Graphical indicator at the project-level

[Jay]

I am getting strange results with a project-level custom field which
has a formula and a graphical indicator. When I add the custom field
inside Project Professional 2003, some rows show one indicator and
others show a different indicator. This is, of course, unexpected for a
project-level field; all rows should display the same indicator.

I tried to boil it down to a simple, and hopefully repeatable, example.
Use this formula on an Enterprise Project Text field:

IIf([Actual Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")

Set your graphical indicator to Red if the formula equals "A", and
Green for everything else (don't test for "B").

On rows where the Duration = 0, the indicator always shows Green, no
matter what the indicator shows on Task 0. The hovertext is the same
for each row (and it matches row 0), only the graphical indicator is
different.

In the formula, the division by Duration is important because you can
generate an error if you divide by zero. I think the error is what is
throwing the wrong indicator (even though the hovertext does not
change).

Look like a bug or am I missing something?

We're running Project Server 2003 SP2a, and Project Pro 2003 SP2.

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Jay --

Your description and question makes no sense. If you create a custom
enterprise Project field with a formula and graphical indicators, this
applies only to the Project Summary Task (Row 0 or Task 0) and not to either
the summary tasks or subtasks in the project. If you need to apply the same
formula and graphical indicators to tasks in a project, you need to create a
custom enterprise Task field for that purpose. When you do so, you can
import your formula and graphical indicators without needing to recreate
them in the new field. Remember to select the "Use formula" option in the
Calculation for Task and Group Summary Rows section of the Customize
Enterprise Field dialog.

Also, when you create the custom enterprise Task field for this purpose, you
will probably want to trap for the "Division by 0" error that you will get
as a result of using milestone tasks in the project. You can use a formula
something like the following:

IIf([Duration]=0,"B",IIf([% Complete]>50,"A","B"))

Notice in the preceding formula that I substituted % Complete in the
formula. This is because % Complete is calculated as follows:

(Actual Duration / Duration) * 100

Hope this helps.

 

[Jay]

Dale,

Thanks for your response. I understand everything you are saying. I
know what a project-level custom field is _supposed_ to do. I
discovered this when I was teaching a class and explaining to my
students the difference between project-level and task-level fields.
When I saw that the column with the project-level field did not display
a uniform graphical indicator, I went exploring.

Please try the example for yourself. I think you will see that you get
a different graphical indicator on some tasks! And if this is true and
reproducible, it must mean that Project is making unnecessary
calculations at the task-level for project-level custom fields. That's
worth knowing, right?

I would post or e-mail an MPP, but, of course, I can't because you
can't have a project-level field without an Enterprise Global.

Please try it and let us know what you see.

Thanks,
Jay

P.S. By the way, technically speaking, % Complete is calculated with
this formula:

IIF([Duration]=0,0,(Actual Duration / Duration) * 100)

I say this to illustrate that I know about division by zero and that I
picked my example formula to keep things simple. My original formula is
much more complicated and makes division by zero unlikely (but
possible) at the project-level, but entirely possible at the
task-level.

Jay --

Your description and question makes no sense. If you create a custom
enterprise Project field with a formula and graphical indicators, this
applies only to the Project Summary Task (Row 0 or Task 0) and not to either
the summary tasks or subtasks in the project. If you need to apply the same
formula and graphical indicators to tasks in a project, you need to create a
custom enterprise Task field for that purpose. When you do so, you can
import your formula and graphical indicators without needing to recreate
them in the new field. Remember to select the "Use formula" option in the
Calculation for Task and Group Summary Rows section of the Customize
Enterprise Field dialog.

Also, when you create the custom enterprise Task field for this purpose, you
will probably want to trap for the "Division by 0" error that you will get
as a result of using milestone tasks in the project. You can use a formula
something like the following:

IIf([Duration]=0,"B",IIf([% Complete]>50,"A","B"))

Notice in the preceding formula that I substituted % Complete in the
formula. This is because % Complete is calculated as follows:

(Actual Duration / Duration) * 100

Hope this helps.

