Overview
Notebooks are Dash360’s structured documentation system. A notebook category is a named field that appears on a specific type of record; a WBS element, a work package, a resource assignment, a control account, or a risk register entry. Project teams use notebook entries to capture assumptions, justifications, references, and any other narrative content that belongs alongside the estimate data.
Administrators create notebook categories here and then assign them to projects in Project Settings. Each project can have its own set of categories, or projects can share categories.
Permissions
Administrator role required.
Where Notebooks Appear
Notebook entries can be attached to five types of records:
| Entity Type | Where It Shows in the App |
|---|
| Work Package | In the Details section of the Budget Form; in the Notebook Quality Check Report |
| WBS | On each WBS element card in the WBS Dictionary; visible in WBS quality check reports |
| Resource Assignment | Inside the Add/Edit RA modal on the Budget Form |
| Control Account | On control account records |
| Risk Register | On risk register entries in the Risk Register module |
Notebook Category List
The Notebooks page displays all categories in two collapsible sections:
- Active Notebook Categories: categories assigned to at least one active project
- Inactive Notebook Categories: categories not assigned to any active project
The Locked icon appears on a category row when it is used by a project that has locked cost classes. Edit and delete are disabled for locked categories.
When a category is assigned to multiple projects, the Shared icon appears alongside the project list.
Notebook Category Fields
| Field | Description | Required |
|---|
| Name | The display label for this field (e.g., “Basis of Estimate”, “Assumptions”). Must be unique across all notebook categories in the system. | Yes |
| Field Type | Controls how users fill in this field. See Field Types below. | Yes |
| Help Text | Optional tooltip or instructional text shown to users when filling in the field. Maximum 500 characters. A character counter updates as you type. | No |
| Code File | Only shown when Field Type is Codefile. Select the code file whose codes populate the dropdown. | If Codefile type |
Field Types
The Field Type determines how the notebook entry input is rendered wherever the category appears:
| Field Type | How It Renders | When to Use |
|---|
| Text | Free-text input | Open-ended narrative (assumptions, notes, justifications) |
| Radio | Radio button group (single selection) | Mutually exclusive choices where only one can be selected |
| Checkbox | Checkbox group (multiple selection) | Multiple values can be selected simultaneously |
| Dropdown | Single-select dropdown | Controlled vocabulary with many options |
| Codefile | Dropdown populated from a code file | When choices come from an existing code list managed in Codes |
Creating a Notebook Category
- Click Add Notebook Category.
- Enter a Name (required, must be unique).
- Select a Field Type.
- Optionally enter Help Text to guide users filling in the field.
- If Field Type is Codefile, select the code file from the Code File dropdown.
- Click Save and Close or Save and Add Another.
- If the Field Type is Radio, Checkbox, or Dropdown, add the selectable options next (see Notebook Options below).
- Assign the category to projects via the Notebook Fields tab in Project Settings.
Editing a Notebook Category
Click the Edit (pencil) icon on any category row. The same modal opens pre-filled. Editing the name, field type, or help text takes effect immediately; existing entries users have saved are preserved, but the field’s presentation updates across all projects using the category.
Changing the Field Type on a category that already has user entries may cause display issues. For example, changing from Text to Dropdown will show existing free-text entries in a field that now expects an option selection. Only change field types on categories with no existing user entries.
Deleting a Notebook Category
Click the Delete (trash) icon on any row and confirm the prompt. Deletion removes the category definition and all entries users have saved under it across every project that uses the category. Affected projects’ reporting tables are resynced automatically in the background.
Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. If you only want to stop using a category on new projects, remove it from the project’s notebook category assignment in Project Settings rather than deleting it.
Notebook Options
For categories with Field Type Radio, Checkbox, or Dropdown, you must define the selectable choices. These are called Notebook Options.
Viewing Options
Click the Modify Field Options link in the Field Type column of any Radio, Checkbox, or Dropdown category. This expands an Options panel below the main list showing all defined options for that category.
Option Fields
| Field | Description | Required |
|---|
| Name | The selectable choice text shown to users. Must be unique within the category. Commas are not allowed. | Yes |
| Description | Optional additional detail about this option. | No |
| Order | Display order (positive whole number). If left blank, the next available order number is assigned automatically. | No |
Adding an Option
- Click Modify Field Options on the category row to expand the Options panel.
- Click Add Option in the panel.
- Enter the Name, optional Description, and optional Order.
- Click Save and Close or Save and Add Another.
Editing and Deleting Options
Click the Edit or Delete icon on any option row in the panel. Deleting an option removes it as a choice; existing entries that selected this option are cleared.
Option names cannot contain commas. If you paste text containing commas, they are automatically stripped.
History Tracking
When history tracking is enabled (controlled by the EnableHistoryTracking registry setting), a History icon appears on each category row. Click it to see a full audit trail of:
- Category creation, edits, and deletion
- Option creation, edits, and deletion
The history shows timestamps and the user who made each change.
Shared Notebook Categories
A notebook category can be assigned to multiple projects. When a category is shared:
- Any change to the category name, field type, or help text affects all projects using it
- Any addition or removal of options affects all projects using it
- The Shared icon appears on the category row
Shared categories are efficient for maintaining consistency (e.g., a standard “Basis of Estimate” field across all programs), but changes are global. If you need a project-specific version, create a separate category with a different name.
Notebook Quality Check Reports
The Budget Reports area includes quality check reports that show whether notebook entries are populated for each WBS element and work package. Use these reports before a review to find gaps in documentation coverage.
