Category : Financial and Statistics
Archive   : COSTEFF1.ZIP
Filename : MANUAL.CEF

COST EFFECTIVE
(C)Copyright 1987 by Frank B. Ehrenfried
All Rights Reserved.

by: Effective Software
123 Marbly Avenue
Daly City, California 94105
Telephone: (415) 878-5644


Cost Effective Question & Answers
--------------------------------------------------
What is it?

- A computer program which processes bills of materials.

Who needs it?

- Anyone involved in manufacturing.


Why do they need it?

- Everyone who manufactures needs to know the
up-to-date costs of his products.

What does it do?

- It allows a manufacturer to track his costs
by allowing him to specify raw materials and
their unit costs. It will compute the cost of
each product based on these. When the price
of the raw materials change, the program
will recompute the costs automatically. It
also contains many other features such as,
upon request, giving the user a list of pro-
ducts by material.

How does it do it?

- The program will present the user with selec-
tion lists called "menus" which will allow
him to move to various parts of the program.
He enters the materials and costs into
tables (i.e., bills of materials), and the
program uses these tables to provide infor-
mation concerning the manufacturing opera-
tion.

How long will it take to learn?

- After reading the chapter of the manual
called "Getting Started" you will be able to
utilize the program effectively. Later you
can learn the many labor saving features built
into the program by reading the other chapters
and help screens which are immediately access-
ible while the program is running.


Cost Effective Table of Contents
--------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents
PART I. GETTING STARTED
How to Navigate Thru the Program
(escapes, help screens, prompts & warnings)
The "Startup Menu"
(the product file & work diskette)
The "Main Menu"
(How to add raw materials & products)

PART II. THE DATA ENTRY TABLES
The Line Commands
Entering Data
Validation
The Function Keys

PART III. A BRIEF TUTORIAL
Sra. Campos Cookie Factory
(How to add a new raw material
and product to a file)
How to Delete a Product
How to Add a Product in a Different Way
(The magic key -> F4)

PART IV. SOME ADVANCED FEATURES
The Circular Definition
Other Validations




Cost Effective Getting Started
--------------------------------------------------
PART 1
- How to Navigate Thru the Program
1. Escapes (the escape key):
One operates the program COST EFFECTIVE
by moving down thru a series of menus to
a destination which is often a data entry
table. It is easy to get lost in the
maze. To prevent this the program has a
feature whereby the key marked "Esc" may
be used to move you back up to the pre-
vious level from which you came. One may
back out all the way to the top level,
the "Main Menu". This feature works at
every point in the program except from
the command line of a data entry table
where a choice between saving the current
table of data or abandoning (i.e. quitting
it) must be made explicitly.

2. Help Screens:
The program has been designed to give you
immediate assistance at every point.
This assistance can be accessed by pick-
ing the "Help" option from the menus or
typing a "?" at the other points where
input is required. When the help
facility is invoked, COST EFFECTIVE will
display an explanation of what user res-
ponses are acceptable at that point in
the program. This is presented inside a
border so that your eye can easily per-
ceive that this is an information screen.
If there are a series of information
screens to be viewed at a given point,
you may move to the next one by striking
the "Return" key. Once you have deter-
mined your response, as usual, you may
back up to the original screen by using
the escape (Esc) key.

Cost Effective Getting Started
--------------------------------------------------


3. Prompts and Warnings:
Data entry tables are the places in COST
EFFECTIVE where you enter the names and
unit costs of raw materials and the bills
of materials for products. The fourth
line in these screens has been reserved
for messages in the form of a quick hint
as to what to enter at the current cursor
position, or if a mistake has been made,
a warning message. (Once you have become
familiar with the program you may want to
turn off the hints by typing Ctrl-C.)




- The "Startup Menu"
The "Product File":
The information which you give to the
program is stored in a "product file".
It is necessary to either create a new
one at the beginning of a session or to
tell COST EFFECTIVE to load an existing
one from a subdirectory. Choosing Option
2 from the menu will cause COST EFFECTIVE
to ask you for a subdirectory and a file-
name. If you then strike the Return key
without typing anything the program will
display the names of all the possible
files in the subdirectory with the exten-
sion "CED" to its name. (This is the
default extension given to product file
names when none is explicitly specified.)
Hit the Return key and type one of these
names.

