ticked you can use the drop down buttonto select an External Discounts File that has been

created for you by a Wholesaler. (Seefor more information about

this feature)If the box is un-ticked your own discounts setup is

used.

UsingExternal Discount Files

Export the manufacturer data intoPDF/ Excel / CSV / Text format

Selecting A Manufacturer

As you click on a manufacturer's button the Main Index headings for their catalogueappear on the right hand side. You can select a manufacturer by double clicking on amanufacturer's button, or by double clicking on a Main Index heading.

The manufacturers contact details and web site link appear under the Main Headings.Clicking on the web site link will automatically launch your web browser.

The manufacturers contactdetails and web link appearhere. Click the web link tolaunch your web browser.

Scroll down for postal address

As you click on amanufacturer's button theMain Index headings for

their catalogue appear here

Click a tab to choose betweenelectrical manufactures orPrice Update. Click “More

Manufactures” to request anew manufacturer

You can select amanufacturer by double

clicking on a manufacturer'sbutton, or by double clicking

on a Main Index heading

Select an export format.

Available options are:

PDF, SYLK(Excel), CSV or Text

Click the Export button

Select where to save the file.

The default location for exported

files is ‘\Electrika\Exported Files’

After the file is exported you

are asked if you would like to

open the file. This will launch

the default program for each

file type e.g. Acrobat Reader

for PDF, Excel for SYLK

Important Note About The Excel Export

To export to Excel you must export the file

as SYLK format. These files end with .SLK

and can be opened by Excel. After opening

the file in Excel click ‘Save’ and select ‘No’

when prompted ‘do you wish to retain the

original file format’. The file will then be

saved as standard Excel format (.XLS).

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1

3

T

Exporting Electrika data to PDF, Excel, CSV, Text

Key Word SearchKey Word Search

Click here to locate aSub Heading in the

Manufacturers Catalogue

Click here to locate aMain Heading in the

Manufacturers Catalogue

Type in up to 3 key words or phrases.These will be searched for in the

Description, Main Index and Sub Index.

Use an abbreviated form to get the mostmatches

e.g. CONS will find more matches thanCONSUMER UNIT

Choose to add the selected itemdirectly into your Quote, Orderor Kit by clicking here. Doubleclicking on the highlighted itemwill insert it into the section thathas been highlighted in yellow.

You can add your own KeyWords to the picklist by

clicking here

You can view someexample Key Words by

clicking here

Click here to locate an item in theManufacturers Catalogue, where apicture and further technical details

may be available

Searching For ACatalogue Number

Click here to locate an item in theManufacturers Catalogue, where

a picture and further technicaldetails may be available

Choose to add the selected itemdirectly into your Quote, Order or

Kit by clicking here. Doubleclicking on the highlighted itemwill insert it into the section thathas been highlighted in yellow.

As you start typing acatalogue number in theentry box Electrika starts

to search all themanufacturers' data anddisplays the item with the

nearest match

Viewing UK WholesalersPick List

As each distributor in thelist is highlighted, their fulldetails are displayed here

The details of a distributorcan be copied across to

your own byclicking here

Suppliers List

Click here to view yoursuppliers list.

Type your postcode hereto find your nearest

distributor

ANIMATE

Click Hot Spots

ZOOM

Right Click & Drag

ROTATE

Left Click & Drag

MOVE

Both Click & Drag

A selection of 3D PDF files have been created tobest illustrate the features/finishes of certain items.

To view any of the PDF files just click on thethumbnail image which will open up Acrobat Reader

and display the fully interactive models.(Only Acrobat Reader 7 or above will currently

display the models)

3D Views

Adding an item to thelocal database

You can add an item directly in to your local database from the catalogues tab.Click on the + Loc button, then select the Main/Sub index you wish to add it too.

You can either insert the item into your local database with the Main & Sub index from themanufacturers entry, or alternativley you can pick a section from one already created.

Setting Up WholesalerDiscounts

Highlight an item under the Catalogues tab for which you wish to set up discounts and click the % button todisplay the discounts setup window.

