Before any data is sent to the sales center, verify each step within this section.
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Note |
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BuilderMT does not recommend implementing a sales center application prior to implementing WMS. The data should be established following WMS standards rather than those of the sales center. |
Ensure that certain fields in the Estimating database do NOT contain any special characters such as <, &, >, %, $, ( ), #, single or double apostrophes, accented "e" such as in "décor," etc. One character that BuilderMT identified as particularly problematic is a curly apostrophe, ASCII character 198. Dashes, periods, and slashes are not considered special characters.
The rules for special characters are as follows:
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Sage Timberline Estimating Data |
Allow Special Characters? |
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Group Phase Number |
No |
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Group Assembly Number* |
No |
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Assembly Number* |
No |
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Phase Number |
No |
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Item Number |
No |
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Material Class |
No |
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Group Phase Description |
Yes |
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Phase Description |
Yes |
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Assembly Description |
Yes |
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Item Description |
Yes |
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* These fields are the only ones that write to the .XML file that is sent to the sales center, if using integration. Phase, item, and material class codes are only used in WMS by Purchasing, Cost Management, and sales worksheets. |
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In addition to following the rules above, do not have extra spaces at the end of any numbers. Consistent group assembly and assembly (i.e., model and option) numbering and consistent usage of capitalization is good practice in general. Also, item numbering established in Estimating should be set up to correspond with the last four digits of the Job Cost cost code. Do not lead with zeroes.
If special characters exist in fields that do not allow those characters, when replicating with WMS, an error will likely occur and replication will halt. Special characters in the wrong fields can also trigger the "SQL error: invalid token at..." error that can occur in WMS when reading in an estimate, importing/exporting costs, or generating POs and budgets. If special characters for either the Group Assembly Number or Assembly Number fields end up in the .XML file going to the sales center, it is likely the sales center application will generate an error when that file is imported.
Ideally, the Estimating database should be the origin of all the standard options for the sales center. For example, if the sales center wants standard cabinets to show on the contract, an option should exist in WMS for that option, originating from Estimating. If the database has major inconsistencies or incomplete data, it is recommended to clean up the data to help prevent issues down the road once the sales center is introduced.
Before Proceeding with the Sales Center Integration, Phase Release Builders should ensure that the Phase Release Setup has been performed to accommodate Sales Center requirements.
Also, verify the following:
No plans or options should be selected for Jobs in the Phase Release screen. The plan and option for each job will be sent from the Sales Center.
In WMS Integration > Timberline Accounting > Accounting DB Settings > Timberline Accounting Configuration tab click the 
to verify the following settings:
If the client has more than one company in WMS, BuilderMT recommends setting up individual accounts in the respective sales center to help keep the data separate. This helps reduce the potential of having data cross companies in the sales center. This is not required, rather recommended.
Many issues surrounding sales center integration arise from not following BuilderMT recommended “best practice” use of WMS. First, customers should be adequately trained on their respective sales center application and understand its integration with WMS. Additionally, WMS needs to be properly configured to support the customer’s sales center application. For more information about verifying WMS settings, see the Sales Center Troubleshooting section in this help file.
Required fields for Builder 1440 are highlighted in yellow, (for the most part they are consistent with what Sales Simplicity requires).
Prior to creating the .XML file in WMS to send to the sales center, follow these steps:
Perform a database replication from Sage Timberline® Office Estimating to WMS (Integration > Timberline Estimating > Replicate Estimating).
Verify the company settings are complete and correct in the Setup > Company > General > Information tab. All of the company fields highlighted in yellow must be completed for both sales centers.
If WMS contains multiple companies and consequently multiple databases (wms.fdb files), and multiple companies in WMS will transfer to the sales center, verify that duplicated division IDs do not exist across the multiple companies. For additional information about duplicated division IDs, see the Troubleshooting section in this help file.
Verify the sales center’s configuration tab in Company settings. For example, Setup > Company > Sales Center Integration > Sales Center B1440 tab. Required fields for either sales center include Address,Port,User Name,Password,Verify and Builder Code.
Verify the division settings are complete and correct in the Setup> Divisions tab. All of the division fields highlighted in yellow must be completed.
Verify areas are set up properly in WMS in Setup > Areas. View address information by double-clicking the area, then verifying it is filled out correctly and completely. Required fields for Builder 1440 (highlighted in yellow), include Area Description, Area Number, Division, Address, City, State, Zip and County.
