User Guide

Copyright 2010 Electrika Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Electrika Ltd, P.O Box 129, Manchester M22 4XG Tel: 0161 945 5124 Fax: 0161 945 3681 E-mail: info@electrika.com Website: www.electrika.com

Contents List
Intro
Cover Welcome To Electrika Running From Your Hard Disk Running From A Network Transferring To Another PC

Quoting
Creating, Saving, Opening Exporting Quotation Data Quotation Manager Entering Project Details Creating Your Own Customer List Site Details Database Setting Your Rates Creating Sections & Specials Cut, Copy & Paste Insert parts from Excel Quotation Sections List Inserting Past Quotes Costing Analysis Printing - Sell Summary Printing - Design Header & Footer Printing - Design Cover Page
Printing - Cost Summary

Tools
Using External Discount Files Set External Discounts Using Headings Set External Discounts Using Groups Applications Making Backups Quote Repair General Options

Catalogues
Browsing 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

Printing - Costing Printing - Setup

Ordering
Entering Ordering Details Creating An Order Inserting A Quote Into An Order Insert Excel Order Print Options Printing - Header & Footer Printing - Cover Page

Local Database
Local Database Creating, Importing & Exporting

Job Costing
Job Costing

Create Kits
Create Kits

Welcome! The Electrika DVD contains what all users of electrical and mechanical products have always wanted! Powerful but easy to use estimating, ordering and job costing software... computerised catalogues from leading manufactures... and all for FREE courtesy of the manufactures. To improve this service even more we need your active involvement. Please tell us what new features or improvements you would like to see in the software and which other manufacture catalogues you would like to see on the service.

Buttons instead of menus! We have made Electrika as intuitive and easy to use as possible by providing a Tab structure that allows you to quickly switch between any part of the program. This design also gives you full visibility of all Electrika's features via the buttons - nothing is hidden away. Help text is shown for each button when the mouse pointer is passed over it.
The Benefits Of Using Electrika
Standardised Quotation Procedures All you staff will produce high quality quotations, and new staff can quickly familiarise themselves with a standard approach to estimating Fast access to past contracts If a new contract is similar to an old one, then the old one can be recalled from disk and modified to produce a new quotation very quickly

Easy access to pricing and catalogue information for 1000s of products Using Electrikas computerised catalogues from leading manufactures

Faster quotations Information about all the material is stored in Electrikas databases, and the computer does all the calculations, so quotations are produced in a much faster

More accurate quotations By using pre-defined labour rates, and the pricing information contained in the databases, every quotation accurately specifies material and labour costs.

Collection of important contract data Clarifying all information with the client early on in the contract cycle reduces misunderstandings and verifies contractual obligations

Experimentation with different configurations Electrika 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.

Running Electrika From Your Hard Disk

After installing Electrika, take the DVD out of the drive and reinsert it. This will bring up the option of copying the DVD to the hard disk. The desktop shortcut will also be changed to run Electrika from the hard disk without the need for the DVD to be in the drive. When a new DVD is issued you will be prompted to update the folder on the hard disk.

Running From A Network

A. Setup Electrika on the Server 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 on the Server e.g. 'Shared Documents' folder. A folder called 'Electrika' will be created for all your settings 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 will bring up the option of copying the DVD to the hard disk. Select a shareable part of the server as the default 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. 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 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 the ElectrikaCD 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 'My Network Places' and locate the Server PC. Select the location of the Electrika folder on the server that you chose in Step A2. (Please note: select the location of the Electrika folder, not the Electrika folder 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). 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. Method 2 - If you want users to share only the Manufacturers Database 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 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. The default location for the local Electrika folder is set to My Documents. If you want to use the default location move on to Step 3. If you want to choose a different location click 'Browse' and select 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' you need to select 'My Documents' and the 'Electrika' part will be added for you). 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.

