A snapshot is a static view of the project status relative to a specific point in time known as the Cut-Off Date. The snapshot will contain all project activities and any connected objects with their reported cost/revenue and progress.
Depending on the requirement of details or the existing facts the snapshot can be created in three different ways:
This activity is used to create a snapshot and connect it directly to the selected budget/forecast version and it also enables the connection of an already created snapshot to the selected budget/forecast version. The Accounting Period and Snapshot Date fields inherit the Cut-Off Accounting Period and Cut-Off Accounting Date values respectively as defined on the forecast version. Latest snapshot version, accounting period, date and time will be updated on the forecast version and if a snapshot existed on the selected forecast version the old snapshot information will be removed and the new snapshot information will be displayed. Any snapshot created with the same cut-off date can be connected to the budget/forecast version.
When the snapshot is connected to the forecast, the matching process tries to find an exact match (the combination of relevant activity/cost element/Code Part information) between the snapshot lines and the forecast lines in order to add the snapshot values to the forecasted values. If no match is found a line with a warning triangle in front of it will be added to the forecast, displaying the values that are not forecasted. If you wish to enter an ETC value on these lines a new forecast line with appropriate sub project/activity/cost element/code part values (depending on the required level of matching) from the snapshot line needs to be entered. When this is done the application will match the snapshot line with the new forecasted line and the ETC value can be edited.
It is also possible to create a snapshot and connect it directly to an EAC Workbench, the same way it is connected to a forecast version. Latest snapshot version, accounting period, date and time will be updated on the forecast version connected to the EAC Workbench. After connecting the snapshot to the EAC Workbench, if no match is found a line with a warning triangle in front of it will be added to the EAC Workbench, displaying the values that are not forecasted. If you wish to enter an Estimated Future Commitment(EFC) value on these lines, a new forecast line with appropriate sub project/activity/cost element/code part values (depending on the required level of matching) from the snapshot line needs to be entered. When this is done the application will match the snapshot line with the new forecasted line and the EFC value can be edited.
When a snapshot has been connected to a forecast or an EAC Workbench it is thereafter possible to disconnect it or replace it with a new snapshot.