I am getting strange results with a project-level custom field which
has a formula and a graphical indicator. When I add the custom field
inside Project Professional 2003, some rows show one indicator and
others show a different indicator. This is, of course, unexpected for a
project-level field; all rows should display the same indicator.

I tried to boil it down to a simple, and hopefully repeatable, example.
Use this formula on an Enterprise Project Text field:

IIf([Actual Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")

Set your graphical indicator to Red if the formula equals "A", and
Green for everything else (don't test for "B").

On rows where the Duration = 0, the indicator always shows Green, no
matter what the indicator shows on Task 0. The hovertext is the same
for each row (and it matches row 0), only the graphical indicator is
different.

In the formula, the division by Duration is important because you can
generate an error if you divide by zero. I think the error is what is
throwing the wrong indicator (even though the hovertext does not
change).

Look like a bug or am I missing something?

We're running Project Server 2003 SP2a, and Project Pro 2003 SP2.

 

[Mike]

Jay

I concur your are not going mad - it's a bug

regards

Mike

Dale,

Thanks for your response. I understand everything you are saying. I
know what a project-level custom field is _supposed_ to do. I
discovered this when I was teaching a class and explaining to my
students the difference between project-level and task-level fields.
When I saw that the column with the project-level field did not display
a uniform graphical indicator, I went exploring.

Please try the example for yourself. I think you will see that you get
a different graphical indicator on some tasks! And if this is true and
reproducible, it must mean that Project is making unnecessary
calculations at the task-level for project-level custom fields. That's
worth knowing, right?

I would post or e-mail an MPP, but, of course, I can't because you
can't have a project-level field without an Enterprise Global.

Please try it and let us know what you see.

Thanks,
Jay

P.S. By the way, technically speaking, % Complete is calculated with
this formula:

IIF([Duration]=0,0,(Actual Duration / Duration) * 100)

I say this to illustrate that I know about division by zero and that I
picked my example formula to keep things simple. My original formula is
much more complicated and makes division by zero unlikely (but
possible) at the project-level, but entirely possible at the
task-level.

Jay --

Your description and question makes no sense. If you create a custom
enterprise Project field with a formula and graphical indicators, this
applies only to the Project Summary Task (Row 0 or Task 0) and not to either
the summary tasks or subtasks in the project. If you need to apply the same
formula and graphical indicators to tasks in a project, you need to create a
custom enterprise Task field for that purpose. When you do so, you can
import your formula and graphical indicators without needing to recreate
them in the new field. Remember to select the "Use formula" option in the
Calculation for Task and Group Summary Rows section of the Customize
Enterprise Field dialog.

Also, when you create the custom enterprise Task field for this purpose, you
will probably want to trap for the "Division by 0" error that you will get
as a result of using milestone tasks in the project. You can use a formula
something like the following:

IIf([Duration]=0,"B",IIf([% Complete]>50,"A","B"))

Notice in the preceding formula that I substituted % Complete in the
formula. This is because % Complete is calculated as follows:

(Actual Duration / Duration) * 100

Hope this helps.

I am getting strange results with a project-level custom field which
has a formula and a graphical indicator. When I add the custom field
inside Project Professional 2003, some rows show one indicator and
others show a different indicator. This is, of course, unexpected for a
project-level field; all rows should display the same indicator.

I tried to boil it down to a simple, and hopefully repeatable, example.
Use this formula on an Enterprise Project Text field:

IIf([Actual Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")

Set your graphical indicator to Red if the formula equals "A", and
Green for everything else (don't test for "B").

On rows where the Duration = 0, the indicator always shows Green, no
matter what the indicator shows on Task 0. The hovertext is the same
for each row (and it matches row 0), only the graphical indicator is
different.

In the formula, the division by Duration is important because you can
generate an error if you divide by zero. I think the error is what is
throwing the wrong indicator (even though the hovertext does not
change).

Look like a bug or am I missing something?

We're running Project Server 2003 SP2a, and Project Pro 2003 SP2.

