Using the Materials Database in Forms, Boards, and Workflows
🧾 Using the Materials Database in Forms, Boards, and Workflows
Overview
Ontraccr’s Materials Database isn’t just for tracking — it directly powers your forms, boards, and workflows. By linking material tables to documents like work orders, daily logs, and purchase orders, you can build estimates, track consumption, and trigger automation.
This guide walks you through how the materials database integrates across the platform and how to configure it.
🧩 Where Materials Show Up
Materials from your database can be accessed in any of the following:
- Boards (e.g., work orders, change orders)
- Forms (e.g., daily logs, purchase orders)
- Custom workflows
Anywhere you use a table field with the data type set to Materials, you can pull from your live materials database.
➕ How Material Tables Work
When you add a material table field to a form or board:
- Click Add Material inside the table.
- A pop-up will appear showing your Materials Database snapshot.
- Users can:
- Search for items
- Select materials or assemblies
- Populate rows in the table
📌 The same data (pricing, description, labor, etc.) pulls in from the master material.
🔄 Where This Is Useful
- Quoting: Pull items with prices and labor to generate instant estimates.
- Field tracking: Technicians select materials they used on the job.
- Job costing: Automatically update budget lines with real usage.
🔁 Workflow Integration: “Update Cost” and “Update Budget”
If your workflow contains Update Cost or Update Budget steps:
- It can pull line items from the material table on a form.
- Automatically add them to the project budget or progress page.
📌 Use Case: Add used materials to a project's consumption log just by submitting a form.
🧠 Real Examples
- A work order pulls items directly from your database for quoting.
- A purchase order form adds newly bought items into inventory.
- A daily log deducts wire or materials from truck inventory via material table.