Transferring Your Files To Another PC And Making Backups

Transferring Your Files To Another PC & Making Backups To Backup or Transfer your Quotes, Kits, Local Databases and Job Costing files These can be backed up by backing up the folders shown below. To transfer them to another PC just copy the files from 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\Quotes My Documents\Electrika\Kits My Documents\Electrika\Local Databases My Documents\Electrika\Job Costing Electrika will automatically select the last folder you used for Quotes and Kits, thereby allowing you to choose your own default folders for these files, which may not correspond with the above. To Backup or Transfer your Customer List, Supplier Discounts & Install Times, Suppliers List and Default Labour Rates and Markups 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 top 2. 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 PC 3. On the destination PC click the Restore button and locate the backups on the USB drive.

Using External Discount Files

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 also set the discounts they give to customers and e-mail the discounts file to a customer.

Why use External Discount Files? A Wholesaler can quickly set up discounts for a customer and e-mail them a Discounts File. An Electrical Contractor can open this file under the Catalogues tab and instantly use the discounts in their quotations, orders and jobs. This feature will save a great deal of time for both Wholesalers and Electrical Contractors!

Using Discount Files In 4 Easy Steps Step 1 The Wholesaler sets the discounts The Wholesaler must run Electrika and click the Tools tab, then the Discounts tab. You can then choose whether to setup the Discounts using the Main and Sub Index headings or to use discount groups provided 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 in the Electrika database and save a unique file for every customer. Step 2 Wholesaler e-mails file to 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 Electrika\Discount Files or Electrika\Discount Files Groups folder to locate and attach a discounts file. The Electrika folder is usually either under My Documents or under Program Files. Step 3 Customer gets Discounts File When the customer receives the discounts file as an e-mail attachment it should be copied into the folder Electrika\Discount Files if it is a .dis file or Electrika\Discount Files Groups if it is a .dgr file. Step 4 Customer ticks Use Ext Disc option The customer selects the Catalogues tab and ticks the box for Use Ext Disc. The Open buttons next to the 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 the Use Ext Disc box) or any number of external discount files.

Setting Up External Discounts Using Main & Sub Index Headings

To display the Discounts Setup Screen: Click the Tools tab, then the Discounts tab and the Setup Discounts Using Main & Sub Index Headings button.

Step 1 Browse the Electrika database to find the items you would like to assign discounts to. You can select a Manufacturer, Main Index and Sub Index, or search for a catalogue number

Step 4 Repeat steps 1-3 until you have assigned discounts for all the manufacturers products. Click the Save button to save the discount structure under a particular file name. You can then e-mail the discounts file to a customer.

Step 2 Select which group of items to apply the discounts. You can apply the discounts to whole groups of items at a time or to individual catalogue numbers.

Please note: When you save the discounts to a file only your Sell Discounts are saved. Your Buy discounts are never saved in the external discount files. They are only saved on your PC and only you can see them.

Step 3 Decide if you want to apply a Buy or Sell Discount, type in the discount and click an Apply button. Note: Discounts are assigned by Catalogue Number, so all items with the same Catalogue Number will have the same discount, even if they are in a different group to that selected in Step 2.

Setting Up External Discounts Using Manufacturer Discount Groups

To display the Discounts Setup Screen: Click the Tools tab, then the Discounts tab and the Setup Discounts Using Manufacturer Discount Groups button.

Step 1 Select a Manufacturer you would like to setup the discounts for.

Step 3 Repeat steps 1-2 until you have assigned discounts for all the manufacturers products. Click the Save button to save the discount structure under a particular file name. You can then e-mail the discounts file to a customer. Step 2 Type in the Buy or Sell discount for each group of

Please note: When you save the discounts to a file only your Sell Discounts are saved. Your Buy discounts are never saved in the external discount files. They are only saved on your PC and only you can see them.

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

Making Backups

You can make backups of your data by selecting one of the options and clicking Backup. You can also restore your data by selecting one of the options and clicking Restore.

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

General Options

In the Electrika programme certain columns can be repositioned. Click here to reset back to the default settings.

