Managing Components

Required Permission

Estimate Database - You must have the Estimate Database permission to access this setting.

Components are individual items in your estimating database - materials, labor, subcontractors, and equipment.

Accessing Components

1. Go to Settings > Estimates
2. Click Components
3. View, search, and manage your component library

Component Types

Type	Description	Examples
Material	Physical products and materials	Cabinets, flooring, fixtures
Labor	In-house labor costs	Installation labor, finishing
Subcontractor	External contractor work	Plumbing, electrical, HVAC
Equipment	Tools and equipment	Rental equipment, machinery

Adding a Component

1. Click Add Component
2. Fill in the required fields:
   • Name - Item description
   • Type - Material, Labor, Subcontractor, or Equipment
   • Cost - Your cost for this item
   • Price - Sell price (or use markup)
   • Unit - Unit of measure (each, sq ft, linear ft, etc.)
3. Configure optional settings (see below)
4. Click Save

Component Fields

Basic Information

Field	Description
Name	Primary item name
Size	Size variant (e.g., 36", Large)
Color	Color variant
Options	Additional variant info
Description	Detailed description
Item Number	Internal SKU or part number

Pricing

Field	Description
Cost	Your cost
Price	Sell price
Markup	Percentage markup over cost
Tax	Apply sales tax
Unit	Unit of measure

Markup vs Price

Set either a fixed Price or a Markup percentage. Markup automatically calculates price from cost.

Categorization

Field	Description
Category	Component category for filtering
Cost Code	Links to your cost code structure
Manufacturer	Product manufacturer

Estimate Behavior

Field	Description
Allowance	Default allowance amount for selections
Selection Required	Customer must make a selection
Field Measurement	Requires field measurement before finalizing
PO Required	Purchase order needed before ordering
Work Scope	Default installation/demolition scope text

Editing Components

1. Find the component in the list
2. Click to open
3. Make changes
4. Click Save

caution

Editing a component updates the master record. Existing estimates using this component are not affected - they retain their original values.

Duplicating Components

Create variations quickly:

1. Open an existing component
2. Click Duplicate
3. Modify the copy (name, size, color, etc.)
4. Save as new component

Deleting Components

1. Select the component
2. Click Delete
3. Confirm deletion

warning

Components used in assemblies cannot be deleted. Remove them from assemblies first.

Option Groups

Option groups let you define interchangeable variants of a component.

What Are Option Groups?

When estimating, users may need to choose between similar items:

• Different cabinet door styles at different price points
• Standard vs premium flooring options
• Various fixture finishes

Option groups link these variants so estimators can easily swap between them.

Creating an Option Group

1. Select multiple related components
2. Click Create Option Group
3. Name the group
4. Set the display order
5. Save

Managing Option Groups

• Add more components to existing groups
• Remove components from groups
• Reorder options within a group
• Delete empty groups

Using Option Groups in Estimates

When adding a component that belongs to an option group:

• The default option is added
• Users can click to swap to another option in the group
• Pricing updates automatically

Filtering Components

Use filters to find specific items:

• Type - Material, Labor, Subcontractor, Equipment
• Category - Component category
• Search - Name, description, item number

Bulk Operations

Bulk Pricing Updates

1. Go to Components > Pricing
2. Filter to target components
3. Apply percentage increase/decrease
4. Review changes
5. Confirm update

Importing Components

Import components from a CSV file to quickly add or update multiple items at once.

How to Import

1. Navigate to Settings > Estimates > Components
2. Click the Import button
3. Optionally click Download Template to get a pre-formatted CSV
4. Upload your CSV file
5. Wait for the email notification with import results

Background Processing

Imports are processed in the background. You'll receive an email when the import completes with a summary of results.

Download Template

Before importing, download the CSV template:

1. Click Import to open the import dialog
2. Click Download Template
3. Open the template in your spreadsheet application

The template includes all available fields with an example row showing the expected format.

CSV Template Fields

Field	Description	Required
name	Component name	Yes
description	Detailed description	No
component_type	Material, Labor, Subcontractor, or Equipment	Yes
subcontractor_type	Type for subcontractor components	No
component_category	Category name	No
action	Component action/scope	No
workscope	Work scope text	No
price	Sell price	No
unit	Unit of measure	No
markup %	Markup percentage	No
tax rate	Tax rate	No
cost code	Cost code reference	No
size	Size variant	No
color	Color variant	No
option name	Option group name	No
allowance	Allowance amount	No
field_measurement_required	Yes or No	No
po_required	Yes or No	No
selection_required	Yes or No	No
component_notes	Notes	No

Import Behavior

• New components: Created when the name doesn't match an existing component
• Existing components: Updated when the name matches an existing component
• Processing: Runs in the background so you can continue working
• Notification: Email sent when import completes

Import Results

After the import completes, you'll receive an email with:

• Total rows - Number of rows processed
• Imported - New components created
• Updated - Existing components modified
• Failed - Rows that couldn't be processed

If any rows failed, the email includes details about what went wrong for each failed row.

Component Usage

Viewing Where Components Are Used

1. Open a component
2. Click Used In
3. See all assemblies containing this component

This helps before:

• Deleting a component
• Making significant changes
• Understanding impact of price updates

Tips for Component Management

Naming Conventions

Use consistent naming for easy searching:

• [Category] - [Product] - [Size] - [Color]
• Example: "Cabinets - Wall Cabinet - 36" - White"

Pricing Strategy

• Update costs when vendor prices change
• Review markup percentages quarterly
• Use cost codes for accurate job costing

Organization

• Create logical categories
• Use item numbers for vendor ordering
• Link to cost codes for reporting

Related

• Managing Assemblies - Group components into packages
• Cost Codes - Organize your database
• Cost Codes in Estimates - How cost codes work in estimating
• Detailed Estimating - Using Detailed Estimating mode