Controllix
Package: BRAINX.APP
The Controllix module is exclusively available in the CRM version brainX APP!
1. General
The Controllix module is used to record ongoing costs or vendor contracts.
A vendor contract is a contractual agreement with a supplier that contains all essential information about the business relationship – including details about the contracting party, billing information, and terms for future deliveries or services.
A company uses cloud-based software on an annual basis. The contract is recorded in Controllix with the category License Costs, the billing interval annual and the associated Supplier. The contract's Start and End dates are stored, and the Contract Document is linked to the saved PDF. The costs automatically flow into the expense overview via the Dashboard Widget Cashflow Diagram.
An office rental contract is to be cancelled at year-end. In Controllix, the Cancel Contract? toggle is activated, the Cancellation Period is entered, and the Cancellation Deadline date is set. The Status changes to cancelled, so the contract can be filtered accordingly in reports and evaluations.
On the Dashboard, the Widget Cashflow Diagram is available. It is based on several freely selectable components (revenue forecast, existing invoices and planned installments from sales orders) and displays the company's income and expenses as a bar or area chart.
This section only describes special fields or functionalities of the module, as all general brainX functionalities are described elsewhere in the manual.
2. List View
The list view in the Controllix module has the usual functionalities of a list view. For more detailed information, see the section Structure/Layout - List View.
2.1. Actions
In the list view – depending on the module – general actions are available. An overview and description of all general actions can be found in the section Actions (List View).
There are no module-specific actions in this module.
3. Detail View
In the default state, the detail view of a record in a module has standard fields, which are described below.
3.1. Fields
Basic Data Block
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Title * | Name of the vendor contract |
| Status |
|
| Category |
|
| Billing |
|
| Supplier | Linked Supplier |
| Cancel Contract? | When activated, the Cancellation Period and Cancellation Deadline fields are displayed |
| Cancellation Period | Notice period for cancellation of the contract (displayed when the Cancel Contract? toggle is active) |
| Cancellation Deadline | Date by which the cancellation must have been received (displayed when the Cancel Contract? toggle is active) |
| Contract Document | Linked Document for the contract |
*Required field
3.2. Actions
The following actions are available in the detail view:
3.2.1. General Actions
- PDF Export
- Recommend
- Copy
- Delete
- Change Tracking
For detailed information on the actions, see the section Actions (Detail View).
3.2.2. Module-Specific Actions
| Action | Requirement | Functionality |
|---|---|---|
| New Email | Configured email inbox | Opens the email editor with reference to the Controllix record |
4. Practical Examples
1 – Recording and Monitoring Ongoing Software Costs
A company uses several cloud-based software solutions billed monthly or annually. To maintain a complete overview of ongoing license costs, a separate record is created in Controllix for each software license.
When creating, the software name is entered as the title, the category is set to License Costs, and the billing interval (monthly or annual) is defined. The associated supplier is linked and the contract document is referenced as a stored PDF. Start and end dates of the contract are maintained so that expiring contracts can be recognized early.
All recorded costs automatically flow into the Dashboard Widget Cashflow Diagram and are available there as an expense component. This allows the company's income and expenses to be compared in an overall overview and well-founded decisions on cost control to be made.
2 – Managing a Rental or Service Contract with Cancellation Option
A company has an ongoing office rental contract that is to be cancelled at a specific date. The contract is already recorded in Controllix with status active, category Rental Costs and billing interval monthly.
Once the cancellation is decided, the Cancel Contract? toggle is activated in the record. This reveals the Cancellation Period and Cancellation Deadline fields, which are filled in accordingly. The status is set to cancelled. Using the New Email action, the cancellation confirmation can be sent directly from the record to the supplier, documenting the communication at the record.
In the list view, all cancelled contracts can be specifically filtered using a filter, ensuring that the overview of active and expiring liabilities is maintained at all times.
3 – Complete Overview of Company Expenses via Cashflow Diagram
Management wants to regularly receive a current overview of the company's expense structure. The prerequisite is that all ongoing vendor contracts are completely and currently maintained in Controllix.
If all relevant contracts – software licenses, rental costs, server costs, personnel costs, etc. – are recorded with the correct billing interval and status, this data is automatically available as an expense component in the Dashboard Widget Cashflow Diagram. The widget presents income and expenses in a bar or area chart, enabling a quick visual assessment of the financial situation.
Through consistent maintenance of Controllix records, the cashflow diagram becomes a reliable management tool for company leadership.
5. Frequently Asked Questions
Is Controllix also available in brainX CRM?
No. The Controllix module is exclusively available in the brainX APP and is not available in the brainX CRM version.
What is the difference between Controllix and the Contracts module?
The Contracts module maps debtor contracts – i.e., contracts with customers that generate revenue. Controllix, on the other hand, is used to record vendor contracts – i.e., contracts with suppliers that represent ongoing costs for the company.
Which fields are displayed when I activate the Cancel Contract? toggle?
When the toggle is activated, the Cancellation Period and Cancellation Deadline fields are displayed. These fields are only visible and editable when the toggle is active.
How do the contracts recorded in Controllix affect the cashflow diagram?
All active Controllix records with a valid billing interval automatically flow as an expense component into the Dashboard Widget Cashflow Diagram. No separate configuration is required – the data is taken directly from the maintained records.
Can I store a contract document directly in Controllix?
The Contract Document field links the record to a document stored in the Documents module. The document must therefore first be created or uploaded in the Documents module before it can be referenced in the Controllix record.
Can I specifically filter cancelled contracts in the list view?
Yes. Using the filter function in the list view, filtering by the Status field is possible. This allows displaying exclusively records with the status cancelled, active or inactive.