 

[Gary L. Chefetz [MVP]]

Jay:

Are you using this example: IIf([Actual Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B") as
a means to illustrate an inconsistency only? Does your ultimate formula
exclude for milestones? Dividing [Actual Duration] by [Duration] really
doesn't make much sense to me as [Duration] will always equal [Actual
Duration] once you meet or exceed [Baseline Duration] whether or not the
baseline is preserved.

 

[Jay]

Yes, this is an illustration only.

Please understand, I am not asking for help in writing a formula. I am
asking for confirmation of this "inconsistency" in the way Project
displays project-level graphical indicators.

Jay:

Are you using this example: IIf([Actual Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B") as
a means to illustrate an inconsistency only? Does your ultimate formula
exclude for milestones? Dividing [Actual Duration] by [Duration] really
doesn't make much sense to me as [Duration] will always equal [Actual
Duration] once you meet or exceed [Baseline Duration] whether or not the
baseline is preserved.

I am getting strange results with a project-level custom field which
has a formula and a graphical indicator. When I add the custom field
inside Project Professional 2003, some rows show one indicator and
others show a different indicator. This is, of course, unexpected for a
project-level field; all rows should display the same indicator.

I tried to boil it down to a simple, and hopefully repeatable, example.
Use this formula on an Enterprise Project Text field:

IIf([Actual Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")

Set your graphical indicator to Red if the formula equals "A", and
Green for everything else (don't test for "B").

On rows where the Duration = 0, the indicator always shows Green, no
matter what the indicator shows on Task 0. The hovertext is the same
for each row (and it matches row 0), only the graphical indicator is
different.

In the formula, the division by Duration is important because you can
generate an error if you divide by zero. I think the error is what is
throwing the wrong indicator (even though the hovertext does not
change).

Look like a bug or am I missing something?

We're running Project Server 2003 SP2a, and Project Pro 2003 SP2.

 

[Gary L. Chefetz [MVP]]

Well then, I don't think it's a very good illustration as the formula is
inadequate.

Yes, this is an illustration only.

Please understand, I am not asking for help in writing a formula. I am
asking for confirmation of this "inconsistency" in the way Project
displays project-level graphical indicators.

Jay:

Are you using this example: IIf([Actual Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")
as
a means to illustrate an inconsistency only? Does your ultimate formula
exclude for milestones? Dividing [Actual Duration] by [Duration] really
doesn't make much sense to me as [Duration] will always equal [Actual
Duration] once you meet or exceed [Baseline Duration] whether or not the
baseline is preserved.

I am getting strange results with a project-level custom field which
has a formula and a graphical indicator. When I add the custom field
inside Project Professional 2003, some rows show one indicator and
others show a different indicator. This is, of course, unexpected for a
project-level field; all rows should display the same indicator.

I tried to boil it down to a simple, and hopefully repeatable, example.
Use this formula on an Enterprise Project Text field:

IIf([Actual Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")

Set your graphical indicator to Red if the formula equals "A", and
Green for everything else (don't test for "B").

On rows where the Duration = 0, the indicator always shows Green, no
matter what the indicator shows on Task 0. The hovertext is the same
for each row (and it matches row 0), only the graphical indicator is
different.

In the formula, the division by Duration is important because you can
generate an error if you divide by zero. I think the error is what is
throwing the wrong indicator (even though the hovertext does not
change).

Look like a bug or am I missing something?

We're running Project Server 2003 SP2a, and Project Pro 2003 SP2.

 

[Jay]

Sorry, I've been off the grid for a couple of days...

I'm not sure what you mean by "inadequate". Follow the steps that I
specify in my original posting, and you will see this project-level
custom field show different graphical indicators on different tasks.

I just tried it again in a completely different environment to make
sure I was not seeing things.

- Used Enterprise Project Text6. Filled in the formula below. For
graphical indicators I created two: one that tests for "A" and displays
a red sphere, and an "is any value" that displays green.
- Created a new project with two tasks. One has duration = 0. The other
has duration = 10 days and is 75% complete. Added the Enterprise
Project Text6 column to my Gantt Chart in Project Pro. The first task
displayed green, the second task displayed red (and the project summary
task showed red).