The supplier discounts are linked to the . Please note items with the same CatNumber will get the same discount even if they are not in the selected groups.

The right window displays all your suppliers and their details, such as contact name, address, telephone, faxetc. Some examples have been entered which you can customise. This list is in alphabetical order accordingto . As you move to the right the screen scrolls to show more information. New suppliers areautomatically moved to their correct alphabetical position according to abbreviation.

Manufacturer & Cat Number

Abbrev

Step 1Choose a supplier from your

suppliers list to copy to discounts list

Step 2Assign a discount to

each of the suppliers inthe discount list. Double-click on one or click theSet As Default Discountbutton to set it as default

(shown in red)

Step 3Choose how you wish toapply the discounts by

selecting one of theoptions

Click here to add a newsupplier

This is your list of Wholsalers(suppliers). Examples are initially

provided and you should delete / add /edit the list so it contains all your

suppliers details, such as contact name,address, telephone, fax etc. All columns

Step 4Click the Apply button

When you exit this window move to otherMain and Sub Index sections of the

catalogue and click the % button to set upthe discounts in other sections

A great way for Wholesalers to easily set discounts for all their customers!

A great way for Electrical Contractors to have their discounts set up for them by their wholesalers!

Wholesalers can set the discounts they get from manufacturers and view net buy prices and markups. They can alsoset the discounts give to customers andthey e-mail the discounts file to a customer.


Why use External Discount Files?

This feature will save a great deal of time for both Wholesalers and Electrical Contractors!

A Wholesaler can quickly set up discounts for a customer and e-mail them a Discounts File. An ElectricalContractor can open this file under the Catalogues tab and instantly use the discounts in their quotations, ordersand jobs.

Using Discount Files In 4 Easy Steps

The Wholesaler must run Electrika and click the tab, then the tab and thebutton.

The Discounts Setup screen gives the Wholesaler the ability to quickly set discounts for all theproducts in the Electrika database and save a unique file for every customer.

To e-mail the Discounts File the Wholesaler must click the attachment button from their e-mail(usually paper-clip icon) and browse to the folder to locate and attach thediscounts file.

The folder is usually either under or under .

When the customer receives the discounts file as an e-mail attachment it should be copied into thefolder:

The customer selects the tab and ticks the box for . The drop-down listnext to the tick box can then be used to select and open the new discounts file.

In this way customers can quickly swap between their own discounts setup (by un-ticking thebox) or any number of external discount files.

Tools DiscountsDiscounts Setup for Wholesalers

Electrika\Discount Files

Electrika My Documents Program Files

Electrika\Discount Files

Catalogues Use Ext Disc

UseExt Disc

Step 1 The Wholesaler sets the discounts

Step 2 Wholesaler e-mails file to Customer

Step 3 Customer gets Discounts File

Step 4 Customer ticks Use Ext Disc option

Setting Up Install Times

For some items you may wish to enter a whole set of install options to show the different install times forthe different conditions in which the item is being installed e.g. on brick, wood, plaster etc. Electrika allowsyou to enter up to 5 of your own install times for every item.

Using the arrow keys highlight the item for which you wish to set up install options and click on thebutton. The first two entries are reserved and cannot be edited.

Clock

When you click hereyour set-up will be

stored and the defaulttime will appear nexttime you use the item

Step 4Repeat steps1-3 for rows 2-5 to create the

other installoptions.

Step 1Type in a heading orchoose one from the

drop down list.

Step 3

MinutesHours

Position the highlightunder the or

column and enterthe time it takes to install

each unit of the item.

Step 5Choose how you wish

to apply the Install Timeby selecting one of theoptions and then click

the Apply button

Step 2Type in a heading orchoose one from the

drop down list.

To select items one at a time hold down the Control key and click an item

To select a group of items select one first, then hold down the shift key and clickanother

To select all items click the top left hand corner of the grid

Summary Of Keys For Selecting Items

Creating Your OwnLocal Database

The Local Database is very useful for adding yourspecials and other items that may not be available inthe Manufacturer catalogues provided on the DVD.The data is stored locally on your hard disk and is notaffected when an updated DVD is issued.