Cost Effective Getting Started
--------------------------------------------------



- The "Main Menu"
Once you have opened a product file, this
becomes the top menu of the hierarchy of menus
which the program uses. As one can see from
this menu, the features of the program have
been collected together in four groups.
1. The "Current Product File Menu":
This option takes you to the section of
the program which allows you to add or
change raw materials and their unit
costs; create new bills of materials and
to modify these.

2. The "Delete Products Menu":
To delete entire bills, use this option.

3. The "Lists Menu":
This menu can be utilized to obtain
information about the product file in the
form of lists. These can be either sent
to the screen or put on paper if you have
a printer attached to your computer.

Cost Effective Getting Started
--------------------------------------------------


4. The "File Utilities Menu":
One thing that you must realize when
using COST EFFECTIVE is that the entire
product file has been loaded into memory
from the disk. This means that changes
which are made to it are not permanent
until the "S" option (i.e., save) is
chosen from the Main Menu. Thus, this
menu allows you to do such things as save
the changes you have made to a file in
the default subdirectory under a new
name; save these changes under the old
name but rename the current file; as well
as perform other necessary functions on
existing product files in the default
subdirectory.


Cost Effective Data Entry Tables
--------------------------------------------------

PART II - The Data Entry Tables
- Line Commands
The third line of the data entry tables is
reserved for one letter commands. (These
may be reviewed by typing "?" and hitting
the enter key.) For example, the letter
"A" tells COST EFFECTIVE to move the cursor
to the first empty slot in the table where
you can begin adding new data. You will
notice that whenever you enter a new table
(one that contains no members) the "A"
command is automatically placed there and
the cursor is positioned on the first slot.
To move the cursor back to the command line
use the Home key.


- Entering Data
When you are entering data into the tables
and make a typographical error, many of the
editing keys such as Del, Ins, etc. may be
utilized. Typing "?" to invoke the help
screens will give you a list of these.

- Validation
Whenever you enter a name into the table,
COST EFFECTIVE checks it validity. If it
is not a valid name, you will hear the
computer "BEEP" and a warning message will
appear on the fourth line of the screen
(the message line). Names can be invalid
for various reasons, e.g. if the name
appears earlier in the table or you mis-
spell a component name in a bill of mater-
ials table (the program is sensitive to
upper and lower case).

On the other hand, if you have entered the
name of a material which was inadvertently
omitted from the raw materials list or was
the name of a product not yet given a
materials list in the current file, the

Cost Effective Data Entry Tables
--------------------------------------------------
program will display a menu with the
choices "Typo", "Enter as Raw Material",
and "Create Dummy Bill". Pick "Typo" if
you have made a typographical error. If,
on the other hand, you want the entry to be
included in the raw materials list, make
the second choice. You will then be
prompted for its unit cost, and these will
be added to the file's raw materials table.
Finally, making the last choice will cause
a new bill of materials to be added to the
file with the given name and containing one
component - the first raw material with
zero quantity. (This is necessary since an
empty bill of materials can cause the
program to malfunction when it is included
as a component in another bill.)

- The Function Keys
In the raw materials table there are only
three active function keys. F1 causes the
help screen to appear (equivalent to typing
"?"), and if more than one screen-full of
data exists, keys F7 and F8 become active
to allow paging of the table.

Many more keys are available in the bill of
materials tables. A list of them and their
functions appears at the bottom of the
screen. For more complete information use
F1.

One that is particularly useful and worthy
of mention is F6. Notice that when you
press F6 the word beside it changes back
and forth between "Short" and "Long". This
indicates that pressing that key will put
you in that mode, and that you are, at
present, in the other mode. Shorthand mode
means that you do not need to enter all of
the characters in a component name, but
just enough to uniquely identify it to COST
EFFECTIVE. (By the way, if you do not give
the program enough characters to uniquely
identify the component, COST EFFECTIVE will
use the first one it finds starting with
those characters.) The program will then
expand the column to the component's com-
plete name and place the cursor in the next
column to receive data. COST EFFECTIVE

Cost Effective Data Entry Tables
--------------------------------------------------
begins its search at the top of the raw
materials lists and then goes to the
existing bills.


Also note that you may obtain two different
percentage contributions of each component
to the current product by pressing F2.
First COST EFFECTIVE returns the percentage
breakdown based on quantity (which is only
useful if all components are measured in
the same units, e.g. gallons of paint).
Pressing F2 again will return percentages
based on the contribution to the cost by
each component which should be of universal
usefulness.

