You can create a new standard database using Database Editor.

Note: When you create a standard database in Database Editor, you can specify only some settings such as Company, Crew Information, and Phase Code Suffix. If you need to modify other settings (such as Attachment Folder, Default Rate Tables, or Job Cost Software), use one of two methods to create the standard database:

• Create the standard database in Database Editor and edit the settings in Sage Estimating (before you add content to the database).
• Create the standard database in Sage Estimating with the New Database Wizard.

To create a new standard database in Database Editor:

1. From the Application menu, select New.
2. In the New Standard Database window, type a name for the new database.
3. On the Phase tab, select the number of decimal places to use for the phase code suffix.
4. Select options on the Crew Info and WBS tabs, as needed.
5. Click [OK].

Creating a new database from Excel data

If you are new to Sage Estimating and you have been maintaining item lists and estimates in Excel or another spreadsheet program, the prospect of creating a database from scratch for Sage Estimating might be daunting.

This topic explains how you can transfer your Excel data into a new Estimating database.

So that you can become productive quickly, you can start with one of the “shell” databases that comes with Sage Estimating. Shell databases come with built-in standard phases, but no items. Then, you add your own items to the standard phases or copy existing items from Excel.

If you want to use your own phases, rather than the standard phases in the shell databases, you can also create both the phases and items from scratch.

Before you start

1. If you plan to use a shell database in the Estimating Management Console, install one of the following shell databases that comes with Sage Estimating.

• Shell Commercial General contracting. This database includes only phases commonly used by commercial general contractors.
• Shell CSI 1995. This database uses the 16 divisions from the old MasterFormat 1995 Specification.
• Shell CSI 2011. This database uses the 50 divisions from the MasterFormat 2011 Specification.

1. Open your Excel program, and then:
2. Open the item list worksheet you maintain in Excel.
3. Start new worksheets for:

• Sage Estimating phases.
• Sage Estimating items.

To add items to the new database:

1. Open the Database Editor.
2. From the application menu:

• If you want to use a shell database that you installed:

1. Click Open/Check Out.
2. In the Open Standard Database window, select the shell database, and then click [OK].

• If you do not want to use a shell database, but add both phases and items to the new database:

1. From the Application menu, select New.
2. In the New Standard Database window, type a name for the new database.
3. On the Phase tab, select the number of decimal places to use for the phase code suffix.
4. Select options on the Crew Info and WBS tabs, as needed.
5. Click [OK].

1. If you are not using a shell database:
2. On the ribbon, from the View group, click Phases.
3. Click in the white space (where the grid will be located when you paste phases from Excel).
4. Press Ctrl + C to copy the column headings.
5. In Excel, paste the column headings into the first row of the Phases worksheet you created.
6. Format the phase attribute columns as follows:

• Format the Description, Unit, Group, JC Phase, and Note columns as General.
• Format the Phase and Item columns as Custom numeric using the number of decimal places you require for the phase and item numbers.

7. Add all the phases that you will need for the items in your item list.
8. In the Group column, for each group phase, type "TRUE" in the corresponding cell.

Important! You will not be able to add phases "on the fly" if they do not exist when you are adding items, and if the phase does not exist, you will not be able to add an item.

4. Select and copy the range of phases, not including the column headerings.
5. In Estimating, paste (Ctrl + V) the contents into the Phases tab.

4. In Estimating, on the ribbon, from the View group, click Items.

1. In the layout selection box, select Required Only. This layout displays only the columns you need to begin entering items.
2. Click in the white space (where the grid will be located when you paste items from Excel).
3. Press Ctrl + C to copy the column headings.
4. In the new Excel worksheet you created for Estimating items, paste the column headings.
5. Using your existing item list as a reference, fill in the items in the new worksheet in the correct format. Make sure you add a value for all the required fields, and at least one category for each item.
6. When you have added all the items you need, copy the rows from the Excel worksheet back into the database in the Database Editor.

Important!

Make sure you select the row headers in Excel—you need to copy and paste entire rows.
If you need to copy and paste rows in batches from Excel, when you paste the rows in Database Editor, you must select the header for an existing row in Database Editor, and then press Ctrl + V.

5. On the ribbon, click Save.

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Getting Started with Database Editor (DBE SQL)