Use the and buttons to movean item within the Local Database.

You can find your way around the Local Database byclicking on the

Click on the and click on the Main orSub Index heading you wish to change and type over.

Click on the button, type in the CatalogueNumber you wish to search for and click

Supplier discounts are assigned by clicking on theDiscounts button in the same way as they are in theManufacturers Catalogues, according to .

Installation times are assigned by clicking on the UnitHrs button, in the same way as they are in theManufacturers Catalogues.

- See next page for full guide.

Re-positioning items in the Local DatabaseUp Arrow Down Arrow

Browsing the Local Database Index

Index Button.

Changing Main and Sub Index headingsIndex Button

Catalogue Number SearchBinoculars

OK

Setting up Supplier Discounts

%Cat Number

Setting up Installation times

Import data from Excel

To export your localdatabase select an exportformat here and click the

Export button.

To delete the marked itemsclick here. If no items aremarked the highlighted

item will be deleted

Click here to copy themarked items

To paste the itemswhich have been either

cut or copied from asection click here

To insert a blank item intoyour database click here.

To make an exact copy ofan existing item click here.

Click here to rebuild the Index & Headingstructure of the Local Database.

Adding new parts and Main & Sub Index sections

To add a new item you can either click the +Blank button to add to an existingsection or click the Index button and create a new main and sub index.To add a new main index click the Insert Main Index button, a new main & subindex will appear in the highlighted location. The headings can be typed overand re-positioned anywhere in the column by using the Up & Down Arrowkeys. To delete a heading click the Delete button.

To cut the marked itemsclick here. You can insertinto the current sectionor into another section

Click here to into your LocalDatabase. Put the column headings on the first row and

arrange the columns in the order: Manufacturer, CatNumber, Description, Unit, Trade Price.

import an Excel file

Creating your Local Database,Importing & Exporting

Click here to open anexisting

which will display thestandard Open Dialogue

window

Local Database

Click here to save thecurrent Local Database

Click here to save thecurrentwith a different name

Local Database

To print the activeclick here

LocalDatabase

Click here to create a newblank Local Database

To export your LocalDatabase select an exportformat here and click the

Export button.

2

1 3Prepare your Excel file ready to import

must

Make sure the first line contains the column headings.

The columns be arranged in the following order:

Manuf, Cat Number, Description, Unit and Trade Price.

Importing Excel data into Electrika

Run Electrika and click the ‘Local Data’ tab at the

top & click the ‘Import Excel’ button

Copy your Excel file into your ‘My Documents’ folder

4Highlight your file. You

should see a preview in

the lower window. Check

that each column is

displayed in the correct

place. If the layout is OK

click the ‘Import all items’

button.


To export to Excel you must export the fileas SYLK format. These files end with .SLKand can be opened by Excel. After openingthe file in Excel click ‘Save’ and select ‘No’when prompted ‘do you wish to retain theoriginal file format’. The file will then besaved as standard Excel format (.XLS).

Creating a new KitTo create a new blank Kit click on the button. You can add items from a to a Kit in exactly the same wayas you would build up a quotation section. You can even save a quotation section as a Kit - see

for more information.

New CatalogueDividing A Quotation

Into Sections

A Kit consists of items that you wish to group together, and can even consist of a complete project which represents atypical installation. There is no limit to the number of Kits you can create or the number of items you can add to a Kit.

The , and of each item is stored in the Kit. When you come to putting theKit into a quotation section each item is located from the and the relevant price, install time and supplierdiscount are searched for and assigned. The latest price, discount and install time are therefore used regardless ofwhen the Kit was created

Catalogue Number Description QuantityCatalogues

Creating Kits

To create a new blankKit click here

To open an old Kitclick here

To save the currentKit with a differentname click here

To save the current kitclick here

To locate thehighlighted item within

the manufacture’scatalogue click here

To print the currentKit click here

If you know the Catalogue Numberof an item you can create a new

blank entry at the end of the list andtype the catalogue number in hereand it will automatically be found

Click here to display theCatalogue Number

Search window

To add an item from acatalogue click here.