Browsing A Catalogue
Selecting a manufacturer Click on the manufacturer name or the button next to it to view the manufacturer selection window. Manufacturer Catalogue layout Where applicable up to three Trade prices may be shown. Trade1 is for quantities less than Qty2, Trade2 for quantities between Qty2 and Qty3, and Trade3 for quantities greater than Qty3. For items without a split-pack price only one Trade price is shown. The Unit Hrs column shows a default install time for each item (not always provided), and the Status column shows a D for discontinued items, which are displayed in purple. See below for a full description of all the buttons available

View the manufacturer selection window

View the Main & Sub Index headings of the manufacturer currently selected

View the PDF documents available for the current manufacturer

Search the database using Key Words

Search the database for a Catalogue Number

Switch between showing the data only or data and product images / PDF links. Allow you to set install times for any group of items Allow you to set supplier discounts for any group of items

View the current manufacturers contact details

Displays a searchable list of all UK wholesalers

Print the manufacturer data currently shown. You can select a range of pages to print by clicking the Printer Setup button on the Preview (spanner on printer symbol)

If the box is ticked you can use the drop down button to select an External Discounts File that has been created for you by a Wholesaler. (See Using External Discount Files for more information about this feature) If the box is un-ticked your own discounts setup is used.

View products in 3D All the text information will be printed on a single page, together with the item description, info line product image.

Add the highlighted item to the active Quote, Order, Kit or Local Database

Export the manufacturer data into PDF/ Excel / CSV / Text format

Selecting A Manufacturer
As you click on a manufacturer's button the Main Index headings for their catalogue appear on the right hand side. You can select a manufacturer by double clicking on a manufacturer'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.

Click a tab to choose between electrical manufactures or Price Update. Click More Manufactures to request a new manufacturer

As you click on a manufacturer's button the Main Index headings for their catalogue appear here

You can select a manufacturer by double clicking on a manufacturer's button, or by double clicking on a Main Index heading

The manufacturers contact details and web link appear here. Click the web link to launch your web browser. Scroll down for postal address

Exporting Electrika data to PDF, Excel, CSV, Text

T

Select an export format. Available options are: PDF, SYLK(Excel), CSV or Text

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).

2 3

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

Key Word Search Key Word Search

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 most matches e.g. CONS will find more matches than CONSUMER UNIT You can add your own Key Words to the picklist by clicking here You can view some example Key Words by clicking here Click here to locate an item in the Manufacturers Catalogue, where a picture and further technical details may be available

Click here to locate a Main Heading in the Manufacturers Catalogue Choose to add the selected item directly into your Quote, Order or Kit by clicking here. Double clicking on the highlighted item will insert it into the section that has been highlighted in yellow.

Click here to locate a Sub Heading in the Manufacturers Catalogue

Searching For A Catalogue Number

As you start typing a catalogue number in the entry box Electrika starts to search all the manufacturers' data and displays the item with the nearest match

Choose to add the selected item directly into your Quote, Order or Kit by clicking here. Double clicking on the highlighted item will insert it into the section that has been highlighted in yellow.

Click here to locate an item in the Manufacturers Catalogue, where a picture and further technical details may be available

Viewing UK Wholesalers Pick List

Type your postcode here to find your nearest distributor

The details of a distributor can be copied across to your own Suppliers List by clicking here

Click here to view your suppliers list.

As each distributor in the list is highlighted, their full details are displayed here

3D Views

A selection of 3D PDF files have been created to best illustrate the features/finishes of certain items. To view any of the PDF files just click on the thumbnail image which will open up Acrobat Reader and display the fully interactive models. (Only Acrobat Reader 7 or above will currently display the models)

ANIMATE
Click Hot Spots

ZOOM
Right Click & Drag

ROTATE
Left Click & Drag

MOVE
Both Click & Drag

Adding an item to the local 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 the manufacturers entry, or alternativley you can pick a section from one already created.

Setting Up Wholesaler Discounts

Highlight an item under the Catalogues tab for which you wish to set up discounts and click the % button to display the discounts setup window. The supplier discounts are linked to the Manufacturer & Cat Number. Please note items with the same Cat Number 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, fax etc. Some examples have been entered which you can customise. This list is in alphabetical order according to Abbrev. As you move to the right the screen scrolls to show more information. New suppliers are automatically moved to their correct alphabetical position according to abbreviation.

