This article describes how to export a budget from Wikells Section Data and import it into Next Project. You'll get a step-by-step walkthrough of the entire process – from preparation and account setup in Wikells to proper mapping and import in Next's budget module.

Step 1: Prepare Your Budget in Wikells (Section Data)

Before you export, you need to make sure your budget is structured correctly in Wikells.

Structure Your Budget Correctly

• Build your budget with chapters that correspond to Activities in Next Project.
  • You can name chapters freely – for example, Demolition, Floor 1, or Interior Walls.
  • Avoid creating too many chapters.
• The sort number on your rows in Wikells corresponds to Phase in Next.

Add Building Components and Quantities

• Pull building components from the database (for example, interior walls).
• Enter quantities (m², m, pcs, etc.).
• Each building component generates:
  • Material cost
  • Labor cost
  • Total cost

Verify Labor Cost Logic

• Determine whether labor cost should be:
  • Billable hourly rate or
  • Net wages + markup
• This controls how the budget is interpreted when you import it into Next.

If you have questions about the setup in Wikells, we recommend contacting Wikells support directly.

Step 2: Account Setup in Wikells

Account Your Materials

• Account setup is done on a material basis, not on an activity basis.
• Consider using:
  • Material sorting to verify that all rows are accounted for
  • Full optimization (consolidates identical materials)
  • SAB/BAB codes for easier grouping

Ensure All Rows Have Accounts

• The budget is ready for export only when all material rows have an account.
• Items without an account will cause errors during import.

Step 3: Handle Markups, Profit, and Other Additions

• Markups (for example, overhead, contingency, and contractor fee) appear in the budget but:
  • Can either be included in the export
  • or be handled entirely in Next
• Important: these items come as lump sums and require active management in Next.
• We recommend avoiding entering other additions in Wikells – instead, include them as part of the budget or add them directly in Next.

Step 4: Export Your Budget from Wikells

1. Go to File → Export Budget.
2. Select NEXT... to export a file that you can then import into Next Project.

There is also an export for Next Planning – this is used for scheduling, not financial budgeting. The file includes chapters and the number of budgeted hours, where you then date and resource plan the activities in Next Planning.

1. Go to File → Export Budget.
2. Select Project Planning...
3. Select Next Planning as the receiving program.

Step 5: Import into Next

When you import into Next, follow these steps:

• Go to the Budget module in Next Project and click Create budget from.
• Upload your file.
• Mapping:
  • Account for labor – set the account that appears most frequently in the budget. If you usually split labor time across different accounts, you'll need to handle that in Next.
  • Chapters from Wikells become activities in Next.
  • Phases can also be matched if you want.
• Other additions:
  • Account for them based on whether the additions should be recorded as costs or revenue in Next.
  • If the account is left blank, the items will not be imported into Next.
  • Material and labor costs are imported.
• Match columns and values:
  • If a value in the file is missing in Next, you need to specify what it should become in Next.
  • Activities and phases are created automatically via the budget import if you don't already have them set up in the project.
  • If you've already added activities or phases to the project in Next before the import, you need to match them against the correct activities/phases, or add the activity to the project.
• Review the items and address any errors.
• In the next section, you'll see how the items will be recorded in Next:
  • Delete zero values if desired.
  • Merge rows if you want to.
• The revenue section of the budget needs to be completed or adjusted to show the full quote amount. This is necessary to get accurate calculations of margin and contribution margin.
• Lock the budget revision after import.

Common Pitfalls

• Too many or unclear chapters in Wikells.
• Different account structures between Wikells, Next, and your accounting system.
• Adding markups in both Wikells and Next.
• When a budget is revised: if the budget is adjusted in Wikells and re-imported into Next, duplicate rows are created, because changes cannot be read into Next.
• By default, rounding in Next is set to 2 decimal places, which can create large discrepancies if you work with many line items.

Recommended Workflow

1. Get it right from the start in Wikells
   1. Use the same accounts across all systems (Wikells, Next Project, and your accounting system).
   2. Structure chapters so they correspond to activities.
2. Export from Wikells and import into Next.
3. Review your budget in Next.
4. Lock the budget in Next.
5. Continue working with forecasts and budget adjustments in Next – not through a new import.