User Guide
This stage covers two things: turning an approved, funded Quote into a live Contract, and then looking after that Contract day to day — funding it, invoicing against it, and attaching files. A few related steps also happen automatically; those are explained at the end.
What you can do in this stage
Task | What it's for |
|---|
Convert a Quote to a Contract | Turn an approved, funded Quote into a live Contract, copying its funding lines. |
Manage a Contract | Create a brand-new contract, or clone an existing one and copy its funding lines. |
Fund a Contract | Split the contract amount across one or more fund sources, by dollar amount or percentage. |
Manage Invoices | View, edit and add invoices against a contract and track the remaining balance. |
Attach Files | Add documents to a contract, invoice or quote (they are shared to the database automatically). |
Converting a Quote to a Contract
What this tool does
This tool turns an approved, funded Quote into a live Contract on the database. It copies the key details and the funding lines (Fund Source Uses) from the Quote onto a Contract, so you don't have to retype anything. If the database already has one or more live Contracts (status New or Active), the tool first asks whether you want to update one of those Contracts with this Quote's funding or create a brand-new Contract. Either way, any other New or Active Contracts on the database are set to Completed, so only one Contract stays current.
Getting started
Open the Quote you want to convert, then launch the Convert to Contract tool from that Quote. The tool opens in a window on top of the record and walks you through these steps:
Screen | What you do there |
1. Contract choice | Appears only if the database already has live (New or Active) Contracts. Choose to update an existing Contract or create a new one; if updating, pick which Contract. |
2. Review / Merge | Check and edit the Contract's details and choose which funding lines to carry over. Click Create Contract (new) or Update Contract (existing). |
3. Done | A confirmation tells you what was created or updated. Click Finish. |
Golden rule
Nothing is created or changed until you click Create Contract (for a new Contract) or Update Contract (for an existing one). If you close the window before finishing, no Contract is made or changed and nothing on your Quote changes -- so it is always safe to back out. Keep in mind that finishing will set any other New or Active Contracts on the database to Completed, so only one Contract stays current.
Step 1 - Contract Choice Screen (only if the database has live Contracts)
You'll see this screen only when the Quote's database already has one or more Contracts that are still New or Active. It is headed Existing Contracts Found and reminds you that, either way, any other New or Active Contracts on the database will be set to Completed. Under What do you want to do?, choose one option:
- Update an existing Contract: a table titled Existing Contracts on this Database appears, listing each Contract's Name, Status, Start Date, End Date and Amount. Select exactly one Contract, then click Next to open the Merge Review Screen (Step 2b).
- Create a new Contract: click Next to open the Review Screen (Step 2a) and build a brand-new Contract from the Quote.
If the database has no New or Active Contracts, this screen is skipped and you go straight to the Review Screen.
Step 2a - Review Screen (creating a new Contract)
The screen is headed "Review and edit the new Contract." At the top it shows, for reference, the Database, the Contract Name, and the Vendor pulled from the Quote. Everything below was copied from the Quote -- edit anything you want to change before creating the Contract.
Contract Details
Field | What to enter |
Contract Amount | The total amount, copied from the Quote. Adjust if needed. |
Contract Term | Pick the term from the dropdown (for example, the contract length option). |
Contract Start Date | The date the Contract begins. |
Contract Status | Choose from the dropdown. Setting it to Active makes the Contract show in the Current Contract section on the database. New or In Progress puts it in the In Progress section of the Contract/Funding tab instead. |
Contract End Date | The date the Contract ends. |
Special Terms | Any special terms text. Optional. |
Description | A free-text description. Optional. |
None of these fields is required, but it's best to confirm the amount, dates, term and status before continuing. The Contract Status dropdown offers three choices -- New, In Progress or Active.
Database Renewal Information
This section shows the database's renewal dates (such as the renewal start, non-renewal deadline, renewal date and expiration date) for reference. These come from the database record and are shown to give you context -- you normally just read them.
Fund Source Uses
This table lists the funding lines from the Quote -- Name, Amount, Funding % and Funding Date. All Fund Source Uses are selected (checked) by default and will be copied to the new Contract. To leave one off the Contract, deselect (uncheck) its row.
- If the Quote had no Fund Source Uses, the screen tells you so, and the new Contract is created without any funding lines.
When the details look right, click Create Contract at the bottom of the screen.