Step 1 Choose a supplier from your suppliers list to copy to discounts list

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 2 Assign a discount to each of the suppliers in the discount list. Doubleclick on one or click the Set As Default Discount button to set it as default (shown in red)

Click here to add a new supplier

Step 3 Choose how you wish to apply the discounts by selecting one of the options

Step 4 Click the Apply button When you exit this window move to other Main and Sub Index sections of the catalogue and click the % button to set up the discounts in other sections

Using External Discount Files

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 also set the discounts they give to customers and e-mail the discounts file to a customer.

Why use External Discount Files? A Wholesaler can quickly set up discounts for a customer and e-mail them a Discounts File. An Electrical Contractor can open this file under the Catalogues tab and instantly use the discounts in their quotations, orders and jobs. This feature will save a great deal of time for both Wholesalers and Electrical Contractors!

Using Discount Files In 4 Easy Steps Step 1 The Wholesaler sets the discounts The Wholesaler must run Electrika and click the Tools tab, then the Discounts tab and the Discounts Setup for Wholesalers button. The Discounts Setup screen gives the Wholesaler the ability to quickly set discounts for all the products in the Electrika database and save a unique file for every customer. Step 2 Wholesaler e-mails file to 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 Electrika\Discount Files folder to locate and attach the discounts file. The Electrika folder is usually either under My Documents or under Program Files. Step 3 Customer gets Discounts File When the customer receives the discounts file as an e-mail attachment it should be copied into the folder: Electrika\Discount Files Step 4 Customer ticks Use Ext Disc option The customer selects the Catalogues tab and ticks the box for Use Ext Disc. The drop-down list next 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 the Use Ext Disc box) or any number of external discount files.

Setting Up Install Times

For some items you may wish to enter a whole set of install options to show the different install times for the different conditions in which the item is being installed e.g. on brick, wood, plaster etc. Electrika allows you 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 the Clock button. The first two entries are reserved and cannot be edited.

Step 1 Type in a heading or choose one from the drop down list.

Step 2 Type in a heading or choose one from the drop down list.

Step 3 Position the highlight under the Minutes or Hours column and enter the time it takes to install each unit of the item.

Step 4 Repeat steps 1-3 for rows 25 to create the other install options.

When you click here your set-up will be stored and the default time will appear next time you use the item

Step 5 Choose how you wish to apply the Install Time by selecting one of the options and then click the Apply button

Creating Your Own Local Database

The Local Database is very useful for adding your specials and other items that may not be available in the Manufacturer catalogues provided on the DVD. The data is stored locally on your hard disk and is not affected when an updated DVD is issued. Re-positioning items in the Local Database Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow buttons to move an item within the Local Database. Browsing the Local Database Index You can find your way around the Local Database by clicking on the Index Button. Changing Main and Sub Index headings Click on the Index Button and click on the Main or Sub Index heading you wish to change and type over. Catalogue Number Search Click on the Binoculars button, type in the Catalogue Number you wish to search for and click OK Setting up Supplier Discounts Supplier discounts are assigned by clicking on the Discounts % button in the same way as they are in the Manufacturers Catalogues, according to Cat Number. Setting up Installation times Installation times are assigned by clicking on the Unit Hrs button, in the same way as they are in the Manufacturers Catalogues. Import data from Excel - See next page for full guide.
Summary Of Keys For Selecting Items

Adding new parts and Main & Sub Index sections

To add a new item you can either click the +Blank button to add to an existing section 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 & sub index will appear in the highlighted location. The headings can be typed over and re-positioned anywhere in the column by using the Up & Down Arrow keys. To delete a heading click the Delete button.

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

Click here to import an Excel file into your Local Database. Put the column headings on the first row and arrange the columns in the order: Manufacturer, Cat Number, Description, Unit, Trade Price. Click here to rebuild the Index & Heading structure of the Local Database.

To insert a blank item into your database click here.

To export your local database select an export format here and click the Export button. To paste the items which have been either cut or copied from a section click here Click here to copy the marked items To make an exact copy of an existing item click here. To delete the marked items click here. If no items are marked the highlighted item will be deleted To cut the marked items click here. You can insert into the current section or into another section

Creating your Local Database, Importing & Exporting

Click here to save the current Local Database with a different name Click here to save the current Local Database Click here to open an existing Local Database which will display the standard Open Dialogue window To print the active Local Database click here

To export your Local Database select an export format here and click the Export button.
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).