Pressing F7 causes the heading
of the second column to switch
between "PUnits" and "Units".
"PUnits" stands for "primary units
of measure". On the other hand,
units are simply the quantities in which
the component is defined. For raw
materials there is no difference. But when
entering the name of an existing bill as a
component, it may be entered as a "PUnit"
or a "Unit", and these will lead to
differing results. This is best
illustrated by an example. Suppose that
you manufacture a machine in which you must
include a gallon of a coolant which is
composed of .8 gallons of antifreeze and .3
gallons of distilled water. Let us, for
the sake of simplicity, suppose that both
have a unit cost of $1 per gallon,
and that they have been previously
entered into the Raw Materials
table as such. Now choosing
"Make a New Bill of Materials" from the
Data Tables Menu, we enter "Coolant" when
prompted for a name and press the "Return"
key. In the name column of the first slot
of the bill of materials table we type
"Antifreeze" and ".8" in the second column.
In the next slot we enter "Distilled Water"
and ".3". At the next slot we press the
"Home" key and type "S" on the command line
to save the bill. We have thus created a
bill for a "subassembly" or "made part"
which is to be included in other bills.


Cost Effective Data Entry Tables
--------------------------------------------------

Now suppose we want to enter one gallon of
this coolant in another bill. We would
type "Coolant" in the first column of the
slot and "1.0" in the second. But we must
be sure that the column heading reads
"PUnit" - for if it reads "Unit" we shall
include, instead of 1 gallon, 1.1 gallons
which is the quantity defined in its bill
of materials. (Of course, the "PUnit"
feature doesn't have meaning for
subassemblies consisting of components of
mixed units of measure.)


Cost Effective Brief Tutorial
--------------------------------------------------

PART 1V. Brief Tutorial
- Sra. Campos Cookie Factory
First we shall load a preexistent product
file. From the Startup Menu pick the
option to load an existing product file.
When you are prompted for the filename
type "cookies". This will cause a pro-
duct file to be loaded into memory and
opened for work. Now let us examine the
raw materials table. From the Main Menu
choose the Data Tables Menu.

When this menu comes up, choose the
option which allows you to modify the raw
materials table. You will now see a
table containing materials for the manu-
facture of cookies (flour, sugar, etc.)
and typical unit costs. As an exercise,
we shall add an ingredient to this list.
Do the following:

1. First notice the "command line" at
the top of the screen. Type the letter
"A" there. (This will move the cursor
to the first available slot to receive
a new ingredient.)

2. Now type "Raisins (1 cup)" and hit the
Return key;

3. This will move the cursor into the
next column to receive the unit price.
Type ".48" and Return;

4. The cursor will now move to the next
row to receive name of the next in-
gredient to be added. To move the
cursor back to the command line
strike the Home key;


5. Now type "S" (for save) to leave the
raw materials data entry table, re-
turn to the Main Menu and choose the
Lists' Menu Option from it ;



Cost Effective Brief Tutorial
--------------------------------------------------


6. Choose to send the listing to the
screen from the next menu;


7. You will now be presented with the
"Lists' Menu". From this menu choose
to list all of the products. When this
is done, you will see that a cookie
called "Oatmeal" has been specified.
(We shall create a new product called
"Oatmeal with Raisins" by entering the
data entry table for Oatmeal, adding
the component "Raisins" to it, then
renaming the resultant table - but
first we must return to the Main Menu.);

8. Keep hitting the escape key until you
are back at the Main Menu. Then choose
the "Data Tables Menu." From this menu
choose to modify an existing product.
When prompted for the name, just hit
Return. You will then see a list of
products which are in the current file.
Among these should be "Oatmeal". Wait
until you are again presented with the
prompt line, and then type in "Oat-
meal" and hit Return;

9. This will put you into the data
entry table for the Oatmeal cookies.
Notice that at the bottom of the
screen the functions of the "F keys"
are listed. Press F6 until the word
"Long" appears next to it. This means
that you are now in "shorthand" mode.
That is, that now you do not need to
type in the full name of a material in
the list, but just enough letters of
its name to uniquely identify it.


Cost Effective Brief Tutorial
--------------------------------------------------

So type "R" and you will see that
COST EFFECTIVE will bring in a raw
material that begins with "R". Now
keep striking the down arrow key until
the ingredient "Raisin(1 cup)"
appears. Hit Return and enter
"1.0" for one cup of raisins;

10. Now we are ready to rename the pro-
duct. So press the Home key to move
the cursor back to the command line.
Now type "R" for rename. A prompt
line will appear on which you are to
enter the new name for the current
materials list. So type "Oatmeal
with Raisins" and hit the Return key.
(Notice that the new name now appears
on the first line of the screen);

11. Now enter the line command "S" to
save the new product (cookie recipe)
and you are returned to the Products
Menu. By going to the Lists Menu and
listing out the products, you will
see that the new recipe has been
added.

