Step 1: Prepare an Excel Sheet with your WBS

We need to start out with preparing an Excel Sheet that has the following columns:

  • SystemID – this is the name of the system you want to create and should be same for all rows in the Excel
  • PostID – this column will hold the ID of the various weight groups
  • Description – this column holds the description of the weight group
  • PostOver – this column should have the ID of the parent group
  • Sort (optional) – used to add numbers to force a specific order within a level.  If not used, the groups will be sorted alpanumerical.
  • Icon (optional) – used to add a number to specify a specific icon to be related to the group.

Some special considerations:

  • The topnode needs to have PostID set to DISP (unless otherwise specified in the system setup window, see later in this document) and should have a blank field for the PostOver column.
  • Every level of weight groups that is supposed to be used for parametric estimation (often all without loads and reserve groups), should have a “Remainder” group as the last group in that level.  A remainder group has a PostID that ends with the letter “R”.

The below shows a small sample of a prepared SWBS in Excel.
 

Step 2: Start ShipWeight and Log on


Start ShipWeight and log in to ShipWeight using the user name “Administrator” and password “admin”. 

The system will be default be set to “Standard”.

Step 3: Open up the System Database Creation window

Open up the System Database window by go to the menu Database->Administrator->System Databases…

 

 

Step 4: Make a copy of one of the existing WBS structures:

Select the row named “Standard” in the System Database window and then click on the “Copy” button.

 

Type in the ID for the new system you want to make in the pop-up window.  Note that this ID will have to be the same as the one you have in the SystemID column in the spreadsheet.

Then click OK.

 

Step 5: Edit the new WBS structure

A new line will now appear in the System Database window, with the new system ID.  This is now a copy of the standard system.  We will now edit this to make it into the new system.   Select the new line and click the “Edit” button as shown on next page.

A window with the system database tables will show up.  Here select the “POST” table by selecting it from the droplist in the lower left corner of this window.  Next, select the small square at the upper left corner of the table to select all rows (our right-click in the table and select “Select all” from the submenu).

Hit the “Delete” button to delete all rows in this table.

 

Now, copy the table from you Excel sheet with the work breakdown structure and paste it into the now empty “POST” table in this view (do not copy headers).

Finally, select the “POST_MAINMET” table, select all rows in this table and delete them.

Repeat the same (delete rows) also for the “POST_MET” table.  Then close this window.

Step 5: Restart ShipWeight with the new Structure

Now you are read to also close the System Database window and also close down ShipWeight (menu: Project->Exit) and restart ShipWeight with your new system.

When you restart ShipWeight, select your new system from the “System” droplist in the Login window.   Log on with username “Administrator” and password “admin”.