Click here to create a new blank Local Database

Importing Excel data into Electrika

1
Prepare your Excel file ready to import Make sure the first line contains the column headings. The columns must be arranged in the following order: Manuf, Cat Number, Description, Unit and Trade Price.

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

Highlight 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.

Creating Kits
A Kit consists of items that you wish to group together, and can even consist of a complete project which represents a typical 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 Catalogue Number, Description and Quantity of each item is stored in the Kit. When you come to putting the Kit into a quotation section each item is located from the Catalogues and the relevant price, install time and supplier discount are searched for and assigned. The latest price, discount and install time are therefore used regardless of when the Kit was created

Creating a new Kit To create a new blank Kit click on the New button. You can add items from a Catalogue to a Kit in exactly the same way as you would build up a quotation section. You can even save a quotation section as a Kit - see Dividing A Quotation Into Sections for more information.

To open an old Kit click here To create a new blank Kit click here To save the current kit click here To save the current Kit with a different name click here To print the current Kit click here To locate the highlighted item within the manufactures catalogue click here

To add an item from a catalogue click here. Click here to search for an item using Key Words Click here to display the Catalogue Number Search window

If you know the Catalogue Number of an item you can create a new blank entry at the end of the list and type the catalogue number in here and it will automatically be found

Creating, Saving, Opening & Printing Quotes

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

Click here to create a new blank Quotation

Click here to open an existing Quotation which will display the standard Open Dialogue window

Click here to view your quotes in the Quotation Manager

Click here to save the current Quotation

Click here to save the current Quotation with a different name

To print the active quote or to export as a PDF File click here

Exporting Quotation Data

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

1 3

Select an export format. Available options are: HTML, SYLK(Excel), CSV or Text 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

Click the Export button

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).

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

To open the highlighted quote click here or double-click one of the files

To delete a quote (send it to the recycle bin) click here

To change the location of the quotes folder click here

Click here to reset the quotes folder to the Electrika default folder

You can sort the column alphabetically by clicking the title at the top

You can preview the different sections from a quote before you open it by selecting from the tabs above.

Entering Project Details

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 to write useful notes. A built-in database is included for storing all your customers details.

Click here to access the Customer List

The Status has a choice of options which can be selected by clicking here

Clicking on the arrows of the Date Received and Date Due entries a useful calendar will pop up from which you can select a date

The Tender and Date Created are entered for you and cannot be edited

Click here to access your Sites List

Click here to create/view the list of customers the quote will be sent to.

Click here to add the details shown to the Customer Database

The notes box can be used to enter any details about the project. As you enter more text the notes window scrolls to allow you to type in more information

Creating Your Own Customer Database

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

The Customer Name and Contact are shown here

To search through your customer list type the company name here

The notes box can be used to enter any details about your customer. As you enter more text the notes window scrolls to allow you to type in more information Click here to repair the list if it seems to be corrupt

To build up a multiple list of customers to send your Quote to click here.

Click here to choose the Excel file to import from

You can delete a customer by clicking here

You can add a new entry by clicking here

To import or export a customer list from Excel click here. This will take you to the screen shown below

To import all the contacts from the selected customer list click here

Click here to import only the highlighted contacts from the selected customer list

Creating Your Own Site Details Database

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

The Site Name and Contact are shown here

To search through your site list type the site name here

The notes box can be used to enter any details about your site list. As you enter more text the notes window scrolls to allow you to type in more information

Click here to repair the list if it seems to be corrupt

To copy the selected site to your quote click here.

Click here to choose the Excel file to import from

You can delete a site by clicking here

You can add a new entry by clicking here

To import or export a site list from Excel click here. This will take you to the screen shown below

To import all the sites from the selected site list click here

Click here to import only the highlighted sites from the selected site list

Setting Your Rates

You can define up to 26 labour rates labelled A to Z. Each labour rate can have a description under the Labour Type column, and you can specify the rate under the /Hour column. When you initially run Electrika you will see that the first labour rates A to F have been defined for you as examples. You can change a labour rate at any time during a quotation and Electrika will automatically update all items with the new rate and re-do all calculations. When you define the labour rates that you use most often click the Save As Default button to save them as Electrika defaults. If you change the labour rates but do not save them as Electrika defaults they will only be used for that quotation. Note: the Main Contractors Discount is allocated evenly across all the items in the Oth/Unit column in Analysis under Schedule of Rates. Any change to this value therefore affects the Unit Sell and Total Sell values of all the items in the quotation.

