Masters are lists of records or templates you use over-and-over while using On-Screen Takeoff.
The Master menu provides access to tables that are stored on the database. Tables are where information is stored for each Bid as well as common information such as Employees, Styles, Style Sets, etc. We cover Employees in the article that follows. Detailed information about Styles and Sets is available in Related articles.
Notes about Masters
- Modifying Employees, Job Statuses, and Condition Types affects all Projects in the current database.
- Modifying a Style in the Style Library does not affect any Conditions already created using that Style.
- Modifying a Style Set has no effect on existing Projects where the Style Set was used.
- Modifying Default Layers affects new (future) Projects.
- Masters such as Employees and Job Statuses cannot be deleted if they have been used in any Project or if an Employee is the owner of a Style Set.
Changes made at the Master level are immediate and permanent. Proceed with caution when deleting from the Master menu lists as this deletion cannot be undone.
Anytime you see the Lookup button in a dialog box, you are likely accessing a Master list. This allows you to build and update your database Masters "on-the-fly" (as you use the product). You do not have to have the database fully built to start to use On-Screen Takeoff - you can start Bidding right out of the box and add information to the database as you go...
Master vs. Lookup Dialog Boxes
When you open a Master list from the Master menu, the dialog boxes have an OK button to close the dialog box after making any changes to the master list.
When you open a Master list by clicking a Lookup button for some field, the dialog box has a Select button allowing insertion of a selection into the appropriate field. Other than that, each Master Table dialog box looks the same as the Lookup dialog box.
See The Difference Between a "Select" and an "OK" Dialog Box for more details.
Master Tables
Option | What it does/How it is used... |
---|---|
Employees | These can be estimators or laborers. |
Job Statuses | Job Statuses can be used to track the current progress of a Project as well as lock Projects you don’t want to change. |
Condition Types | Used to separate, group, and sort like Conditions in the Takeoff, Summary, and Estimate Tabs (Walls, Ceilings, Floors, Openings, Concrete, etc.). |
Style Library and Sets | List of all Styles (saved Conditions) and the Sets (groups of Styles) available for use in all Projects within a database. |
Default Layers | A list of Layers you want added to all new Projects. |
If you are using On-Screen Takeoff with a DPC Project Manager or DPC Forman license, you also see Payroll Classes and Labor Cost Codes in the Masters menu, those are covered in the Digital Production Control User Guide.
Let's start with Employees.
![]() | Masters: Employees ![]() |
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