How Should You Structure an Accubid Anywhere Database?
A good Accubid Anywhere database should make estimating easier.
That sounds obvious, but databases can become so complicated that the estimator spends more time navigating the system than estimating the project.
The goal should be depth without unnecessary complexity.
Structure Around the Way Estimators Think
An electrical estimator typically thinks in installations:
Conduit. Wire. Boxes. Devices. Feeders. Distribution equipment. Lighting. Low voltage.
Your database should follow that logic.
An estimator looking for an installation method shouldn’t need to understand how the database developer happened to organize thousands of records.
The path to common takeoff should be predictable.
Use Assemblies for Repeatable Installations
If an installation routinely contains several components, it is usually a candidate for an assembly.
The purpose isn’t simply reducing mouse clicks.
Assemblies also create consistency and flexibility
If ten estimators take off the same installation, a well-designed assembly helps ensure that all ten estimators carry the same fundamental components.
Don’t Build Complexity Just Because You Can
One of the dangers of database development is becoming fascinated with what the software can do instead of concentrating on what the estimator needs it to do.
An elaborate assembly isn’t automatically a better assembly.
If users cannot understand it, maintain it, or confidently use it, the sophistication may actually reduce productivity.
Make Common Work Easy
The installations performed most frequently should generally be the easiest things to access.
An estimator shouldn’t navigate through several layers of obscure categories to find something used hundreds of times during a normal estimate.
Good database design reduces friction.
Think Beyond One Estimator
A database built entirely around one person’s habits can become difficult when another estimator joins the company.
Naming, organization and workflow should make sense without requiring years of tribal knowledge.
The best test is simple:
Can another experienced electrical estimator understand what the database is trying to accomplish?
If the answer is yes, you’re probably heading in the right direction.
Keystone’s database structure has been continually refined around this principle: provide extensive estimating capability while keeping the actual takeoff process practical for the estimator using it.