Click here to search foran item using Key

Words

Creating, Saving, Opening & Printing Quotes

The buttons of the Main Toolbar at the top of the screen are described below.

To print the active quoteor to export as a PDF

File click here

Click here to open anexisting Quotation whichwill display the standardOpen Dialogue window

Click here to save thecurrent Quotation

Click here to save thecurrent Quotation with a

different name

Click here to create anew blank Quotation

Click here to view yourquotes in the Quotation

Manager

Exporting Quotation Data

To export a quotation: click the Quoting tab, open a quote file and click the Analysis tab. Youwill see the Export buttons on the right hand side of the toolbar.

Select an export format.

Available options are:

HTML, SYLK(Excel), CSV or Text

Click the Export button

Select where to save the file.

The default location for exported

files is ‘\Electrika\Exported Files’

After the file is exported you

are asked if you would like to

open the file. This will launch

the default program for each

file type e.g. Internet Explorer

for HTML, Excel for SYLK


To export to Excel you must export the file

as SYLK format. These files end with .SLK

and can be opened by Excel. After opening

the file in Excel click ‘Save’ and select ‘No’

when prompted ‘do you wish to retain the

original file format’. The file will then be

saved as standard Excel format (.XLS).

21

3

Quotation Manager

The Quotation Manager tab displays details of all the quotesin the quotes folder and lets you sort them by Date,Estimator, Customer etc.

You can preview the differentsections from a quote before youopen it by selecting from the tabs

above.

To delete a quote(send it to the recycle

bin) click hereTo change the location of the

quotes folder click here

To open the highlighted quote click hereor double-click one of the files

Click here to reset the quotes folder tothe Electrika default folder

You can sort the columnalphabetically by clicking the

title at the top

This is usually the first step in every quotation. Fill in general project and client details. Use the text box at the bottom of the screen towrite useful notes. A built-in database is included for storing all your customers details.

Entering Project Details

The notes box can be used to enter any details aboutthe project. As you enter more text the notes window

scrolls to allow you to type in more information

The andare entered for you and cannot be

edited

£ Tender Date Created

Click here to access theCustomer List

Clicking on the arrows of theand entries a

useful calendar will pop up fromwhich you can select a date

DateReceived Date Due

The has a choice ofoptions which can be selected by

clicking here

Status

Click here to access your SitesList

Click here to create/view the list ofcustomers the quote will be sent

to.

Click here to add the detailsshown to the Customer

Database

Creating Your OwnCustomer Database

You can add all your customer to the built-in database,allowing you to instantly enter their details into a quote.

You can delete acustomer by clicking here

You can add a newentry by clicking here

To build up a multiple listof customers to

click here.send

your Quote to

The notes box can beused to enter any detailsabout your customer. Asyou enter more text thenotes window scrolls to

allow you to type inmore information

The andare shown here

Customer NameContact

To search through your customerlist type the company name here

Click here to repair the listif it seems to be corrupt

To import or export a customer list fromExcel click here. This will take you to

the screen shown below

To import all the contactsfrom the selected

customer list click here

Click here to import onlythe highlighted contacts

from the selectedcustomer list

Click here to choose theExcel file to import from

Creating Your OwnSite Details Database

You can add all your Site details to the built-in database, allowingyou to instantly enter their details into a quote.

You can delete a site byclicking here

You can add a newentry by clicking here

To copy the selected siteto your quote click here.

The notes box can beused to enter any details

about your site list. Asyou enter more text thenotes window scrolls to

allow you to type inmore information

The andare shown here

Site NameContact

To search through your site listtype the site name here

Click here to repair the listif it seems to be corrupt

To import or export a site list fromExcel click here. This will take you to

the screen shown below

To import all the sitesfrom the selected site list

click here

Click here to import onlythe highlighted sites from

the selected site list

Click here to choose theExcel file to import from

You can define up to 26 labour rates labelled A to Z. Each labour rate can have a description under thecolumn, and you can specify the rate under the column.

When you initially run Electrika you will see that the first labour rates A to F have been defined for you asexamples. You can change a labour rate at any time during a quotation and Electrika will automatically updateall items with the new rate and re-do all calculations.

