Creating a new VPE
The VPE Manager allows you to create a new VPE by copying an existing VPE, or by creating a new VPE from scratch and then adding process groups manually, or by creating an overlay VPE...
Note: aPriori strongly recommends that you create overlays when you need to create a new VPE. Since overlay VPEs can inherit values from their parents, they are much easier to maintain. This approach is also much preferable with recent developments in aPriori Cost Models and the introduction of Regional Data Libraries. The older methods of creating standalone VPEs from scratch or copying them from existing VPEs are covered below, but the preferred method of creating overlay VPEs is covered in detail in the following section: Working with Overlay (“Inherited”) VPEs.
Note: When creating VPEs, do NOT use hyphens, slashes, or ampersands (-, /, &) in the file names.
To create a new VPE
1 If the VPE Toolset is not already open, click Tools > VPE Toolset.
2 Select File > New VPE from the VPE Manager menu bar to display the New VPE window.
3 Enter a unique name for the new VPE and click OK to create the VPE and open it the aPriori VPE Manager.
4 Optionally click the top entry in the navigation pane (the new VPE name) and scroll to the bottom of the screen. Enter a unique type name for this VPE. Although optional, this may be useful for creating Access Control statements to determine who has or does not have access to this VPE. For example, you may want to ensure that only European users have access to this new VPE. By creating a type called “VPE_EU_ONLY”, a System Administrator could use the Permissions tab to create a rule that prohibits North American users from accessing this VPE. (The default VPE Type for basic aPriori-provided VPEs is “Regional Data Libraries”.)
5 Optionally edit any of the other fields on this page to reflect the requirements of this new VPE.
6 Right-click the VPE, select Add ProcessGroup from the context menu, and select the process group you want to add to display the Select baseline version window.
7 Select the version of the cost model to use for the process group and click OK to add the process group to the VPE.
We recommend that you select the most recent version (that is, the one with the highest number), unless you know that you want to use an older version.
8 Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each process group you want to add.
9 When done, click the Publish icon (
) to save your changes.
) to save your changes.To make a standalone copy of a VPE
1 If the VPE Toolset is not already open, click Tools > VPE Toolset.
2 Select File > Copy VPE > Disassociate from Source VPE (copy-only)...
3 From the Select VPE window, select the VPE to copy and click Copy.
4 Enter a unique name for the new VPE and click OK.
5 In the Select Process Groups window, select each process group you want to include (or use the Select/Deselect All checkbox) and click OK.
6 When done, click the Publish icon () to save your changes.
) to save your changes.