You can define up to 26 labour rates labelled A to Z

You can specify the rate under the /Hour column

The Main Contractors Discount is defined as a percentage of the Tender Sell price, which is automatically recalculated

You can decide whether to display quantities as whole numbers or to two decimal places When you define the settings that you use most often click here to save them as Electrika defaults

Creating Sections & Adding Specials

Dividing a quote into sections A quotation is normally divided into sections (Main Distribution, Lighting, Heating, Testing etc). The name of the active quotation section is displayed on the top left corner. When you start a new quotation a blank section is created for your called Untitled Quotation Section. Click either on the quotation name or on the down arrow next to it to display the Quotation Sections window (see next page for details) where you can add more sections or change the name of a section. Typing in the catalogue number of an item directly 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 a blank item to the quotation section by going to the last entry in the quotation section and pressing <Down Arrow> on your keyboard. Type in a Catalogue Number in the Cat Number column. The Manufacturers and Local Database will be searched and if an exact match is found the item is copied into the quotation and you are taken to the Qty column. If an exact match is not found you are taken to the Catalogue Number Search window where Electrika has located the nearest match. Adding your own specials 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. When an 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 in from a manufacturers Catalogue by typing S under the S column to make it into a special. Labels or headings can also be added as specials. Other ways to add items to a quotation From the Catalogues tab by double-clicking on an item or clicking the +Q button From the Catalogue Number Search window (displayed by clicking the binoculars button) From Kits From other Quotations by clicking the Insert Quo button

Click either the section name or down arrow to display the Quotation Sections window Insert items or sections from a previous quote Click the Insert Kit button to display a list of all Kit files Click the Insert Excel button to insert parts from an Excel file To pick items from the manufacturer catalogue click here To pick items from your local database click here Click here to display the Catalogue Number Search window To locate the highlighted item within the manufactures catalogue click here If you select Price Based On Quantity then Trade1 will be used for quantities less than Qty2, Trade2 for quantities between Qty2 and Qty3, and Trade3 for quantities greater than Qty3. If you select Lowest Price then the lowest price will be used out of Trade1, Trade2 and Trade3 regardless of quantity

To add a Special item with your own description and price click here The order of items in the quotation section can be changed by clicking on the Up and Down arrow buttons

Click here to add the highlighted item to your local database You can copy a supplier discount% or supplier name to all items in a quotation section by clicking the Copy% button

To search the manufacturer catalogues using Key Words click here Click here to check trade prices against the latest manufacturers & local database.

Cut, Copy & Paste

To delete the marked items click here. If no items are marked the highlighted item will be deleted

To cut the marked items click here. You can insert into the current section or into another section

Click here to copy the marked items

To paste the items which have been either cut or copied from a section click here

Summary Of Keys For Selecting Items 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

Insert parts from Excel

Insert Excel feature - you can create a list of part numbers and quantities in Excel. You can choose whether to match up the latest descriptions and prices from the Electrika database or import all parts as Specials exactly as they appear 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 materials from another application.

Select the Excel file list you wish to import from here

Choose between matching the parts in the Electrika database or importing all the items as specials

Click here to insert all the items from your Excel file Click here to insert only highlighted items from your Excel file

To search through your part list type the catalogue number here

Quotation Sections List

Dividing a quote into sections A quotation is normally divided into sections (Main Distribution, Lighting, Heating, Testing etc). The name of the active quotation section is displayed on the top left corner. When you start a new quotation a blank section is created for your called Untitled Quotation Section. Click either on the quotation name or on the down arrow next to it to display the Quotation Sections window where you can add more sections or change the name of a section. 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-position the sections by changing the prefix.