- How to Delete a Product
Now as an exercise, let us delete the
product we just entered:

1. Return to the Main Menu by using the
Esc key or the menus' options. From
there choose the "Deletes Menu"
option;

2. Choose the option "Delete a Single
Product", and enter "Oatmeal with
Raisins" when prompted for the name;

Cost Effective Brief Tutorial
----------------------------------------------------


3. Now if you go to the Lists Menu and
list all of the products, you'll see
that it has been removed from the
current file.

- How to Add a Product in a Different Way
There is another and, perhaps, more ef-
ficient way to add product definitions to
the current product file. For example,
let us again add the oatmeal with raisins
recipe:
1. From the "Current Products Menu"
choose the "Data Table Menu" option.
When you are prompted for the name,
type "Oatmeal with Raisins";

2. Notice that the cursor has immediate-
ly been placed on the first entry
position in the table and a line
command 'A' appears on the command
line. (This always happens when en-
tering an empty table to save time.)
We must return the cursor to the
command line first, so press the Home
key. From the command line press F5
- notice that the label "PUnit" (for
primary units) of the second column
changes to "Units". Also press F6
until the word beside F6 at the bot-
tom of the screen says "Long". (This
means that you are in shorthand mode
and pressing F6 again will return you
to longhand.);


3. Now enter the "A" command to move
back into the table. Type "Ra" and
hit the Return key and use the down
arrow key as explained above. The
letters will be expanded and the
cursor put into the second column.
Enter "1" and "Return" for one
cup of raisins.

Cost Effective Brief Tutorial
--------------------------------------------------

The cursor now moves to the first
column of the second row. There
type "O" and "Return" and this will
be expanded into a raw material
beginning with the letter "O". Hit
the down arrow key and repeat doing
this until the phrase "Oatmeal
Cookies" appears. Hit the "Return"
key and enter a "1" in the second
column and again "Return". When the
cursor moves to the third row, strike
the Home key to move it back to the
command line.

4. Now press F4 and note the results.
Press any key to restore the screen.

Press F4 again and notice that the
type of percentage contributions of
each component has changed from
"quantity" to "price".


Cost Effective Some Advanced Features
--------------------------------------------------

PART IV. Some Advanced Features
- The Circular Definition
Since a list of materials which defines a
product in COST EFFECTIVE may contain
other products as well as raw materials,
it is possible to make the mistake of
creating a "circular definition" whence
it would be impossible for the program to
compute the cost of a given product. For
instance, if you had specified a product
by the name "X" and then used it in the
materials list of another product, say
"Y". Then suppose you use "Y" in
specifying the materials list of product,
"Z". Now you decide to modify "X" by
adding "Z" to it. It would now be
impossible for COST EFFECTIVE to compute
the cost of either "X" or "Z" because
each of their costs depends on the
other's. The program does not allow such
an inclusion and issues a warning message
if it is attempted. For a demonstration
load the file on the sample work diskette
called "TEST" and then:
1. Examine the raw materials to see that
there are three specified, "a", "b",
and "c";

2. Now look at the list of products to
find that there are also just three
specified, "X", "Y", and "Z":

3. Note that the conditions specified
above are met, i.e. "X" is contained
in "Y" and "Y" is in "Z";

4. Enter the table for "X" and try to
modify it by adding "Z". Note the
error message received on the message
line.

Cost Effective Some Advanced Features
--------------------------------------------------

- Other Validations
COST EFFECTIVE verifies that any
name entered into a materials list is
either a previously specified raw
material or product defined by a
materials list. It also checks that the
material does not appear earlier in the
same list.

If a product or raw material is specified
for deletion and it appears in one or
more of the products material lists, you
are notified of this and given a choice
of alternatives as to how to proceed.
the message
line.

Cost Effective Some Advanced Features
--------------------------------------------------

- Other Validations
COST EFFECTIVE verifies that any
name entered into a materials list is
either a previously specified raw
material or product defined by a
materials list. It also checks that the
material does not appear earlier in the
same list.

If a product or raw material is specified
for deletion and it appears in one or
more of the products material lists, you
are notified of this and given a choice
of alternatives as to how to proceed.