I found that material consumption bars can be displayed on the Activity Gantt Diagram same as on Materials Gantt Diagram, is just a matter of getting used on how to make them visible and running the resource leveling, seems like materials scheduling is implemented only on resource leveling. 

Activity Gantt (I have a preference on the Resource Gantt for this purposes where multiple MBS yields better views but as a matter of correctness wanted to see the bars on the Activity Gantt).

I already got high appreciation on the potential of the Materials Gantt Diagram and how even some user defined fields can be used to track procurement issues relevant on many investment analysis and cost control. Procurement needs are definitively tied to schedule, tracking and controlling complex procurement from within your schedule is a natural.

Augustin,

The fact my type of jobs do not require complex materials organization do not means I do not understand how useful this Gantt Chart is and how useful the MBS can be. It just explains why I am not an expert on this particular issue. Nevertheless it is not difficult to figure it out that on industrial type jobs you might need to organize your MBS at times by Assemblies and at times by Supplier and a few others.

As a matter of fact the same day the Material Gantt was released I asked for it to have a Report functionality same as the other Gantt Charts, the missing menu selection is obvious.

I use Reference Books to transfer data within Spider Files and for transfer of Chart Tables to external applications prefer to use the Excel option available on almost any screen, CSV perhaps can be useful in large files where the Excel files are inefficient and perhaps even incapable due to the limitation on the amount of lines a worksheet file has, I have not reached this limit yet as to be in need to use CSV to export to a basic database such as MS Access. Of course if in adittion to Spider you handle your procurement using other applications, not Excel, then CVS is the logical way to go, Spider is meant for serious business.

In the same as you can see the material bars on the Materials Gantt I would like to see them available under every activity they are consumed on the basic Activity Gantt, when you expand to materials as these views are different views of the same, different organization schemes with different fields selection. I understand both views are of great values and complement each other, one do not substitute the other.

I agree with you on how useful MBS is, same as multiple WBS, especially on a Portfolio of jobs. The reason I have not yet used this functionality to its potential is because my modeling needs of materials is so simple I do not have the need to create MBS. I have been involved on industrial jobs where multiple MBS would have been very useful for procurement but that was before I even heard of Spider Project, the software now I use and know will never let me down when eventually some of these industrial jobs come to my hand again. Same as with multiple WBS, especially on a Portfolio of jobs. I cannot envision working with the limitation of a single MBS, same as a single WBS structure limitation in other software, is nuts. As a matter of fact I cannot envision myself working stand alone jobs using a single WBS structure or a single MBS.

Best regards,

Rafael

Augustin,

I do not use MBS as my material modeling needs are very limited but whenever I need to transfer from job to job something I always use the Reference Books, perhaps you can select the specific MBS you want to transfer, then Create a Standard Reference Book using Current MBS.

Then from the reference book you can transfer to other software using CSV but in Spider we have no such need, transfer is within Spider interface.

Maybe eventually MBS Diagrams will be available as for you to be able to edit the structures graphically same as you do with multiple WBS.

Best regards,

Rafael