Verify that the area is assigned a sales code in the Sales Center tab found in Setup > Areas. The sales code MUST be unique for each area, and contain a maximum of four characters. This is a required field for both sales centers.
Verify the settings for integration in the Setup > Divisions > Sales Center Integration tab. Required fields for Builder 1440 include the Lot Availability Threshold, Inbound and Outbound File Folders. The Lot Premium Mapping is optional, but recommended.
Verify jobs are set up properly in WMS in Setup > Jobs. Verify that the job is assigned to a valid area.
Verify the job information includes the following items in Setup > Jobs:
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Required Fields for Builder1440 These Fields Must Contain Data |
Required Fields for Sales Simplicity These Fields Must Contain Data |
*These are required by WMS in order to send to 1440, however 1440 does not require them. |
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Verify the lot premium mapping is configured correctly, if it will be used (i.e., the right option is mapped between Sage Timberline Estimating and WMS). See the Setup > Division > Sales Center Integration > Lot Premium Mapping topic for more information.
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Note |
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If the builder decides not to use lot premium mapping when implementing a sales center, it can be set up for use at a later time. However, only jobs going forward will use the lot premium mapping, (it is not retroactive). |
In Sales Pricing, verify that the Plan Types, Option Types, and Option Categories screens are complete and that the data there is not subject to change (especially removal). Once data is sent to the sales center, changes to this information can cause problems.
Verify that the models/options are assigned option types and option categories in the Master Models/Options screen. The Plan/Option Type, Option Category, and Scopefields are required by Builder 1440, and are derived from the Models/Options by Community screen. It is important that the option types and option category are completed correctly.
The Cutoff Phasefield is recommended, and is also derived from the Models/Options by Community screen.
Required fields for Builder 1440 are highlighted in yellow; optional (but recommended) fields are highlighted in pink.
Verify the necessary information is set up in the Sales Pricing > Models/Options by Community screen. Required fields for Builder 1440 include the Send to Sales Center checkbox for each model/option, Next Selling Price, andMarket Value Price. These are highlighted in yellow; optional items are highlighted in green.
In the Models/Option by Community screen, verify that the Send to Sales Center checkboxes are selected.
Determine the pricing strategy to use; default sales prices and worksheet-calculated prices should not be mixed in most cases.
Create sales worksheets, re-cost options if necessary, then save the changes. After all costs are entered correctly, press the Update Selling Prices button in the Sales Worksheets screen. As a result, new selling prices appear in the Models/Options by Community screen’s Next Selling Price column.
NOTE: If using master level pricing, market value prices can be entered in the Master Models/Options screen, which also populate the Models/Options by Community screen. No sales worksheets are required if this strategy is used.
Confirm the data was successfully received and processed as soon as possible after sending to the sales center. It is important that the processing of data on both sides happens regularly (daily, in a lot of cases), in order to keep data in synch and up-to-date. Frequent interaction also helps to identify and resolve issues early should any arise.
If the company currently has jobs previously started using estimates that came from Sage Timberline Estimating, it is recommended to continue using estimates in the same manner. Do not bring in configurations from the sales center for jobs that were already started in Estimating. This can cause duplication of information, such as two base houses. Finish the jobs using the original workflow.
Replicate with Sage Timberline Estimating often. Ideally, use Estimating as the only source for estimates*. (See the Note following these steps.)
When working in one division, it is recommended to send to the sales center when finished before switching to work in another division.
Send to and retrieve from the sales center often! Frequent file transfers keeps data on both sides up-to-date, reduces the amount of information to process, and helps bring light to issues early if any should arise. Have end-users in the sales center confirm that data was successfully received.
Do not do a “Send All” if there are updates in the sales update log. First make sure those updates are sent.
Process .XML files in order as received from the sales center.
When working with configurations sent from the sales center in the Approve Sales Contracts screen, accept/reject items in order.
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Note |
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If it is absolutely necessary to create a custom option in the sales center, (i.e., there isn’t an immediate way to have that estimate come from Sage Timberline Estimating), it is recommended that the sales person do the following: For B1440, the sales person should first obtain approval to create a custom option. Next, an estimator should provide a name of the estimate to the sales person, who should enter that name in the Bid ID field (ex: baywindow.pee). That information will flow to Sales Pricing for completion. |
Introduction to Sales Pricing Integration
Sales Center Software Requirements
Sales Simplicity and BuilderMT Data Hierarchy
Sales Center Features Not Supported in WMS
Sales Center Integration Options