Section 3.11: Budget Versions and Import

A project's budget is one page. The top reads as a topsheet, each category opens into its lines, and you can keep several versions of the budget side by side. Bring an existing budget in from a CSV file or a Movie Magic Budgeting export.

1. Open the budget

Open the project and go to Money, then Financial, then Budget. You need access to the project's money to see it.

One toolbar row runs across the top: the version picker, Cost and Client price, search, Import and Columns.

Under it, a strip shows the totals for the version you are on, such as Client price, Cost, Margin and Markup. Below that, each category is a row you can open to see and edit its lines.

On the Free plan, a budget holds up to five lines. Paid plans have no line limit.

2. Cost and client price

Switch between Cost and Client price to see the same budget from either side: what the work costs you, or what you charge the client. The totals and columns follow the side you pick.

3. Versions

Click the version picker (it reads Budget and the version name) to see every version of this budget.

• Duplicate version: copy the version you are on, for example to try a cheaper shape.
• Rename: give it a clearer name.
• Make primary: make this the version every total outside the budget page counts, such as the project overview and work package totals. The primary version carries a Primary tag.
• Delete version: remove a version you no longer need. You cannot delete the primary version. Make another version primary first.

4. Arrange the columns

Click Columns to:

• Show or hide columns, and move them earlier or later.
• Group by Account, Category, Work package or Custom group.
• Expand all or Collapse all categories.
• Open Variables and fringes to set values the lines use.

Grouping changes how you read the budget and nothing about the lines themselves.

5. Import a budget

Click Import and choose:

• CSV file: bring lines in from a spreadsheet.
• Movie Magic (.mbx): bring in a Movie Magic Budgeting export.

Import from Movie Magic Budgeting

Movie Magic exports through a template.

1. In Import budget, click Get the template and install it where the dialog shows, then pick it in Movie Magic's export dialog.
2. Export your budget, then click Choose an export file and pick it. The file is read in your browser and is not uploaded.
3. Check the preview: Total in the file, Total ABRAM will compute and the Difference, plus What does not carry over and any Parser warnings.
4. Pick the Work package the lines belong to. Every budget line belongs to one.
5. Import. ABRAM confirms how many lines it brought in.

After an import, Compare with import in the version picker sets your budget beside what came in, so you can see what changed. It is there when the budget shows cost.

Related

• Section 3.2: Work Packages & Milestones
• Section 5.6: Quotes: an accepted quote from a request can seed a new project's budget. See Section 2.7.