Step 2b - Merge Review Screen (updating an existing Contract)
You'll see this screen instead of the Review Screen when you chose to update an existing Contract. It is headed "Update Existing Contract" and shows the Contract you picked, its database and its current status. The fields below start from that Contract's current values (not the Quote's) -- edit anything that should change. Contract Details and Database Renewal Information work the same as on the Review Screen, and the Contract Status dropdown again offers New, In Progress or Active.
Because you are combining an existing Contract with the Quote, this screen has two funding tables:
- Fund Source Uses already on this Contract: every line is kept by default. Deselect a row to mark it No Longer Used -- nothing is deleted; deselected lines stay on the Contract with the No Longer Used box checked.
- Fund Source Uses from this Quote: every line will be added to the Contract by default. Deselect a row to leave it off.
When everything looks right, click Update Contract at the bottom of the screen.
Step 3 - What you'll see when it finishes
The Success screen confirms what happened. Depending on the path you took, you'll see one or more of these messages:
- New Contract: "Success! A new Contract was created from Quote [name], and the Fund Source Uses you kept were copied to it."
- Updated Contract: "Success! The existing Contract [name] was updated, and the Fund Source Uses you kept from Quote [name] were added to it."
- Other Contracts: if the database had other live Contracts, a line confirms they were set to Completed and are no longer marked as current.
- Retired funding lines: if you deselected any funding lines on the existing Contract, a line confirms they were marked No Longer Used and were not deleted.
Click Finish to close the tool. You'll land on the new or updated Contract record.
If something goes wrong (for example the Quote couldn't be loaded or the Contract record type couldn't be found), an error screen appears asking you to contact your administrator. Click Finish to return; no Contract is created in that case.
What the conversion creates or changes
- Creates a new Contract on the same database (Faculty Resource) as the Quote, or updates the existing Contract you selected.
- Copies the funding lines (Fund Source Uses) you kept from the Quote onto that Contract.
- On the update path, marks any funding lines you deselected on the existing Contract as No Longer Used -- they are kept on the Contract, not deleted.
- Sets any other New or Active Contracts on the database to Completed, so only one Contract stays current.
Can it be undone? There is no "undo" button. A newly created Contract can be deleted from its record afterward if it was made in error. Updates to an existing Contract -- including funding lines marked No Longer Used and other Contracts set to Completed -- would need to be changed back by hand. Because of this, review the details carefully before clicking Create Contract or Update Contract.
Walkthrough:
2. Managing a Contract
This tool lets you add a contract to the database. You can either build a new contract from scratch, or pick an existing contract and clone it -- copying its details and funding lines onto a new record so you don't retype everything.
Golden rule
Choose one path. Tick "Create New Contract" to build one from scratch, OR select an existing contract in the table to clone it -- not both. Nothing is saved until you reach the final Success screen, so closing the window early is safe.
Screen 1 - Contract Management Screen
The screen is headed with the database name ("Database: [name]") and the note: "Click the 'Create New Contract' box below if you need to create a new Contract record." You have two choices here:
- Clone an existing contract: In the table "Select an Existing Contract to Clone," pick one contract and click Next. You'll edit the copied details and choose which funding lines to carry over on the next screen.
- Create a new contract from scratch: Tick the "Create New Contract" box. A short form appears -- enter the Contract Amount (required), and the Contract Start Date and Contract End Date. Then finish.
Screen 2 - Edit Clone Screen (only when cloning)
Headed "Edit the new (cloned) Contract details," this screen shows the values copied from the contract you selected. Change anything you like before the new contract is created.
Field | What to enter |
|---|
Contract Amount | Total amount for the new contract. Required. |
Contract Term | Pick the term length from the dropdown. |
Contract Start Date | When the contract begins. Required. |
Contract Status | Choose from the dropdown (for example, New). |
Contract End Date | When the contract ends. Required. |
Contract Type | Pick the type from the dropdown. |
Contract Type Other | Only fill this in if the type isn't in the list. |
Special Terms | Any special terms text. Optional. |
Description | A free-text description. Optional. |
Below the details is a Fund Source Uses table: "All Fund Source Uses below will be copied to the new Contract by default. Select rows to OMIT from the cloned Contract." In other words every funding line is copied unless you select it to leave it out. If the original contract had no funding lines, you'll see "The selected Contract has no Fund Source Uses to clone."
Screen 3 - Success
You'll see: "The new contract has been created. Click Next to open the New Contract or close this tab to return to Salesforce."
