A conversion factor is a decimal multiplier you attach to a single column in an import mask, and EDGEBIC multiplies every numeric cell in that column by it before saving the value. It exists to bridge unit mismatches between the file you have and the fields EDGEBIC stores. The textbook case is a source file that records setup time in minutes when EDGEBIC keeps hours: a conversion factor of about 0.0167 turns each minutes value into the correct hours value on the way in.
EDGEBIC by User Solutions applies the conversion factor during the import run, so the source file never has to change. This article defines the term. To see where it lives, read how to build an import mask.
How It Works
An import mask maps each column in your file to a field in EDGEBIC. Each mapping row can optionally carry a conversion factor. When the import reads a cell, and the cell parses as a number, EDGEBIC multiplies it by the factor before handing the value to the field. Columns without a factor pass through unchanged.
The multiplication happens once, inline, as part of reading the row, so nothing downstream needs to know a conversion occurred. It applies to every numeric value in the column, including zero, which correctly stays zero. If a cell in a factor-mapped column is not a number, the factor is skipped for that cell and the value passes through as-is, so a stray non-numeric entry never crashes the run.
Because the factor is stored on the mask, you configure it once and it applies on every future run of that mask. There is no need to pre-process the file or maintain a converted copy.
A Concrete Example
Imagine a recipe card that lists baking time in seconds because it came from an industrial oven, but your kitchen timer is set in minutes. Rather than rewrite the card, you agree on one rule: divide every time on this card by sixty as you read it. Sixty seconds becomes one minute; ninety becomes one and a half. The card stays untouched; the rule does the translating.
In EDGEBIC, a routing exported from another system lists setup time in minutes:
| Step | Setup (minutes, in file) | Factor | Setup stored (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saw-Cut | 15 | 0.0167 | 0.25 |
| Lathe-1 | 30 | 0.0167 | 0.50 |
| Mill-1 | 20 | 0.0167 | 0.33 |
| QC-Inspect | 0 | 0.0167 | 0.00 |
You set the conversion factor once on the setup-time mapping, run the import, and each minutes value arrives correctly as hours. QC's zero stays zero. The file you imported is the file your other system produced, unedited.
How EDGEBIC Uses It
The conversion factor is a field on each column mapping in an import mask, alongside the source column and the target field. It is most common on routing imports, where setup and other time columns often arrive in minutes, but it works on any numeric column: a quantity that arrives in dozens, a cost in cents, a weight in grams.
Set it thoughtfully and it saves you from ever hand-editing an export again. Set it on the wrong column and it will silently shrink or inflate values, which is the most common conversion mistake, so verify a couple of known values after the first run. For the surrounding mapping mechanics see how EDGEBIC handles import masks, and for a related mapping concept see the sibling term import row status. Browse more definitions in the manufacturing glossary.
Expert Q&A: Deep Dive
Q: Our legacy export gives run time in minutes but EDGEBIC wants hours. Do we have to rebuild the file every time?
A: No. Set a conversion factor of about 0.0167 on the mask field for that time column and leave the file exactly as your legacy system produces it. On every run, EDGEBIC multiplies each minutes value by the factor before storing it, so 90 minutes lands as 1.5 hours and 20 minutes lands as 0.33 hours, with no manual edits. The factor is saved on the mask, so once you set it, every future weekly or monthly import converts the column automatically. This is far safer than editing the export by hand each time, which is exactly where transcription errors creep in.
Q: We set a conversion factor and now all our costs look tiny. What went wrong?
A: You almost certainly applied the factor to the wrong column, or used a factor meant for a different unit. A conversion factor multiplies every numeric cell in the column it is attached to, so if you put a minutes-to-hours factor of 0.0167 on a cost column, every cost gets shrunk to a sixtieth of its real value. Check the mask field by field: the factor should sit only on the column whose units differ from what EDGEBIC stores, and the number should match the real unit ratio. Remove the factor from any column that is already in the units EDGEBIC expects, re-run the import against a fresh copy, and confirm a couple of known values before trusting the whole batch.
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