Click here to copy the section you are currently highlighting To insert a new blank section click here

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

Insert Parts of Another Quote Into Your Current Quote

Step 1 Select the quote you wish to insert from

Step 2 Select whether to insert highlighted section or all the sections.

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

This window always displays the price build-up

Material Cost The lower window shows the material build-up automatically sectioned according to the Product Group (Main Index) that each item belongs to.each item belongs to.

3 4

5 6

The Main Contractors Discount can be changed under under the settings tab This window changes according to which item is highlighted in the upper window

Labour Cost The lower window shows the number of hours and cost for each labour type. You can alter the text and adjust the /Hour for each labour type. Changes made here will also be shown when the Labour Tab is selected. All prices will automatically be re-calculate and all the items in your quotation which use an adjusted rate will be updated

Preliminaries You can remove items from the default list by pressing <Del> or add your own items by going to the last entry and pressing <Down Arrow>. There is no limit to the number of entries. For each entry you can type in the Qty and Unit , and Total is automatically calculated. The totals in the upper window are also re-calculated. You can click on the Save As Default button to save the settings as Electrika defaults (only the text will be saved with a default quantity of 1)

4 5 6

Extras Extras can be added and removed in exactly the same way as the Preliminaries

Tender Sell The lower window shows a totals summary, with each total shown both as a percentage of sell and as a percentage of cost.

Provisional Sums These can be added and removed in exactly the same way as the Preliminaries. The Provisional Sums total is shown separate to the Tender Sell price

Analysis Creating A Schedule Of Rates

This powerful feature brings together all the items from all the quotation sections into just one list, with headings automatically inserted. When this button is clicked the columns relevant to the sell price build-up are displayed. The only adjustable columns are Material Overhead %, Material Profit %, Labour Overhead %, Labour Profit % and Quantity When the Cost Summary button is clicked the columns relevant to the 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

Click here to view only section names and sub-totals Click here to assign the highlighted margin to a group of items

Click here to select one of the available sort options: 1. Quotation Section 2. Source. This is the S column, which represents the source of the item. A C indicates that the item came from a Catalogue, an L means it came from the Local Database and an S means it was typed in as a special. 3. Catalogue Number

Important information about the price calculations 1. The Tender Sell price under Costing may differ slightly from that under Analysis 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 off to 2 decimal places. (b) If decimal quantities are used. This is due to rounding off which occurs when the Quantity is multiplied by the Unit Rate. 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 under Analysis and on the Sell Summary printouts. 2. On the Labour Cost selection under Costing the /Hour multiplied by Total Hrs may not be exactly equal to what is under the Cost column. This is because the total labour 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 all the 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 only change 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, if calculation overflow does occur you are advised to double check all calculations.

Printing Sell Summary

Step 1 Click here to edit the sell summary heading. Click the Save As Default button if you want it to be the default heading for all your quotes.

Step 2 Choose if you want a Header, Footer or Cover Page. These can be created through the Header/Footer & Cover page tabs. You can also choose the sort order for the items. You can also specify whether you want to print the cover page and / or the Project Details

Step 3 Choose what to print here. For each option you can choose a button for printing, previewing or exporting as a PDF document

Printing
Design Header / Footer

Step 1 Insert Your company logo here by clicking the open logo file button and selecting your

Step 2 Edit your company details here. Your office address and contact details are stored as a file, so you can store as many different versions as you

You can use the Editor to change font type, size,

Step 3 Your Footer text can be edited here

Printing Design Cover Page

Step 1 Click here to edit the cover page heading.

Step 2 Select if you want to include the header & footer You can use the Editor to change font type, size, colour or modify paragraphs

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

Step 3 You can edit the main body of the cover page here. You can also open old text files or save the current one by clicking the appropriate button

Printing Cost Summary

Step 2 Choose between the different sort options of the cost summary here Step 1 Edit the heading for the cost summary page by typing here. Click the Save As Default button if you want it to be the default heading for all your quotes.