What happens automatically when you delete a contract
If you later delete a contract, the system automatically deletes that contract's fund source uses (its funding lines) and all of its invoices at the same time -- so you don't have to remove them by hand. Deletion is permanent, so only delete a contract you're sure you no longer need.
Walkthrough
3. Funding a Contract
This tool is where you say who is paying for the contract and how much. You can add, edit and remove fund sources and split the contract amount by dollar figure, by percentage, or a mix of both.
Golden rule
After you finish entering the fund sources, click "Calculate Fund Sources" to fill in any missing dollar or percentage values and refresh the totals. Then choose "Save Changes" and click Finish. If you don't select Save Changes, nothing is committed to the contract.
Screen 1 - Fund Sources
The instructions read: "Manage the [database] fund sources below by editing, removing, or adding fund sources. Click Calculate Fund Sources to derive missing Amount/Percent values. Select Save Changes and click Finish to commit the changes to the Contract in Salesforce."
A totals line at the top keeps a running tally as you work:
- Contract Amount -- the contract's total.
- Total Funding -- the dollars and percent you've allocated so far.
- Remaining -- how much (and what percent) is still unfunded.
Below that is a list of funding rows. For each row choose a Fund Source (required) from the dropdown and enter an Amount and/or a Percentage. Add as many rows as you need, and remove any you don't. You can enter just the amount or just the percentage and let Calculate Fund Sources work out the other.
When the rows look right: click Calculate Fund Sources, check the totals, choose Save Changes, then click Finish.
Screen 2 - Success
You'll see "Fund sources updated," the new Total Funding, and "Click Finish to return to the contract."
Walkthrough
4. Managing Invoices
This tool tracks the money billed against a contract. You can update existing invoices, add a new one, and see at a glance how much has been invoiced and how much of the contract is left.
Screen 1 - Manage Invoices
At the top the screen shows the Database, Contract, Contract Amount, and the Contract Start and End Dates for reference, plus two running totals: Total Invoiced and Contract Remaining Balance.
Existing Invoices
Existing invoices appear in a searchable table. The note says: "Edit any of the fields below to update an existing invoice. Take no action to leave the existing invoices unchanged." You can edit each invoice's Invoice Amount, whether it's Paid, and the Date Paid directly in the table.
Add a new invoice
Tick "Add New Invoice" ("Check the box below to create a new invoice for this contract") and a short form appears:
Field | What to enter |
|---|
Amount | The invoice amount. Required. |
Invoice Date | The date of the invoice. Optional. |
Paid | Tick if this invoice has already been paid. Required choice. |
Invoice Paid Date | The date it was paid. Optional. |
Screen 2 - Success
You'll see: "Invoices for [contract] have been saved. Close out of this screen to return to the contract."
Remember: deleting the contract itself also deletes all of its invoices automatically.
Walkthrough
5. Attaching & Managing Files
You attach files to a contract, invoice or quote the normal way -- open the record and use its Files area to upload a document. There is no separate wizard for this.
What happens automatically
When you upload a file to a Contract, Invoice, or Quote, the file is automatically also shared with that record's database (its Faculty Resource), so it shows up in the database's Files too. This happens about a minute after you upload and applies to files added by internal staff. You don't need to do anything -- just upload the file once where it belongs.
What happens automatically behind the scenes
Some things in this stage run on their own -- you don't launch them, but it helps to know they happen:
- Contract housekeeping and reminders: When a contract is saved, the system fills in the Contract End Date if a Term is set but the End Date is blank, and updates the Contract Status once the End Date has passed. It also sends scheduled reminder emails to the contract owner ahead of the renewal date, the non-renewal deadline, and the expiration date (checking each date is still relevant before sending).
- Deleting a contract cleans up its related records: removing a contract automatically deletes that contract's fund source uses (funding lines) and its invoices too.
- Files follow the database: a file uploaded to a contract, invoice or quote is automatically shared to the database it belongs to.
- Database access cleanup: separately, when a faculty member's database access record is removed, the related access-history records are cleaned up automatically. This belongs to the database-user side of things rather than contracts, but is part of the same tidy-up behavior.
Tip
Everything here writes to the Contract record. If an amount, funding line, invoice or date looks wrong, fix it on the Contract in Salesforce — the tools above simply make those edits easier. There is no undo, so review before you confirm.