I think my example is fine to illustrate that Project is performing
some kind of row-level processing for a project-level custom field.

Well then, I don't think it's a very good illustration as the formula is
inadequate.

Yes, this is an illustration only.

Please understand, I am not asking for help in writing a formula. I am
asking for confirmation of this "inconsistency" in the way Project
displays project-level graphical indicators.

Jay:

Are you using this example: IIf([Actual Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")
as
a means to illustrate an inconsistency only? Does your ultimate formula
exclude for milestones? Dividing [Actual Duration] by [Duration] really
doesn't make much sense to me as [Duration] will always equal [Actual
Duration] once you meet or exceed [Baseline Duration] whether or not the
baseline is preserved.





I am getting strange results with a project-level custom field which
has a formula and a graphical indicator. When I add the custom field
inside Project Professional 2003, some rows show one indicator and
others show a different indicator. This is, of course, unexpected for a
project-level field; all rows should display the same indicator.

I tried to boil it down to a simple, and hopefully repeatable, example.
Use this formula on an Enterprise Project Text field:

IIf([Actual Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")

Set your graphical indicator to Red if the formula equals "A", and
Green for everything else (don't test for "B").

On rows where the Duration = 0, the indicator always shows Green, no
matter what the indicator shows on Task 0. The hovertext is the same
for each row (and it matches row 0), only the graphical indicator is
different.

In the formula, the division by Duration is important because you can
generate an error if you divide by zero. I think the error is what is
throwing the wrong indicator (even though the hovertext does not
change).

Look like a bug or am I missing something?

We're running Project Server 2003 SP2a, and Project Pro 2003 SP2.

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Jay --

Since you seem set on "going round and round" with us on this issue, did you
ever create the custom enterprise Task field with your formula like I
recommended in my original post? If so, does it work correctly? Let us
know.

Sorry, I've been off the grid for a couple of days...

I'm not sure what you mean by "inadequate". Follow the steps that I
specify in my original posting, and you will see this project-level
custom field show different graphical indicators on different tasks.

I just tried it again in a completely different environment to make
sure I was not seeing things.

- Used Enterprise Project Text6. Filled in the formula below. For
graphical indicators I created two: one that tests for "A" and displays
a red sphere, and an "is any value" that displays green.
- Created a new project with two tasks. One has duration = 0. The other
has duration = 10 days and is 75% complete. Added the Enterprise
Project Text6 column to my Gantt Chart in Project Pro. The first task
displayed green, the second task displayed red (and the project summary
task showed red).

I think my example is fine to illustrate that Project is performing
some kind of row-level processing for a project-level custom field.

Well then, I don't think it's a very good illustration as the formula is
inadequate.

Yes, this is an illustration only.

Please understand, I am not asking for help in writing a formula. I am
asking for confirmation of this "inconsistency" in the way Project
displays project-level graphical indicators.

Gary L. Chefetz [MVP] wrote:
Jay:

Are you using this example: IIf([Actual
Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")
as
a means to illustrate an inconsistency only? Does your ultimate
formula
exclude for milestones? Dividing [Actual Duration] by [Duration]
really
doesn't make much sense to me as [Duration] will always equal [Actual
Duration] once you meet or exceed [Baseline Duration] whether or not
the
baseline is preserved.





I am getting strange results with a project-level custom field which
has a formula and a graphical indicator. When I add the custom field
inside Project Professional 2003, some rows show one indicator and
others show a different indicator. This is, of course, unexpected
for a
project-level field; all rows should display the same indicator.

I tried to boil it down to a simple, and hopefully repeatable,
example.
Use this formula on an Enterprise Project Text field:

IIf([Actual Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")

Set your graphical indicator to Red if the formula equals "A", and
Green for everything else (don't test for "B").

On rows where the Duration = 0, the indicator always shows Green, no
matter what the indicator shows on Task 0. The hovertext is the same
for each row (and it matches row 0), only the graphical indicator is
different.

In the formula, the division by Duration is important because you
can
generate an error if you divide by zero. I think the error is what
is
throwing the wrong indicator (even though the hovertext does not
change).

