Request a demo
LOG IN
Request a demo
LOG IN
  1. Home
  2. Knowledge Base
  3. Reporting and cost tracking
  4. How to create and manage cost allocation sets

How to create and manage cost allocation sets

What you can do

Create and manage cost allocation sets to control what information shop floor users must specify when they pick or return items. Each set defines its own steps, value types, values, and hierarchy, so spending can be tracked per machine, operation, work order, or any other cost carrier.

A set is built from three layers. The steps decide which questions the operator answers and in what order, the values are the answers available for each step, and the hierarchy decides which values can follow which.

Diagram of a cost allocation set structure in three layers: four step cards showing step type, value type, physical location and required, each pointing to its stored values (hierarchy values, list values, or none for a text step), and below a hierarchy chain from Root to the production value Alfa to the machine value Machine 320, with optional restrictions on items, users and user groups
How a set fits together. The steps are the questions and their order, the values are the answers each step offers, and the hierarchy decides which value may follow which. This is an example set — a real one can mix Hierarchy, List and Text steps in any order.

Before you start

Important: When cost allocation is turned on, at least one set must exist. The system will not allow you to remove the last set.

Quick start

Experienced users build a set in 6 steps:

  1. Create the set in Data management > Cost allocation.
  2. Define the steps and their value types in the General information tab.
  3. Add the values for each List and Hierarchy step in the Values tab.
  4. Build the hierarchy by dragging values into the tree.
  5. Restrict items and users on hierarchy values where needed.
  6. Assign the set to stocks or devices.

Need more detail? Follow the full steps below.

Steps

Step 1 – Create a cost allocation set

  1. Navigate to Data management > Cost allocation.
  2. Click New set.
  3. Give the set a unique Set ID and Name. Both must be unique.

The list shows every set with its name, set ID, and number of steps, so you can see at a glance how complex each one is.

The Cost allocation sets list in the Admin Portal with red callouts marking the Cost allocation menu item under Data management and the New set button, above a grid of two sets showing name, set ID and number of steps
(1) Cost allocation under Data management, and (2) New set. The grid below lists the existing sets — here a one-step default set and a three-step demo set.

The set ID is used as the reference in Excel import/export and in the API. Once created, a set can be selected as a stock’s default CA set (Manage stocks) or assigned directly on a device (Manage devices).

Step 2 – Define the structure and steps

The structure defines what additional information the user must specify during each pick – one step is one question. Set up the structure in the General information tab of the set detail.

The Demo Set cost allocation set in the Admin Portal with red callouts marking the set ID and name, the CA steps toolbar, and the CA steps grid listing three hierarchy steps named Machine, Project and Operation with their required, validated and is-physical flags
The structure of a set: (1) the set’s ID and name, (2) the toolbar that adds, reorders, and removes steps, and (3) the steps themselves. This set asks three questions in order — Machine, then Project, then Operation.

  1. Add up to 8 steps (levels) with New level.
  2. For each step, select a Step type (the purpose of the step) and a Value type (how the user selects the information).
  3. Mark one step as the physical location: select it in the list and click Set as physical.
  4. Reorder steps with Move up and Move down, and remove them with Remove level.

The Cost allocation step pane for the Machine step with red callouts marking the Step type dropdown, the Physical location checkbox and the Value dropdown, next to the IS PHYSICAL column of the CA steps grid
A single step: (1) its Step type, (2) the Physical location flag that shows up as IS PHYSICAL in the grid on the left, and (3) its Value type.

Step type offers ten purposes: Component, Department, Machine, Operation, Order, Organization, Production cell, Project, Site, and Work order. Value offers three types – Hierarchy, Text, and List – and each one exposes different options.

Hierarchy step

Option Function
Upload picture Uploads a default picture for the step, shown on SFI during CA selection. Save the step before uploading.
Remove picture Erases the uploaded default picture from the step.

Hierarchy steps are always marked as required.

List step

Option Function
Upload picture Uploads a default picture for the step, shown on SFI during CA selection. Save the step before uploading.
Remove picture Erases the uploaded default picture from the step.
Required Specifies whether the step can be skipped during CA selection on SFI.

Text step

Option Function
Required Specifies whether the step can be skipped during CA selection on SFI.
Validated If checked, only allowed values are accepted. The flow cannot proceed until the user enters a valid value on SFI.
Min length Minimum length of the value entered on SFI.
Max length Maximum length of the value entered on SFI.

Note: You can reorder steps after creating them, but hierarchy step order is locked once any hierarchy is defined, and steps cannot be deleted while a hierarchy exists. A step-level default picture is shown for all values of List and Hierarchy steps unless a value has its own picture.

Step 3 – Add cost allocation values

To manage values, open the Values tab in the set detail and select a CA step from the Step type dropdown to show its units. Only List and Hierarchy steps appear.

