Data Structure

At the heart of Cobra's flexibility is relational database technology, which allows information, once entered, to be used and reused in a variety of ways. This approach provides efficiency in collecting data and power and flexibility in manipulating and analyzing the data.

Furthermore, Cobra avoids the traditional trade-offs of systems based on relational databases: choosing between storing vast amounts of data at low levels of detail (which makes summarization costly in terms of computing resources) and storing information at higher levels (which prevents users from seeing data at the detail level).

Cobra stores data at the lowest level of detail and using carefully validated roll-up structures, consolidates data at the desired level for reporting. The user controls both the roll-up structures and the level of summarization.

The price of this flexibility is, of course, greater user responsibility, especially in the planning of a cost management system using Cobra. A Cobra user must consider each major feature of the system, with an eye to producing the reports that various levels of management need.

Related Topics:

  • Code Files
    Typically, the first step a project manager must take is to define the scope of the project. In Cobra, this is accomplished using hierarchical coding systems designed for reporting at different levels of detail. These hierarchical coding systems are known as code files.
  • Control Accounts and Work Packages
    The design of any earned value system must focus on the points at which a piece of work is defined, scheduled, budgeted, and tracked. These represent natural control points for cost and schedule planning. Throughout Cobra, these control points are referred to as control accounts and, at a lower level, work packages.
  • Classes and Cost Sets
    User-defined classes and cost sets let you set up multiple budgets for a project, track actual costs using different criteria, and maintain information about commitments, funding, change orders, and so on, over the life of the project.
Parent Topic: Cobra Overview