COBBLESTONE SOFTWARE

Contract Insight — User Guide

Contract Category Management

Master Reference Data Management: Contract Category

Note: Each procedure in this guide begins at the Contract Insight homepage, so any section can be followed on its own. Custom fields are configurable, so the exact field list on a contract category record may vary between environments.

1. Overview

Contract Categories are used to classify contracts into categories for classification purposes. They are master reference data, maintained as a single shared list that contract records draw on, so that every contract is classified consistently across the application.

Each contract category record carries a Category name, an optional Category Type, and a system-assigned Category ID. Any custom fields configured for the environment also appear on the record. The system additionally maintains read-only Record Info values for each category: Entered By, Entry Date, and Updated By.

Because the Contract Categories list is maintained from the Administration area, only Application Administrators — or other users specifically granted the appropriate permission — can create, edit, or delete contract category records. Standard users can typically select an existing category when completing a contract record, but cannot manage the underlying list.

2. Accessing the Contract Categories List

The Contract Categories list is the central management screen for all contract category records. To open it:

From the Contract Insight homepage, click Administration at the bottom of the left navigation menu. On the Administration page, under Lookup Tables, select Master Reference Data, then click the Contract Categories tab.

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The Contract Categories list screen includes the following elements:

• A Master Reference Data heading with the subtitle “The built-in lookup lists records draw on. Pick a list to edit it.”
• A row of list selector tabs — Auto Extract Settings, Contract Categories, Contract Occurrences, Departments / Business Units, Document Hints, Entities, File Categories, Locations, Product / Service Codes, Rating Types, Record Statuses, Record Types, Risk Profiler Categories, Task Process Areas, and the VISDOM lists — with Contract Categories highlighted when selected
• A columns icon (grid icon, at the left of the list toolbar) that opens the Columns dialog
• A + New button to create a new contract category
• Export controls on the toolbar: Excel, PDF, and CSV
• A Search box at the right of the toolbar to filter the grid by keyword
• A sortable, filterable grid with Category ID, Category, Category Type, Entry Date, Date Updated, Entered By, Updated By, and Categories GUID columns, each with its own filter icon
• Per-row Manage (edit) and eye-shaped View action buttons
• Pagination controls at the bottom of the grid, with a live page and record count and an Items per page selector

3. Adding a Contract Category

Steps:

1. From the Contract Insight homepage, click Administration at the bottom of the left navigation menu. On the Administration page, under Lookup Tables, select Master Reference Data, then click the Contract Categories tab.
2. Click + New on the list toolbar. 
3. The Add new Contract Category panel slides out from the right, headed CONTRACT CATEGORIES/ Add new Contract Category, with a field-completion indicator in the Details header (for example, “0 / 3 filled — 1 required”).
4. In the Details section, enter the required Category name (marked with a red asterisk) — for example, Accounting, Affirmative Action, or Labor Services.
5. Optionally select a Category Type from the dropdown, and complete any other custom Details fields configured for the environment.
6. The Record Info section (Entered By, Entry Date, Updated By, and Category ID) is read-only; these values are populated by the system when the record is saved.
7. Click Save in the lower right of the panel to create the category, or Cancel to discard it without saving.

Note: Entering just the Category name and clicking Save satisfies the minimum requirement for a new record. Icons in the upper right of the panel allow it to be expanded to full width or opened as a full page.

4. Viewing a Contract Category

Navigate to the Contract Categories list as described in Section 2. There are then two ways to review a contract category record:

4.1 Quick View

Click the eye icon on a category’s row. A slide-out panel opens on the right showing the Details and Record Info tabs for that record, along with Done and Edit buttons.