When you define the labour rates that you use most often click the button to save them asElectrika defaults. If you change the labour rates but do not save them as Electrika defaults they will only beused for that quotation.

Note: the is allocated evenly across all the items in the column inunder . Any change to this value therefore affects the and

values of all the items in the quotation.

LabourType £/Hour

Save As Default

Main Contractors Discount Oth£/UnitAnalysis Schedule of Rates Unit Sell Total Sell

Setting YourRates

Theis defined as a

percentage of theprice, which

is automatically re-calculated

Main ContractorsDiscount

Tender Sell

You can decide whetherto display quantities as

whole numbers or to twodecimal places

When you define thesettings that you use

most often click here tosave them as Electrika

defaults

You can define up to 26labour rates labelled A to

Z

You can specify the rateunder the column£/Hour

Adding SpecialsCreating Sections &

Insert items or sectionsfrom a previous quote

used for quantities less than, for quantities

between and , andfor quantities greater than

If you selectthen the lowest price will be usedout of , and

regardless of quantity

Qty2 Trade2Qty2 Qty3

Trade3Qty3. Lowest Price

Trade1 Trade2Trade3

If you select

then will be

PriceBased On Quantity

Trade1

To add a Special item with yourown description and price click here

The order of items in the quotationsection can be changed by clickingon the Up and Down arrow buttons

Click here to add the highlighteditem to your local database

You can copy a supplier discount%or supplier name to all items in aquotation section by clicking the

Copy% button

To search the manufacturercatalogues using Key Words

click here

Click here to check tradeprices against the latestmanufacturers & local

database.

Click either the sectionname or down arrow todisplay the

windowQuotat on

Sectionsi

Click the buttonto display a list of all Kit

files

Insert Kit

To pick items from themanufacturer catalogue

click here

To pick items from yourlocal database click here

Click here to display the

windowCatalogue Number

Search

To locate the highlighteditem within the

manufacture’s catalogueclick here

Dividing a quote into sections

Quotation Sections

Typing in the catalogue number of an item directly

Other ways to add items to a quotation

A quotation is normally divided into sections (Main Distribution, Lighting, Heating, Testing etc). The name of the active quotationsection is displayed on the top left corner. When you start a new quotation a blank section is created for your called ‘UntitledQuotation Section’. Click either on the quotation name or on the down arrow next to it to display the window(see next page for details) where you can add more sections or change the name of a section.

From the Catalogues tab by double-clicking on an item or clicking the +Q buttonFrom the Catalogue Number Search window (displayed by clicking the binoculars button)From KitsFrom other Quotations by clicking the Insert Quo button

If you know the Catalogue Number of an item you can type it in and Electrika will automatically do a search for you. First add ablank item to the quotation section by going to the last entry in the quotation section and pressing

. Type in a Catalogue Number in the column. The Manufacturers and Local Database will be searchedand if an exact match is found the item is copied into the quotation and you are taken to the column. If an exact match is notfound you are taken to the window where Electrika has located the nearest match.

You can add Specials by clicking the Specials button on the toolbar or by typing S under the S column of a new blank item. Whenan items is a Special you can change all the columns of the item. You can also edit the details of an item that has been brought infrom a manufacturers Catalogue by typing S under the S column to make it into a special. Labels or headings can also be addedas specials.

<Down Arrow> on yourkeyboard Cat Number

QtyCatalogue Number Search

Adding your own specials

Click thebutton to insert parts from

an Excel file

Insert Excel

Cut, Copy & Paste

To select items one at a time hold down the Control key and click an item

To select a group of items select one first, then hold down the shift key and click another item

To select all items click the top left hand corner of the grid

To unselect all items click anywhere on the grid without pressing Control or Shift

Summary Of Keys For Selecting Items

To delete the marked itemsclick here. If no items are

marked the highlighted itemwill be deleted

To cut the marked itemsclick here. You can insertinto the current section or

into another section

Click here to copy themarked items

To paste the items whichhave been either cut orcopied from a section

click here


Insert Excel feature - you can create a list of part numbers and quantities in Excel. You can choose whether tomatch up the latest descriptions and prices from the Electrika database or import all parts as Specials exactly as theyappear in the spreadsheet.