The Values tab of a cost allocation set with red callouts marking the Step type filter, the edit, new and delete value buttons, and the CA values grid listing machine values with their step, level, value type and active flag
(1) the Step type filter, (2) the value toolbar, and (3) the values themselves. Each row shows which step the value belongs to, its level, and whether it is active. The thumbnails are per-value pictures.

The toolbar options are:

Option Function
Edit Opens the detail of the selected value.
New value Creates a new value for the selected step.
Remove value Deletes the selected unit. A unit defined in the hierarchy cannot be deleted.
Selection mode Switches between single and multi-select to work with several values at once.

When a unit detail is open, set its General information:

Option Function
Type Sets the step this unit belongs to. The step must already exist.
Value The value shown to the user during CA selection and stored for pick and return transactions.
Active Sets whether the unit can be selected during CA selection.
Cost carrier Complementary information stored with the value for pick and return transactions.

You can also set a per-value icon (PNG or JPEGs), which overrides the step-level picture, or remove it to fall back to the step picture.

Step 4 – Build the hierarchy

Hierarchy management appears on the Values tab when at least one Hierarchy step exists. The left side lists all List and Hierarchy values; the right side shows the relation tree, starting from the Root node.

  1. Prepare the hierarchy steps and create their values.
  2. Drag a value from the list into the tree. The system highlights valid drop positions. Start with the lowest step-level values and drop them on Root.
  3. Continue with higher-level values, assigning each to its parent.
  4. Dragging a value within the tree copies it – along with its child relations and restrictions – to the drop location.

The CA hierarchy panel with red callouts marking the Expand all button and a fully expanded branch showing the machine ABB containing project PO-TEST-2025-0018 containing operations OP 10 and OP 11
(1) Expand all opens the whole tree, and (2) shows one finished branch: the machine ABB holds project PO-TEST-2025-0018, which holds operations OP 10 and OP 11. An operator picking against ABB can only choose the projects and operations that sit underneath it.

Warning: Values can only be dropped into positions allowed by the step order. Values from two steps selected in multi-select mode cannot be dropped into the hierarchy.

Tools for working inside the hierarchy:

Option Function
Expand all Expands the full hierarchy.
Collapse all Collapses the hierarchy to the first level.
Restrict Opens a pane to restrict the items and users available when this value is selected.
Remove Removes the value (and its child relations and restrictions) from the hierarchy. The value definition itself is not deleted.

You can search the whole tree (case-insensitive, white space acts as a wildcard). Matches are selected and expanded, and navigation buttons step between multiple hits and show the total count.

Step 5 – Restrict items and users

Select a place in the hierarchy and click Restrict. The pane that opens is named after the value you selected and carries three tabs – Items, Users, and User groups.

The restriction pane for the hierarchy value ABB with red callouts marking the Restrict button in the hierarchy toolbar and the Items, Users and User groups tabs
(1) Restrict in the hierarchy toolbar opens (2) the restriction tabs for the selected value. An empty Items tab, as here, means every item can be picked against ABB.

Item restrictions

The Items tab lists items that can be picked when this value is selected. If no items are specified, all items can be picked. If restrictions also exist on parent levels, the intersection of all of them applies. An icon in the tree marks where item restrictions are defined. Use the toolbar to assign a new item or remove a selected one.

Note: Changes to item restrictions can take several minutes before they apply.

User and user group restrictions

The Users and User groups tabs list the users and user groups allowed to select this value. If none are specified, no restriction applies. If restrictions exist on parent levels, the intersection applies. An icon in the tree marks where user restrictions are defined. Use the toolbar to assign or remove a user or user group.

Note: Changes to user restrictions can take several minutes before they apply.

Step 6 – Assign the set to stocks or devices

Select the set as the default CA set on a stock (Manage stocks), or assign it directly on a device (Manage devices). Each device always uses a single set.

Success: The set appears in Data management > Cost allocation with its steps, values, and hierarchy defined, and the devices that use it prompt for those steps during picking and returning on the Shop Floor Interface.

Troubleshooting

Problem Likely cause Fix
The last set cannot be deleted Cost allocation is turned on, which requires at least one set Turn off cost allocation in System settings first, or keep at least one set
A step cannot be reordered or deleted A hierarchy is already defined Remove the hierarchy relations first, then change the step order or delete the step
A value cannot be deleted The unit is used in the hierarchy Remove the value from the hierarchy first, then delete the value definition
Restricted items or users still appear Restriction changes are not applied instantly Wait a few minutes – item and user restriction changes take time to apply
A value cannot be dropped into the hierarchy The drop position breaks the step order, or two steps are multi-selected Drop values only into highlighted positions, and avoid multi-selecting values from two different steps
A step is missing from the Step type dropdown on the Values tab The step is a Text step, which has no predefined values Only List and Hierarchy steps hold values – Text steps are typed in on SFI instead
Was this article helpful?

Related Articles

Need Support?

Can't find the answer you're looking for?
Contact Support