Look like a bug or am I missing something?

We're running Project Server 2003 SP2a, and Project Pro 2003 SP2.

 

[Jay]

I think we have a simple misunderstanding here.

I am not asking for help in writing a formula for a custom field. I
know how to do that. I have written them for many clients. I am happy
with the custom fields I wrote for my current client.

I just wanted to spark some discussion around something that I found
was strange and interesting. And wholly unexpected given our common
understanding of what a project-level field should do. Enterprise
Project Text fields should never display different graphical indicators
on different tasks in a project -- but I gave you an example of one
that does. (Enterprise Task Text fields can display different
indicators - I know.)

I grant you that the formula I originally posted is not something an
experienced Project user would implement. (For one thing, I would use %
Complete rather than dividing Actual Duration by Duration.) It's just a
simple example you can try so you will believe that what I say is true.
And then we can start speculating on _why_.

Jay --

Since you seem set on "going round and round" with us on this issue, did you
ever create the custom enterprise Task field with your formula like I
recommended in my original post? If so, does it work correctly? Let us
know.

Sorry, I've been off the grid for a couple of days...

I'm not sure what you mean by "inadequate". Follow the steps that I
specify in my original posting, and you will see this project-level
custom field show different graphical indicators on different tasks.

I just tried it again in a completely different environment to make
sure I was not seeing things.

- Used Enterprise Project Text6. Filled in the formula below. For
graphical indicators I created two: one that tests for "A" and displays
a red sphere, and an "is any value" that displays green.
- Created a new project with two tasks. One has duration = 0. The other
has duration = 10 days and is 75% complete. Added the Enterprise
Project Text6 column to my Gantt Chart in Project Pro. The first task
displayed green, the second task displayed red (and the project summary
task showed red).

I think my example is fine to illustrate that Project is performing
some kind of row-level processing for a project-level custom field.

Well then, I don't think it's a very good illustration as the formula is
inadequate.




Yes, this is an illustration only.

Please understand, I am not asking for help in writing a formula. I am
asking for confirmation of this "inconsistency" in the way Project
displays project-level graphical indicators.

Gary L. Chefetz [MVP] wrote:
Jay:

Are you using this example: IIf([Actual
Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")
as
a means to illustrate an inconsistency only? Does your ultimate
formula
exclude for milestones? Dividing [Actual Duration] by [Duration]
really
doesn't make much sense to me as [Duration] will always equal [Actual
Duration] once you meet or exceed [Baseline Duration] whether or not
the
baseline is preserved.





I am getting strange results with a project-level custom field which
has a formula and a graphical indicator. When I add the custom field
inside Project Professional 2003, some rows show one indicator and
others show a different indicator. This is, of course, unexpected
for a
project-level field; all rows should display the same indicator.

I tried to boil it down to a simple, and hopefully repeatable,
example.
Use this formula on an Enterprise Project Text field:

IIf([Actual Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")

Set your graphical indicator to Red if the formula equals "A", and
Green for everything else (don't test for "B").

On rows where the Duration = 0, the indicator always shows Green, no
matter what the indicator shows on Task 0. The hovertext is the same
for each row (and it matches row 0), only the graphical indicator is
different.

In the formula, the division by Duration is important because you
can
generate an error if you divide by zero. I think the error is what
is
throwing the wrong indicator (even though the hovertext does not
change).

Look like a bug or am I missing something?

We're running Project Server 2003 SP2a, and Project Pro 2003 SP2.

 

[Gary L. Chefetz [MVP]]

Jay:

With your example, we'd expect strange behavior as it doesn't deal with the
zero durations. Do you get where I'm coming from?

I think we have a simple misunderstanding here.

I am not asking for help in writing a formula for a custom field. I
know how to do that. I have written them for many clients. I am happy
with the custom fields I wrote for my current client.

I just wanted to spark some discussion around something that I found
was strange and interesting. And wholly unexpected given our common
understanding of what a project-level field should do. Enterprise
Project Text fields should never display different graphical indicators
on different tasks in a project -- but I gave you an example of one
that does. (Enterprise Task Text fields can display different
indicators - I know.)