This feature is useful for creating parts lists in Excel that are priced up in Electrika, or for importing a bill of materialsfrom another application.

Choose betweenmatching the parts in

the Electrika databaseor importing all theitems as specials

Click here to insert onlyhighlighted items from

your Excel file

Select the Excel file list youwish to import from here

Click here to insert allthe items from your

Excel file

To search through your part listtype the catalogue number here

Dividing a quote into sections

Quotation Sections

From here you can also create Kits from the sections or add sections to an Order

Hint: Start each section name with a 3 digit number eg 001, 002, 003 etc. This will allow you to re-positionthe sections by changing the prefix.

A quotation is normally divided into sections (Main Distribution, Lighting, Heating, Testing etc). The name of theactive quotation section is displayed on the top left corner. When you start a new quotation a blank section iscreated for your called ‘Untitled Quotation Section’. Click either on the quotation name or on the down arrow nextto it to display the window where you can add more sections or change the name of asection.

Quotation Sections List

Click here to save a section as a Kit,allowing you to import it into other

sections

Click here to copy the section you arecurrently highlighting

To insert a new blank section click here

Insert Parts of Another QuoteInto Your Current Quote

Step 1Select the quote you wish to

insert from

Step 2Select whether to insert highlighted sectionor all the sections.

1

2

3

4

5

6

Material CostThe lower window shows thematerial build-up automaticallysectioned according to the ProductGroup (Main Index) that each itembelongs to.each item belongs to.

1

Labour CostThe lower window shows the number of hours and costfor each labour type. You can alter the text and adjustthe £/Hour for each labour type. Changes made herewill also be shown when the Labour Tab is selected. Allprices will automatically be re-calculate and all theitems in your quotation which use an adjusted rate willbe updated2

3

ExtrasExtras can be added and removed in exactly the sameway as the Preliminaries4

Tender SellThe lower window shows a totals summary, with eachtotal shown both as a percentage of sell and as apercentage of cost.5

Provisional Sums

Provisional SumsTender Sell

These can be added and removed in exactly the sameway as the Preliminaries. The totalis shown separate to the price6

The costing screen is split into two windows. The upper window always displays the price build-up, and the lowerwindow changes according to which item is highlighted in the upper window as follows:

Costing

Preliminaries

<Del><Down Arrow>

Qty Unit £ Total £

Save As Default

You can remove items from the default list by pressingor add your own items by going to the last entry

and pressing . There is no limit to thenumber of entries. For each entry you can type in the

and , and is automatically calculated.The totals in the upper window are also re-calculated.You can click on the button to savethe settings as Electrika defaults (only the text will besaved with a default quantity of 1)

This window alwaysdisplays the price build-up

This window changesaccording to which item ishighlighted in the upper

window

The Main ContractorsDiscount can be changed

under under the settings tab

This powerful feature brings together all the items from all the quotation sections into just one list, withheadings automatically inserted.

Analysis -Creating A Schedule Of Rates

Important information about the price calculations1. The Tender Sell price under may differ slightly from that under and on the Sell Summary printouts. This can be due to 2 reasons:

(a) Prelims, Extras and MCD are spread equally across all the items and the difference may occur due to the adding together of individual values which have been rounded offto 2 decimal places.

(b) If decimal quantities are used. This is due to rounding off which occurs when the is multiplied by the .

If Prelims, Extras and MCD are all zero and the quantities used are all integers there will always be an exact match between the selling price under Costing that underAnalysis and on the Sell Summary printouts.

2. On the selection under the multiplied by may not be exactly equal to what is under the column. This is because the totallabour cost is calculated by adding together the labour cost calculated for each individual item and rounded off to 2 decimal places.

3. Changing the quantity in analysis can bring about a slight change to the selling price of all the items. This is because Prelims, Extras and MCD are spread equally across allthe items in the Oth£ Unit column, which gets re-calculated every time the quantity changes. If Prelims, Extras and MCD are all zero then changing the quantity will onlychange the selling price of the highlighted item, and will have no effect on the other items.

