UDA Construction Office

[Saslowhomes]

Hi joe;

We are looking into the UDA Construction Office again. I tried to search for it in the forum but received the following message "Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms." When I search under UDA Construction Office I get lots of hits, but nothing specific to UDA. What am I missing?

Thanks
Howard

[jstoddard]

No idea Howard - I get the same results.
I know there are some posts in here about UDA -- Brad are you listening? They've been doing some work on the forums -- who knows.

Good luck with UDA - I installed it for a review and wound up re-installing Office, and eventually Windows to get completely rid of it.

It looked to me like it had some decent templates, but I couldn't get the QB "integration" to work at all, and I still can't figure out what the workflow etc is supposed to be. The "manual" says next to nothing - I basically gave up.

To be fair about it - I don't want to write it off altogether because the template contents looked pretty good - and they were attentive and returned calls promptly, etc - but there's only so much time I can spend trying to figure out someone's software, and I have zero tolerance for stuff that causes functional problems in my test environoment. If I can't make it work here in "geek lab central" - how is anybody going to ?

I'm probably biased having written the training manual for it, but I think for an Excel/QuickBooks integration it's pretty tough to beat BuildWorks.

JLS

[Saslowhomes]

We are doing a live demo later this week. I'll let you know what we decide and will also look at Buildworks.

H

[Jim Bennett]

I like the look of BuildWorks, I just wish that it had integration with the Canadian version of Quick Books.

I am using UDA right now. I haven't tried the integration with Quick Books yet as we are just going to set up QB next week. We have been using MYOB which no longer exists here.

UDA is a memory hog. I am not a computer whiz and do not know all the reasons but when it is open and is automatically saving nothing works until it is done (and it takes a while). There is no 'undo' command, it was disabled with a few other functions in excel because of the memory issues and the huge size of the files. They claim to be working on an online version which I feel would be much better.

[rcginc]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

I like the look of BuildWorks, I just wish that it had integration with the Canadian version of Quick Books.

I am using UDA right now. I haven't tried the integration with Quick Books yet as we are just going to set up QB next week. We have been using MYOB which no longer exists here.

UDA is a memory hog. I am not a computer whiz and do not know all the reasons but when it is open and is automatically saving nothing works until it is done (and it takes a while). There is no 'undo' command, it was disabled with a few other functions in excel because of the memory issues and the huge size of the files. They claim to be working on an online version which I feel would be much better.

Jim...I purchased UDA a few weeks ago and really like it. I haven't loaded quickbooks on this new machine so I can't comment on that, but I'm having no memory issues. Then again my laptop is a Gateway S-7200c Tablet Convertible w/2GB ram, 2.1ghz processor and 80gb drive. I've got at least three spreadsheets, four word docs, UDA, Outlook, Microsoft OneNote, and a few browsers open right now and the machine is screaming along nicely.

I was given a demo of the new UDA and it is really slick. I can't wait to use it. Hopefully it will be available next month.

[LorinBoyer]

It’s been over a year since I looked at the estimating program from UDA, but this is some of the technical issues with the program that I remember. The size of the UDA estimate files are huge (over 5 megs). This is because each file has all the macros/code stored in it. This means that it takes a LONG time to save the file. A faster computer will save the file faster, but it will still take a while. While it is saving, you can’t do anything else in Excel.
The reason that there is no undo command is because anytime you change the value in a cell using a macro, excel will clear the undo list. It is a problem with Excel, not something specific to UDA.
I thought the estimating template looked nice visually. However, it was really annoying that a majority of the features/functions of Excel were disabled when using the UDA template.
Large Excel file have a tendency to become corrupted more easily. When that happens, newer versions of excel will try to recover the file and the first thing it does is delete all the macros and code. So, if a UDA estimating template every gets corrupted and is recovered by Excel, then all the macros and code will be deleted and the program won’t work anymore.
Lorin Boyer

[Mr. D.]

Originally Posted by rcginc

Jim...I purchased UDA a few weeks ago and really like it. I haven't loaded quickbooks on this new machine so I can't comment on that, but I'm having no memory issues. Then again my laptop is a Gateway S-7200c Tablet Convertible w/2GB ram, 2.1ghz processor and 80gb drive. I've got at least three spreadsheets, four word docs, UDA, Outlook, Microsoft OneNote, and a few browsers open right now and the machine is screaming along nicely.

I was given a demo of the new UDA and it is really slick. I can't wait to use it. Hopefully it will be available next month.

I just bought UDA Construction Office 2004 Pro XT. What version is the "new UDA" you got to demo?

[rcginc]

Originally Posted by Mr. D.

I just bought UDA Construction Office 2004 Pro XT. What version is the "new UDA" you got to demo?

UDA 2006 will be out in January/February. The UI rocks.

[Mr. D.]

Originally Posted by rcginc

UDA 2006 will be out in January/February. The UI rocks.

Can you tell me more?

Would you say it's a major update from 2004?
What has UDA done with the UI?
Any functional enhancements?
Can you tell me how to get a beta copy or demo?

Thanks!

[rcginc]

Originally Posted by Mr. D.

Can you tell me more?

Would you say it's a major update from 2004?
What has UDA done with the UI?
Any functional enhancements?
Can you tell me how to get a beta copy or demo?

Thanks!

If you own UDA 2004 with the premier support, call them so they can give you a web demo.

[ncbuilder]

Originally Posted by Mr. D.

