Model builders can sum up line items into a parent.

When you select a parent for a line item, a formula is entered into the Formula column, and the Is Summary option is selected.

For example, the Total Expenses line item is the parent of the General Expenses and Employee Expenses line items.

Line itemFormulaParentIs Summary
General Expenses
Total Expenses
Employee Expenses
Total Expenses
Total ExpensesGeneral Expenses + Employee Expenses

Change the parent of a line item

To change the parent of a line item:

  1. Select Modules in the model settings bar.
  2. Select the module that contains the line items you want to manage, then select Open.
  3. Select Blueprint .
  4. Deselect Is Summary for the current line item that is set as the parent.
  5. Select Is Summary for the new parent line item.

Example

The example below demonstrates how to change the parent of the General Expenses and Employee Expenses line items, without affecting the formula for Total Expenses.

The table below reflects the line items before changes are made:

Line itemFormulaParentIs Summary
General Expenses
Total Expenses
Employee Expenses
Total Expenses
Total ExpensesGeneral Expenses + Employee Expenses
Mailing Expenses
Other Expenses
Other Expenses


The table shows the result of the change:

Line itemsFormulaParentIs Summary
General Expenses
Other Expenses
Employee Expenses
Other Expenses
Total ExpensesGeneral Expenses + Employee Expenses

Mailing Expenses
Other Expenses
Other ExpensesGeneral Expenses + Employee Expenses

Follow the procedures below to recreate the table above:

  1. Type the sum General Expenses + Employee Expenses in the Formula column for the Other Expenses line item. You can copy this from Total Expenses.
  2. Deselect Is Summary for Total Expenses. This removes the parent from General Expenses and Employee Expenses.
  3. Select Is Summary for the new parent, Other Expenses. The parent for General Expenses and Employee Expenses automatically changes to Other Expenses.

Line items with more than one parent

Line items can be part of multiple hierarchies with more than one parent. 

For example, the Vehicle Maintenance line item can have Total Vehicle Costs and Total Maintenance Costs as parents. The Parent column enables you to choose a parent for the item in a particular context.