Enterprise Project Duration Custom Field Keeps Changing

[abisabado]

Hello,

Has anyone experienced this scenario.

A custom enterprise duration field was created to store a value
manually. (Enterprise Project Duration Field 1)

It was observed by one of our PM's that this value changes every time
the timesheet is approved. I didn't think so because I know Project
Server database and I know that these values from the timesheet
updates are stored in a separate table and there was no way this could
affect the duration field.

However, one time when I updated my project plan, I noticed that the
project duration field in question was actually changed without me
doing anything and I checked it was last saved by me, and the last
action I did was to approve timesheet updates.

Example:

Before timesheet approval: Enterprise Duration Value = 52

After timesheet approval: Enterprise Duration Value = 4.21

Why does this happen? How does Project Server store duration entered
in a custom enterprise field? There shouldn't be any calculation
because this is manually encoded and should not change at all.

Any idea why this happens?

 

[Chris]

I'm just taking a guess here but I'm wondering if project recalculates since
it's a "duration" field? Maybe try storing the value in a text outline
code....

- Chris

 

[Jack Dahlgren]

There is a difference between Enterprise Duration and Enterprise Duration1
Perhaps that has something to do with it. Duration will change all the time
depending on task updates etc. Duration1 should not, unless perhaps it uses
a formula.

-Jack Dahlgren

 

[abisabado]

Thank you for your replies.

The Project Enterprise Duration 1 Custom Field is an entry field.
The duration is manually entered. No computation is being made.

I did a quick look at the database itself after I changed value in
that field then published it to the server.
and checked the table MSP_DURATION_FIELDS, and it's not getting the
value that should be there based on what I just published.

Example:
DUR_FMT = 7 which is day according to pjdb.htm file. And since
DUR_VALUE field stores values in minutes, I calculated the value there
to get the duration value in days so that if
DUR_VALUE = 374400, divide it by 4800 (mins), I should get 78. However
in most cases, this number 78 is being changed to something else ---
34.33 after some unknown transaction.

how is this table being updated? is there some kind of procedure or
function that calculates this value?
what do you think is happening here? any ideas?

Thanks in advance.