I grant you that the formula I originally posted is not something an
experienced Project user would implement. (For one thing, I would use %
Complete rather than dividing Actual Duration by Duration.) It's just a
simple example you can try so you will believe that what I say is true.
And then we can start speculating on _why_.

Jay --

Since you seem set on "going round and round" with us on this issue, did
you
ever create the custom enterprise Task field with your formula like I
recommended in my original post? If so, does it work correctly? Let us
know.

Sorry, I've been off the grid for a couple of days...

I'm not sure what you mean by "inadequate". Follow the steps that I
specify in my original posting, and you will see this project-level
custom field show different graphical indicators on different tasks.

I just tried it again in a completely different environment to make
sure I was not seeing things.

- Used Enterprise Project Text6. Filled in the formula below. For
graphical indicators I created two: one that tests for "A" and displays
a red sphere, and an "is any value" that displays green.
- Created a new project with two tasks. One has duration = 0. The other
has duration = 10 days and is 75% complete. Added the Enterprise
Project Text6 column to my Gantt Chart in Project Pro. The first task
displayed green, the second task displayed red (and the project summary
task showed red).

I think my example is fine to illustrate that Project is performing
some kind of row-level processing for a project-level custom field.

Gary L. Chefetz [MVP] wrote:
Well then, I don't think it's a very good illustration as the formula
is
inadequate.




Yes, this is an illustration only.

Please understand, I am not asking for help in writing a formula. I
am
asking for confirmation of this "inconsistency" in the way Project
displays project-level graphical indicators.

Gary L. Chefetz [MVP] wrote:
Jay:

Are you using this example: IIf([Actual
Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")
as
a means to illustrate an inconsistency only? Does your ultimate
formula
exclude for milestones? Dividing [Actual Duration] by [Duration]
really
doesn't make much sense to me as [Duration] will always equal
[Actual
Duration] once you meet or exceed [Baseline Duration] whether or
not
the
baseline is preserved.





I am getting strange results with a project-level custom field
which
has a formula and a graphical indicator. When I add the custom
field
inside Project Professional 2003, some rows show one indicator
and
others show a different indicator. This is, of course, unexpected
for a
project-level field; all rows should display the same indicator.

I tried to boil it down to a simple, and hopefully repeatable,
example.
Use this formula on an Enterprise Project Text field:

IIf([Actual Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")

Set your graphical indicator to Red if the formula equals "A",
and
Green for everything else (don't test for "B").

On rows where the Duration = 0, the indicator always shows Green,
no
matter what the indicator shows on Task 0. The hovertext is the
same
for each row (and it matches row 0), only the graphical indicator
is
different.

In the formula, the division by Duration is important because you
can
generate an error if you divide by zero. I think the error is
what
is
throwing the wrong indicator (even though the hovertext does not
change).

Look like a bug or am I missing something?

We're running Project Server 2003 SP2a, and Project Pro 2003 SP2.

 

[Mike]

Gary

Surely the calculation is based on the details of the project record
(row 0), and the result simply displayed by the other task rows, and
therefore zero duration is irrelevant. At least this is what I thought
until Jay provided this example, clearly something else is happening at
the task level. There is no practical problem here but definitely some
dodgy code.

Mike

Jay:

With your example, we'd expect strange behavior as it doesn't deal with the
zero durations. Do you get where I'm coming from?

I think we have a simple misunderstanding here.

I am not asking for help in writing a formula for a custom field. I
know how to do that. I have written them for many clients. I am happy
with the custom fields I wrote for my current client.

I just wanted to spark some discussion around something that I found
was strange and interesting. And wholly unexpected given our common
understanding of what a project-level field should do. Enterprise
Project Text fields should never display different graphical indicators
on different tasks in a project -- but I gave you an example of one
that does. (Enterprise Task Text fields can display different
indicators - I know.)

I grant you that the formula I originally posted is not something an
experienced Project user would implement. (For one thing, I would use %
Complete rather than dividing Actual Duration by Duration.) It's just a
simple example you can try so you will believe that what I say is true.
And then we can start speculating on _why_.

