How to set your preferred currency
Saturation 3.0 does not require every phase in a budget to use the same currency. Estimate, Actual, and Rollup phases can each have a Base currency. A phase currency controls how that phase calculates totals; it does not rewrite the source amount on a budget line or transaction.
To set the currency for a new phase:
Open the project's Budget.
Select Add phase or column > Add phase.
Choose the phase type.
Select a Base currency.
Complete the remaining settings and add the phase.
To change an existing phase's currency:
Open the phase header menu.
Select Edit phase.
Change Base currency.
Save the phase.
If a currency is not yet in the project Library, choosing it can add a project currency with a current market rate as its starting value.
Add currencies and rates to the Library
To manage currencies for the current project:
Open the project's Budget.
Select Library in the budget toolbar.
Select Currencies.
To maintain currencies that can be reused across projects, go to Projects > Library > Currencies.
The Currency table contains:
Column | What it controls |
Code | The three-letter currency code, such as USD, CAD, or GBP. |
Name | The currency's display name. |
Symbol | The symbol shown with amounts, such as $ or £. |
Rate to USD | The USD value of one unit of the currency. For example, 1.25 means one unit equals 1.25 USD. |
When you choose a code, Saturation can fill in its name, symbol, and a current exchange rate. Review the rate before using it for reporting.
Workspace currencies act as reusable sources. Adding one to a project creates a project copy. Editing that copy does not change the workspace source or copies in other projects.
How to use currency conversion
Enter estimate lines in another currency
An estimate phase is calculated in its base currency, but individual lines can use another currency.
Open Columns & phases and show the estimate phase's Currency column.
Find the budget line.
Choose the line's currency.
Enter its rate and other estimate values.
Saturation converts the line into the phase's base currency when calculating phase totals. Clear the line's Currency cell to make it inherit the phase base currency again.
Change how estimate amounts are displayed
The budget can show the stored amount or its converted value without changing the calculation:
Open the Rate column menu and turn on Show in base currency to display converted rates.
Open the phase's Total column menu and turn on Show original currency to display each line total in its source currency.
These are display settings. Phase and grand totals continue to use the phase's base currency.
The same display preferences are available from the relevant column headers in the Budget Sheet. Changing a display preference changes the view for that budget column, not the stored rate or amount.
Update an exchange rate
Open Library > Currencies.
Find the project currency.
Edit Rate to USD.
Confirm the change or leave the cell to save it.
Rates are stored in the Currency Library. A market rate offered when you select a currency seeds the stored value; it does not continuously replace that value. This lets the project keep the rate chosen for its budget and reporting period.
Cross-currency conversions use the stored USD-based rates. For example, a CAD-to-GBP conversion can be calculated through the CAD and GBP rates to USD.
Currency settings for actuals
Actual phases have their own base currency. Transactions keep their original currency and amount, and may also carry the exchange rate recorded for that transaction.
To configure an Actual phase:
Open the Actual phase header menu.
Select Edit phase.
Choose the phase's Base currency.
Set any transaction filters, including a Currency filter when needed.
Save the phase.
Saturation converts eligible transactions into the Actual phase's base currency. When a transaction has its own exchange rate, that recorded rate is used as part of the conversion. Otherwise, the calculation uses rates from the project Currency Library.
The source transaction keeps its original amount and currency. Changing the Actual phase base currency changes the phase calculation, not the source transaction.
Things to note
Exchange rates in the project Library are project data. Review them for the reporting period you intend to use.
A newly selected currency may start with a current market rate, but saved rates do not update continuously.
Each project copy is independent of the workspace currency it came from.
Estimate line overrides affect that line. Clearing an override returns it to the phase base currency.
Actual and Rollup phases can convert into their own base currencies.
If Saturation cannot find a required conversion route, it flags Missing exchange rates and leaves the affected value out of the converted total. Add or correct the rate in the project Currency Library before relying on the total.
Members with budget edit access can change project currencies and rates. Viewers can see them but cannot edit them.
FAQs
Can I have multiple currencies in a single budget?
Yes. Phases can use different base currencies, and estimate lines can override their phase currency. Saturation converts each line into the phase base currency for totals when the required rates exist.
Does Saturation provide real-time conversion rates?
Saturation can retrieve a current market rate when you choose a currency or repair a missing conversion route. That rate becomes a stored project value and is not continuously updated. You can edit Rate to USD in the Currency Library.
Can I track actuals in different currencies like I can with phases?
Yes. Transactions retain their original currency, while an Actual phase converts eligible transactions into its chosen base currency. You can also filter the Actual phase by transaction currency.
What happens if an exchange rate is missing?
Saturation shows a Missing exchange rates warning instead of treating currencies as equal. Open the project Currency Library and add or correct the missing rate. The phase recalculates after a valid conversion route is available.
Does changing a workspace currency update every project?
No. A project receives its own copy of a workspace currency. Changes to the workspace source do not overwrite existing project copies.