The holiday season is quickly approaching - and while not always, this sometimes means that there is a quiet period in your bid schedule that allows you to tackle some of those items on your "to do" list around the office. Why not add "tuning up your estimating systems" to your "to do" list?

Regardless of what estimating program you use (although I hope you're using an Autobid® system!), database management is going to be a key issue. While some databases require more attention than others, all of them need some general maintenance and tune-up to maintain their performance over time.

The biggest issues our AutoBid customers face is database size. We've seen a number of customers experience database issues due to size increase over the last year. As customers have migrated to OnScreen View of TakeOff, database sizes have exploded (the drawing files are stored within the database). –That said, let's help your system shed some of that excess weight.

The best suggestion to reduce database file size: get rid of the old projects. If you aren't actively using your estimate and it's a project that is "dead", delete it out of the program. You can still create a backup if you ever need to use it again - but at least this way, it won't be bogging down your day-to-day activities. Below are the step by step instructions to do this for both AutoBid® Mechanical and AutoBid SheetMetal.

For AutoBid SheetMetal:

1. Go into the Projects List (from the Bid Administrator Main Menu; File --> Project List)
2. Select the project that you want to delete by clicking on it. You can select more than one project at a time by using CTRL + Mouse Click or SHIFT + Mouse Click.
3. Go to the File menu and select "Export Bid".
4. A window will pop up. In this window, you'll tell the program that you want to export "All Bid Information" and select a directory location. Click on "Export".
5. You'll see the progress of the export on the bottom bar of this window. When it is done, it will say "Complete". You can then click on the "Close" button.
6. Now, we'll delete the projects by going to Edit --> Delete.
7. If you've only selected one project, just select "Delete It". If you've selected more than one project, you can tell the program you want to "Confirm" each delete or "Don't Confirm" and it will delete all of the selected projects.

For AutoBid Mechanical:

1. If you are on a network installation, make sure that all other users are out of the system.
2. From the Main Menu, select File --> Backup.
3. A Backup Wizard will open. The first step is to choose a file location & name, and then click on "Next".
4. In the next window, you can select what you want to back-up. We are going to back-up projects, so select "Projects" and then "Next".
5. Now you can select the project(s) that you want to back-up. You can multi-select by using SHIFT + Mouse Click or CTRL + Mouse Click. Once you've selected the projects, click on "Next". The program will back-up the files and you'll be returned to the Main Menu when it is done.
6. From the Main Menu, go to Tools --> Project List. If you access the Project List from another method, you will not be able to multi-select and delete.
7. You can now select the project(s) you want to delete. If you want to delete more than one project, you can turn on multi-select under View --> Multiple Select.
8. Go to the Edit Menu and selected "Delete".
9. A confirmation window will appear, you can either select to confirm each project deletion individually by clicking on "Delete" or you can delete all of the selected projects by clicking on "All".

By keeping the database file smaller, you'll reduce chances of corruption, database problems, and you'll have a system that runs faster. If you have any questions, please contact us for more information.

Happy Estimating!

Ditch your digi and join the digital revolution!

We introduced OnScreen View (OSV) of TakeOff in Fall 2007. We didn't realize how many nor how quickly our customers would adopt this technology. It's come a long way in 3-1/2 years. Why are so many customers switching to OSV? It saves money. Yep, it's that simple. I've recently talked to multiple customers who have saved $30,000 - $50,000 in printing costs for their estimating groups. Look at your printing costs - would you like to save that money? Want to learn more? Come join one of two webinars that will cover the basics of OnScreen View TakeOff. While both webinars will cover similar material that can be used in either product, I'll conduct one webinar in AutoBid® SheetMetal and one webinar in AutoBid Mechanical.

AutoBid® SheetMetal for HVAC Ductwork estimating Tuesday, March 15th @ 4 p.m. ET/ 3 p.m. CT/ 2 p.m. MT / 1 p.m. PT

AutoBid® Mechanical for piping and plumbing estimating Wednesday, March 16th @ 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT / 9 a.m. MT / 8 a.m. PT

Registration is limited - so register soon!

Did you miss me?  Boy - we've been busy around here.  So busy, I've neglected my blogging duties the last month.  We've got some fun stuff to share over the next several weeks.  First up - I'm excited to announce that AutoBid SheetMetal 2010 v1 shipped to our first wave of customers!  All customers who were current on their Customer Care package as of July 1, 2010 will receive this update.  We'll be shipping it out over the next 6 - 8 weeks.  

What's in this release?  I'm glad you asked!  We're continuing the upgrades and improvements for our OnScreen View (OSV) TakeOff module in the estimating products.  In this release, we've introduced Copy and Move functionality in OSV.  Now, you can box-in an area and copy or move - and then reconnect it back to a main. 

Are you involved in any LEED projects?  A typical requirement for LEED certified projects is to control indoor air quality.  One of the ways that this can be done is by requiring all ductwork shipped to a jobsite have the ends covered.  How do you currently account for that in your sheet metal estimate?  AutoBid SheetMetal 2010 v1 will now calculate the amount of polywrap required and allow you to labor it.



This release will also give you the ability to "Undo" something that you've done in TakeOff.  You can undo your last time - or you can undo a group of items.  This will allow users who do Search & Replaces or Box-Ins to undo a change that they may have made erroneously.  (This has been one of our most requested features over the years.)

There are lots of other nuggets in this release as well.  Be sure to check out the release notes and the videos once you receive the AutoBid SheetMetal 2010 v1 disk. 

And don't forget, we love feedback - so please let us know what you think of this release!

One of the most powerful elements of AutoBid's Rapid Reports is our ability to "slice and dice" the data---anyway you want it. 

Pivot Tables aren't QuickPen technology - they are a tool that Microsoft created to work with large amounts of data.  They were initially included in Excel 2003, but they were greatly improved in Excel 2007.  We've just taken those pivot tables tools and made them easier to use.

Here's a helpful video that reviews the basics of Rapid Reports in AutoBid:




Coming up next - more detailed information on how to use that data to create the kind of report that you are looking for.

Bring on the Beta!  We're buttoning-up the hatches on AutoBid SheetMetal 2010 v1 - and we're almost ready for our Beta testers to begin putting the pressure on this release.  If you are interested in being a Beta tester, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .   

This release of AutoBid SheetMetal has some really exciting stuff including:

• On-Screen View Enhancements including move and copy
• Ability to import color PDF drawings
• Advanced filtering including the ability to show multiple (but not all) systems at one time
• Undo functionality - a limited undo that will allow you to undo actions or changes you've made in TakeOff
• And more!

Beta testing is scheduled to begin in late May / early June.  If you are interested in Beta testing, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.