Can you tell me more?

Would you say it's a major update from 2004?
What has UDA done with the UI?
Any functional enhancements?
Can you tell me how to get a beta copy or demo?

Thanks!

I'm running UDA 2004 and really have only used the Estimating and Contract sections. It has had a bunch of weak points IMO. They said they would have a 2005 when I bought a year ago. I spoke with a rep at UDA about a database driven Estimating section. IMO this is a major weak point in the package. Every time you do an estimate you have to think if it's the most up to date or if the other one was the one you changed... I'll have more than one estimate up at a time and it has become a huge issue with me. It's to the point where I put off doing estimates because of it and we all know, no estimate, no contract, no work. So I'm really down on UDA right now and have been looking for a solution as well. But it all comes back to cost and a leraning curve. And it is a HUGE memory hog...

[rcginc]

Originally Posted by ncbuilder

I'm running UDA 2004 and really have only used the Estimating and Contract sections. It has had a bunch of weak points IMO. They said they would have a 2005 when I bought a year ago. I spoke with a rep at UDA about a database driven Estimating section. IMO this is a major weak point in the package. Every time you do an estimate you have to think if it's the most up to date or if the other one was the one you changed... I'll have more than one estimate up at a time and it has become a huge issue with me. It's to the point where I put off doing estimates because of it and we all know, no estimate, no contract, no work. So I'm really down on UDA right now and have been looking for a solution as well. But it all comes back to cost and a leraning curve. And it is a HUGE memory hog...

We are having no memory problems with UDA with Excel and Word. Our estimates are not small files either. I just won a ~$600,000 job because of UDA.

[Mr. D.]

After working with UDA Construction Office XT for a few weeks, here's my take on the XT version:

The Contracts, Specifications, Financing and Planning modules are essentially Word template and macro files. I've only viewed the Contracts and Financing templates so I won't comment on them beyond saying that they apprear to be well written documents that would be very useful for a startup company or a company that needs more polished Contracts and Financing documents.

I think the Specifications modules are very good. The user can use the UDA interface to select sections from the dozens of specifications supplied. The selected specifications are assembled by UDA with a title page and table of contents. The specifications can be easily modifed by the user. This is a fast, easy way to assemble a complete set of specifications for different kinds of projects or a standard set of specifications for multiple projects of the same type, like spec homes.

The Estimating and Schedule modules are Excel templates and macros that are designed to work together and interface with Quickbooks. I began by setting up a customized Estimate Template. The user should keep in mind that the line items of the Estimate will be imported as QB Items and, if the user chooses as QB Accounts. It's also important to realize that the Estimate line items will become the line items of the UDA Schedule if the user chooses to export the Estimate to create a Schedule. Thus, you may decide, as I did, to create Estimate line items that you intend to use only for scheduling and accept that you may have dummy schedule items that are used only for Extimating.

The Estimate spreadsheet itself is very flexible. The user may choose a detail or lump sum method of estimating for each line item and each line item may have any number of sub-tasks or material items (another issue to keep in mind since every sub-task or material item will also be a QB Item when imported). UDA Estimating does not come with a cost database. A recent press release in Professional Builder stated one was coming with the next upgrade due in the first quarter of 2006. However, the user can avoid inputting the same unit cost for each estimate by saving the units costs in the template.

After completing an Estimate Template, I exported the Estimate to a Schedule and created a custom Schedule Template by adding durations and dependencies. When a completed UDA Estimate is "sync'd" with a UDA Schedule the user gets a Gnatt Chart displaying the estimated cost for each line item. The UDA Schedule is updated by overtyping the start and completion dates for an item. Recalculating the schedule and charts does take a few seconds even with a high end processor. However, though there is a noticable delay, it was not so long as to annoy me.

QB Integration is really an import process. When an Estimate is completed, the program takes the user through a process of importing the estimate to QB creating QB Jobs & Customers, QB Accounts, QB Items, QB Estimates and if selected, QB Budgets. Changes in a UDA Estimate and each subsequent UDA Estimate must be imported to QB. Therefore, it's critical to assure that templates are used to avoid the creation of multiple items of the same type (Framing Labor or Labor: Framing for example).

UDA Document Management is a feature that I really appreciate and I think saves time and reduces the possibility of error. By using UDA Reports and Document Management, the user can create Work Orders, Purchase Orders, Requests for Quotes, Requests for Prices, Memos, Transmittals, Fax Covers, letters, and so on. For example, I can highlight a schedule item or multiple schedule items, click Reports, Create Work Order and a Work Order Template comes up in Word. I select the vendor from a drop down menu and a Job from a drop down menu and all the necessary information on the Vendor, Job and schedule Task(s) is filled in on the Work Order for me. I can either print the Work Order and fax it or email it directly from the program. I've enetered directions to the job site and a summary of options in UDA Project Information, so that information is on the Work Order too.

Though I've read here about memory usage, I experienced no memory issues with UDA.

Obviously, UDA focuses more on the "back office" than on accounting. Though I've never used Master Builder of CHS, my impression is that both are very different types of programs. That's my opinion, your mileage may vary.

[jstoddard]

Good review "D". That's helpful input.
JLS

[JimNeu]

Mr. D: I have been contemplating the purchase of UDA mostly for the Seecifications. Your analysis is very helpful. Although you left out the all important question: Would you buy it all over again? Jim Neufeld