4. Maximum limits have been assigned to many of the column entries to reduce the risk of calculation overflow, which should never occur under normal use. However, ifcalculation overflow does occur you are advised to double check all calculations.

Costing Analysis

Quantity Unit Rate

Labour Cost Costing £/Hour Total Hrs Cost £

Click here to select one of theavailable sort options:

. This is the column,which represents the source of theitem. A indicates that the itemcame from a Catalogue, anmeans it came from the LocalDatabase and an means it wastyped in as a special.

1. Quotation Section2. Source S

CL

S

3. Catalogue Number

When this button is clicked thecolumns relevant to the sellprice build-up are displayed.The only adjustable columnsare ,

,,

and

Material Overhead %Material Profit % Labour

Overhead % Labour Profit% Quantity

When the buttonis clicked the columns relevant tothe cost build-up are displayed(which are the same as those

shown under the Quotation Tab).This is for viewing purposes only,therefore none of these columns

can be edited

Cost Summary

Click here to view only section namesand sub-totals

Click here to assign the highlightedmargin to a group of items

Printing

Sell Summary

Step 3Choose what to printhere. For each option

you can choose a buttonfor printing, previewingor exporting as a PDF

document

Step 1Click here to edit the sell

summary heading. Click the‘Save As Default’ button if

you want it to be the defaultheading for all your quotes.

Step 2Choose if you want a Header,Footer or Cover Page. Thesecan be created through the

Header/Footer & Cover pagetabs. You can also choose the

sort order for the items.

You can also specify whetheryou want to print the cover page

and / or the Project Details

Design Header / Footer

Step 2Edit your company detailshere. Your office addressand contact details arestored as a file, so you

can store as manydifferent versions as you

Step 3Your Footer text can be

edited here

You can use the Editor tochange font type, size,

Step 1Insert Your company

logo here by clicking theopen logo file buttonand selecting your

Printing

Design Cover Page


colour or modify paragraphs

Step 3You can edit the main

body of the cover pagehere. You can also openold text files or save the

current one by clicking theappropriate buttonStep 4

Print or preview the coverpage by clicking one of

these buttons

Step 2Select if you want to include

the header & footer

Step 1Click here to edit the cover page heading.

Printing

Cost Summary

Step 3Choose between printing

or previewing anabbreviated or a fulllayout of your cost

summary

Step 2Choose between the

different sort options ofthe cost summary here

Step 1Edit the heading for the cost

summary page by typinghere. Click the ‘Save As

Default’ button if you want itto be the default heading for

all your quotes.

Printing

Costing

Print / preview the projectinformation or create a

PDF file from here

Print or preview thevarious options for the

costing page here

Printing

Setup

Print in monochrome orcolour by choosing

between these options

Adjust the printmargins for the

cost/sell summary

Printing

This is usually the first step in every order. Fill in general Supplier and Delivery details. Use the text box at thebottom of the screen to write useful notes. Built-in databases store all your details regarding suppliers,customers and sites.

Entering Ordering Details

The notes box can be used to enter anydetails about the order. As you enter more

text the notes window scrolls to allow you totype in more information

Click here to add thedetails shown to the

Suppliers list

Click here to access thelistCustomers

Click here to access thelistSites

Click here to add thedetails shown to the

Customers or Sites list

Clicking on the arrows ofthe and

entries and usefulcalendar will pop up fromwhich you can select a

date

Order DatePayment Due Date

Creating An Order

Typing in the catalogue number of an item directly

Adding your own specials

Other ways to add items to an order

If you know the Catalogue Number of an item you can type it in and Electrika will automatically do asearch for you. First add a blank item to the order by going to the last entry and pressing the <DownArrow> key on your keyboard. Type in a Catalogue Number in the Cat Number column. TheManufacturers and Local Database will be searched and if an exact match is found the item is copied intothe order and you are taken to the Qty column. If an exact match is not found you are taken to theCatalogue Number Search window where Electrika has located the nearest match.

