Cube omits few time entries after build

[Syamal]

Hi,

I have a problem with Cube build. I am the administrator (and PM) of many
projects created in MS-EPM server. Members submit their time and I accept
them and then at the end of week, I build the cube. Things were pretty fine;
that is, time shown against each tasks for any resource was rightly reflected
in the Portfolio analyzer outputs. One project, since last 2 weeks, is
continuously showing wrong time (rather Zeroes) aginst most of the tasks for
all the resources. I analyzed and compared time data from Project Pro 2003's
eResource view and Portfolio analyzer and found 2 weeks back result was
mostly same, but now all are mismatching. As if it detoriated as time passed
by. This is happening in just one project, while all other projects are okay.
By the way, these projects are open-ended ones. that means, end dates are not
declared (or I don't care). Also all tasks are "Fixed Units". I can supply
more information, if required. Please help me to understand what's happening.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Syamal --

Is the project manager for this one project actually publishing the project
after updating actuals into the plan, using Collaborate - Publish - All
Information? When the OLAP cube rebuilds, it uses only the current
published data for each project. Let us know.

 

[Syamal]

Thanks Dale for your quick answer.
Typically, all these projects (including this one) are "Publish all" once
and there after for any change in task or resource assignment, we do "Publish
current change" or "Republish the selected ones". Anyway, since there was no
such chnage in recent past, we need not do "Publish" at all. I do not do
"Publish" after every weeks' "Update" of times in Time sheets submitted by
resources (project team-members).
But, as I am having trouble with this project, I did "Republish all
selected" by selecting all tasks/assignments and rerun the Cube build. Again,
the same result - gradual mismatches in time data when compared with that of
.. "Gradual" means over the time scale - for example, for a resource, say 2
weeks back, these time figure were maching, now there're not. That means, 3
weeks back, say, there were 15 mismatches out of total 50 resources time
data, 2 weeks back, it would be 40 mismatches and now all are mismatched.
Kind of weird.
If you need more information on this, let me know. I would be looking
forward to get an answer. Thanks again

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Syamal --

As a best practice after you process task updates into the project plan from
PWA, you should always publish the project using Collaborate - Publish - All
Information. Since this appears not to be the source of your issue, are you
seeing errors in the application event log?

 

[Syamal]

Hi Dale,

No. There was no error in event log, after I rebuild the Cube, after
"Publish all" the project. In fact, after that I have build cube several
times with the same result.

In the meantime, I had to make few changes (in Tasks/assignments) in that
project, "Republish"/"Publish all" the project and then build cube again.
This time, cube data was perfect. [I think it was due to the changes I made
in tasks/assignments. Remember, as mentioned above, when I "Publish all"
without any change in the project earlier, cube building was showing the same
errorneous result.]

Then, yesterday, after I accepted timesheet data for all the projects (and
"save" them by accepting the default window that comes in Project Pro 2003m
after any "Accept" of time in PWA), I ran the cube. I didn't "Publish all".
This time, I have other 3 projects having all zeros in time for past week's
data. Incedentally, the problem project data appeared okay, this time too. I
am getting a kind on randomness in the error pattern - sometimes this
project, and sometimes that.

I want to know, at what situation Cube does not pick up time data (Actual
Work Protected). Obviously, I shouldn't be checking the validity of cube
data, after every week's time sheet processing, before producing Final
reports from cube. Please enlighten me. Thanks again for your help, so far.

 

[Syamal]

Any update? Please respond. Thanks.

Note: Omission of "Actual work protected" may not be the right word - I
found that non-zero values are becoming to zeroes now, after the build for
the affected project. But if the value after build is non-zero then that
always match with the value of "Actual work protected" of time sheet.

Hi Dale,

No. There was no error in event log, after I rebuild the Cube, after
"Publish all" the project. In fact, after that I have build cube several
times with the same result.

In the meantime, I had to make few changes (in Tasks/assignments) in that
project, "Republish"/"Publish all" the project and then build cube again.
This time, cube data was perfect. [I think it was due to the changes I made
in tasks/assignments. Remember, as mentioned above, when I "Publish all"
without any change in the project earlier, cube building was showing the same
errorneous result.]

Then, yesterday, after I accepted timesheet data for all the projects (and
"save" them by accepting the default window that comes in Project Pro 2003m
after any "Accept" of time in PWA), I ran the cube. I didn't "Publish all".
This time, I have other 3 projects having all zeros in time for past week's
data. Incedentally, the problem project data appeared okay, this time too. I
am getting a kind on randomness in the error pattern - sometimes this
project, and sometimes that.

I want to know, at what situation Cube does not pick up time data (Actual
Work Protected). Obviously, I shouldn't be checking the validity of cube
data, after every week's time sheet processing, before producing Final
reports from cube. Please enlighten me. Thanks again for your help, so far.

Syamal --

As a best practice after you process task updates into the project plan from
PWA, you should always publish the project using Collaborate - Publish - All
Information. Since this appears not to be the source of your issue, are you
seeing errors in the application event log?