Step 3 Choose between printing or previewing an abbreviated or a full layout of your cost summary

Printing Costing

Print / preview the project information or create a PDF file from here

Print or preview the various options for the costing page here

Printing Setup

Print in monochrome or colour by choosing between these options

Adjust the print margins for the cost/sell summary

Entering Ordering Details

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

Click here to access the Customers list Click here to access the Sites list

Click here to add the details shown to the Customers or Sites list

Click here to add the details shown to the Suppliers list

Clicking on the arrows of the Order Date and Payment Due Date entries and useful calendar will pop up from which you can select a date The notes box can be used to enter any details about the order. As you enter more text the notes window scrolls to allow you to type in more information

Creating An Order
Typing in the catalogue number of an item directly 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 a blank item to the order by going to the last entry and pressing the <Down Arrow> key on your keyboard. Type in a Catalogue Number in the Cat Number column. The Manufacturers and Local Database will be searched and if an exact match is found the item is copied into the order and you are taken to the Qty column. If an exact match is not found you are taken to the Catalogue Number Search window where Electrika has located the nearest match. Adding your own specials You can add your own Specials by typing S under the S column of a new blank item, allowing you to change all the columns of the item. You can also edit the details of an item that has been brought in from a manufacturers Catalogue by typing S under the S column to make it into a special. Labels or headings can also be added as specials. Other ways to add items to an order 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 order by double-clicking on an item or clicking the +Ord button Click the Local Data button to bring up the Local Database Browse window. You can add an item to an order by 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 here to insert a past kit in to your order Click here to insert a past quote in to your order

Click the Insert Excel button to insert parts from an Excel file

To open the manufacturer catalogue window click here

To open the Local Database window click here

To search for a catalogue number click here

To export your Order select an export format here and click the Export button.

To move items up and down click here. To increase the number of places to move the item in your order click here To add the highlighted item into your local database click here Click here to check trade prices against the latest manufacturers & local database. Items not found and not updated are shown with a grey background.

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

Inserting An Electrika Quote Into An Order

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

Step 1 Select the quote you wish to insert from

To view items by Supplier click here

To view items by Product Group click here

Click here to insert a section from the selected quote into your order

To view all the items in your quote click here. You can double-click on any item to insert into you order.

Step 2 Select whether to insert highlighted section or all the sections.

You can enter items only from a specific Manufacturer by clicking here.

Insert parts from Excel

Insert Excel feature - you can create a list of part numbers and quantities in Excel. You can choose whether to match up the latest descriptions and prices from the Electrika database or import all parts as Specials exactly as they appear 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 materials from another application.

Select the Excel file list you wish to import from here

Choose between matching the parts in the Electrika database or importing all the items as specials

Click here to insert all the items from your Excel file Click here to insert only highlighted items from your Excel file

To search through your part list type the catalogue number here

Print / PDF Options For Orders

Step 2 Choose if you want a Header, Footer or Cover Page. These can be created through the Header/Footer & Cover page tabs. Step 1 Click here to edit the Order You can also choose whether to display the carriage and Vat, and to enter a value for carriage

If you want to print on letter headed paper make sure the Include header option is un-ticked and adjust your margins here

Step 3 Choose how to view your order here. You can choose between printing, previewing or to export as an acrobat file.

Acrobat Reader V6 or later allows you to e-mail the PDF order files you have created using the options above. Click here if you wish to download the latest version

Print Options Design Header / Footer

Step 1 Insert Your company logo here by clicking the open logo file button and selecting your image.

Step 2 Edit your company details here. Your office address and contact details are stored as a file, so you can store as many different versions as you wish, and easily switch between them.

You can use the Editor to change font type, size, colour or modify paragraphs

Step 3 Your Footer text can be edited here

Print Options Cover Page

Step 1 Click here to edit the cover page heading.

Step 2 Select if you want to include the header & footer

You can use the Editor to change font type, size, colour or modify paragraphs

Step 3 You can edit the main body of the cover page here. You can also open old text files or save the current one by clicking the appropriate button

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

Job Costing

Click here to open an existing Job File which will display the standard Open Dialogue window

To add a new entry line into your Job click here. Click here to save the current Job file To export the active Job file click here

To filter the selected field click here Click here to create a new blank Job file

To remove the filter from your Job click here

To insert items or whole sections from previous quotes click here

Use the buttons on this toolbar to search for material to add to the Job