You can add your own Specials by typing S under the S column of a new blank item, allowing you tochange all the columns of the item. You can also edit the details of an item that has been brought in froma manufacturers Catalogue by typing S under the S column to make it into a special. Labels or headingscan also be added as specials.

From an existing quote (see next page for full details)

Click the Catalogues button to bring up the Catalogues Browse window. You can add an item to an orderby double-clicking on an item or clicking the +Ord button

From the Catalogue Number Search window (displayed by clicking the binoculars button)

From Kits

Click the Local Data button to bring up the Local Database Browse window. You can add an item to anorder by double-clicking on an item or clicking the +Ord button

Click here to check trade pricesagainst the latest manufacturers

& local database.Items not found and not updated

are shown with a greybackground.

The total value of yourorder (Excl Carriage &Vat) is displayed here

Click here to insert apast kit in to your order

To open the manufacturercatalogue window click here

To open the Local Databasewindow click here

To search for a cataloguenumber click here

Click here to inserta past quote in to

your order

To increase thenumber of places to

move the item inyour order click here

To export your Order selectan export format here and

click the Export button.

To move items upand down click

here.

To add thehighlighted iteminto your local

database click here

Click thebutton to

insert parts froman Excel file

InsertExcel

Inserting An Electrika Quote

A previous Quote can be inserted into your order by clicking on the button

Into An Order

To view items by ProductGroup click here

To view items by Supplierclick here

You can enter items onlyfrom a specific Manufacturer

by clicking here.

To view all the items inyour quote click here.

You can double-click onany item to insert into

you order.

Click here to insert asection from the selected

quote into your order

Step 2Select whether to insert highlightedsection or all the sections.

Step 1Select the quote youwish to insert from

Choose betweenmatching the parts in

the Electrika databaseor importing all theitems as specials

Click here to insert onlyhighlighted items from

your Excel file

Select the Excel file list youwish to import from here

Click here to insert allthe items from your

Excel file

To search through your part listtype the catalogue number here

Insert Excel feature - you can create a list of part numbers and quantities in Excel. You can choose whether tomatch up the latest descriptions and prices from the Electrika database or import all parts as Specials exactly as theyappear in the spreadsheet.

This feature is useful for creating parts lists in Excel that are priced up in Electrika, or for importing a bill of materialsfrom another application.


Print / PDF OptionsFor Orders

Step 1Click here to edit the Order

Step 2Choose if you want a Header,

Footer or Cover Page. These canbe created through the

Header/Footer & Cover page tabs.

You can also choose whether todisplay the carriage and Vat, and to

enter a value for carriage

Step 3Choose how to view your

order here. You can choosebetween printing, previewingor to export as an acrobat file.

Acrobat Reader V6 or later allowsyou to e-mail the PDF order files

you have created using the optionsabove. Click here if you wish to

download the latest version

If you want to print on letterheaded paper make sure the

Include header option is un-tickedand adjust your margins here

Print Options

Design Header / Footer

Step 2Edit your company detailshere. Your office addressand contact details are

stored as a file, so you canstore as many different

versions as you wish, andeasily switch between them.

Step 1Insert Your company

logo here by clicking theopen logo file button and

selecting your image.

Step 3Your Footer text can be

edited here


colour or modify paragraphs

Print Options

Cover Page

You can use the Editor to changefont type, size, colour or modify

paragraphs

Step 3You can edit the main body ofthe cover page here. You canalso open old text files or savethe current one by clicking the

appropriate button

Step 4Print or preview the cover pageby clicking one of these buttons

Step 2Select if you want to include

the header & footer

Step 1Click here to edit the cover page heading.

Job Costing

Click here to open anexisting Job File which

will display the standardOpen Dialogue window Click here to save the

current Job file

To export the activeJob file click here

Use the buttons on thistoolbar to search formaterial to add to the

Job

To insert items or wholesections from previous

quotes click here

To add a new entry lineinto your Job click here.

Click here to create a newblank Job file

To filter the selectedfield click here To remove the filter from

your Job click here