4.2 Full Record (Manage)

Click Manage on a category’s row to open the full contract category record page. This page displays:

• A breadcrumb trail of Contract Categories › the category name
• The category name as the page title, with a “CONTRACT CATEGORY · ID ##” badge and an “Updated <date>” byline (followed by “by <user>” where a user is recorded against the update)
• Back, Actions, and Edit All buttons in the upper right, plus a toggle to hide or show the details panel
• A row of tabs for each section of the record: Details and Record Info
• A right-hand rail with a Contract Category summary panel, a Risk register panel (with a + Add risk button), and a Sections list showing the count of sections on the record
• An “Ask VISDOM about this contract category” button in the lower right of the page

5. Editing a Contract Category

Steps:

1. From the Contract Insight homepage, click Administration at the bottom of the left navigation menu. On the Administration page, under Lookup Tables, select Master Reference Data, then click the Contract Categories tab.
2. Click Manage on the row for the category you want to edit to open its full record (or click the eye icon and then Edit from the Quick View panel).
3. Click Edit All in the upper right of the record page. The Details fields become editable inputs and a “1 required” indicator appears beside the tab row.
4. Update the Category name, and adjust the Category Type or any custom field values as needed.
5. Click Save in the upper right to commit the change, or Cancel to leave the record unchanged.

Note: The Category ID and the Record Info values (Entered By, Entry Date, and Updated By) are maintained by the system and cannot be edited.

6. Deleting a Contract Category

Note: Prior to deleting a category, make sure it is not being used by any contract records. Deleting a category that is still in use can affect reporting and existing record associations.

Steps:

1. From the Contract Insight homepage, click Administration at the bottom of the left navigation menu. On the Administration page, under Lookup Tables, select Master Reference Data, then click the Contract Categories tab.
2. Click Manage on the row for the category you want to remove to open its full record.
3. Click Actions in the upper right of the record page.
4. Under Record Actions, select Delete record (shown in red at the bottom of the menu).
5. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

The Actions menu also provides Update with VISDOM, View History, Print, Record PDF, Create New Record, and Record Permissions, along with the document-processing actions Approval Processes, Signature Processes, IntelliApprove, and IntelliSign.
 

7. Managing List Columns

Function: Controls which columns are displayed on the Contract Categories grid.

Steps:

1. From the Contract Insight homepage, click Administration at the bottom of the left navigation menu. On the Administration page, under Lookup Tables, select Master Reference Data, then click the Contract Categories tab.
2. Click the columns icon (small grid icon) at the right of the list toolbar.
3. The Columns dialog opens, subtitled “Untick a column to hide it from your view of Contract Categories.” It lists every available column as a checkbox — Category ID, Category, Category Type, Entry Date, Date Updated, Entered By, Updated By, and Categories GUID — plus a Select / unselect all option.
4. Untick any column to hide it from the grid, or tick it to show it again.
5. Click Apply to update the list view immediately, or Reset to default to restore the original column layout. Click Cancel (or the × in the dialog header) to close the dialog without changing anything.

8. Exporting the Contract Category List

Navigate to the Contract Categories list as described in Section 2. The full list — or a filtered view of it — can then be exported directly from the toolbar:

• Excel — exports the current grid to a spreadsheet (.xlsx)
• PDF — exports the current grid to a PDF document
• CSV — exports the current grid to a comma-separated values file

An individual category record can also be exported on its own using the Record PDF action in the Actions menu on the full record page. These exports are useful for sharing contract category data with stakeholders who do not have Contract Insight access, or for offline recordkeeping.

9. Related Sections on a Contract Category Record

A contract category record organizes its information into tabbed sections, listed in the Sections panel on the right-hand rail with a count:

• Details — the field values for the category: the Category name, the Category Type, and any custom fields configured for the environment
• RecordInfo — system metadata for the record: Entered By, Entry Date, Updated By, and the system-assigned Category ID

The right-hand rail also includes a Contract Category summary panel and a Risk register panel, where risks can be recorded against the category record using + Add risk (the panel reads “No risks recorded against this record.” when empty).

Sections can be added to or removed from a contract category record’s layout through the Tab Details Setup administration tool, for administrators who need to adjust which related tables appear.

10. Quick Reference Summary