Jay --

Since you seem set on "going round and round" with us on this issue, did
you
ever create the custom enterprise Task field with your formula like I
recommended in my original post? If so, does it work correctly? Let us
know.




Sorry, I've been off the grid for a couple of days...

I'm not sure what you mean by "inadequate". Follow the steps that I
specify in my original posting, and you will see this project-level
custom field show different graphical indicators on different tasks.

I just tried it again in a completely different environment to make
sure I was not seeing things.

- Used Enterprise Project Text6. Filled in the formula below. For
graphical indicators I created two: one that tests for "A" and displays
a red sphere, and an "is any value" that displays green.
- Created a new project with two tasks. One has duration = 0. The other
has duration = 10 days and is 75% complete. Added the Enterprise
Project Text6 column to my Gantt Chart in Project Pro. The first task
displayed green, the second task displayed red (and the project summary
task showed red).

I think my example is fine to illustrate that Project is performing
some kind of row-level processing for a project-level custom field.

Gary L. Chefetz [MVP] wrote:
Well then, I don't think it's a very good illustration as the formula
is
inadequate.




Yes, this is an illustration only.

Please understand, I am not asking for help in writing a formula. I
am
asking for confirmation of this "inconsistency" in the way Project
displays project-level graphical indicators.

Gary L. Chefetz [MVP] wrote:
Jay:

Are you using this example: IIf([Actual
Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")
as
a means to illustrate an inconsistency only? Does your ultimate
formula
exclude for milestones? Dividing [Actual Duration] by [Duration]
really
doesn't make much sense to me as [Duration] will always equal
[Actual
Duration] once you meet or exceed [Baseline Duration] whether or
not
the
baseline is preserved.





I am getting strange results with a project-level custom field
which
has a formula and a graphical indicator. When I add the custom
field
inside Project Professional 2003, some rows show one indicator
and
others show a different indicator. This is, of course, unexpected
for a
project-level field; all rows should display the same indicator.

I tried to boil it down to a simple, and hopefully repeatable,
example.
Use this formula on an Enterprise Project Text field:

IIf([Actual Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")

Set your graphical indicator to Red if the formula equals "A",
and
Green for everything else (don't test for "B").

On rows where the Duration = 0, the indicator always shows Green,
no
matter what the indicator shows on Task 0. The hovertext is the
same
for each row (and it matches row 0), only the graphical indicator
is
different.

In the formula, the division by Duration is important because you
can
generate an error if you divide by zero. I think the error is
what
is
throwing the wrong indicator (even though the hovertext does not
change).

Look like a bug or am I missing something?

We're running Project Server 2003 SP2a, and Project Pro 2003 SP2.

 

[Jay]

Thanks, Mike. That's what I mean. My Enterprise Project formula is
producing expected results at the project-level ("no practical
problem") but unexpected results at the task-level ("dodgy code" -
Microsoft's code, not mine).

Gary

Surely the calculation is based on the details of the project record
(row 0), and the result simply displayed by the other task rows, and
therefore zero duration is irrelevant. At least this is what I thought
until Jay provided this example, clearly something else is happening at
the task level. There is no practical problem here but definitely some
dodgy code.

Mike

Jay:

With your example, we'd expect strange behavior as it doesn't deal with the
zero durations. Do you get where I'm coming from?

I think we have a simple misunderstanding here.

I am not asking for help in writing a formula for a custom field. I
know how to do that. I have written them for many clients. I am happy
with the custom fields I wrote for my current client.

I just wanted to spark some discussion around something that I found
was strange and interesting. And wholly unexpected given our common
understanding of what a project-level field should do. Enterprise
Project Text fields should never display different graphical indicators
on different tasks in a project -- but I gave you an example of one
that does. (Enterprise Task Text fields can display different
indicators - I know.)

I grant you that the formula I originally posted is not something an
experienced Project user would implement. (For one thing, I would use %
Complete rather than dividing Actual Duration by Duration.) It's just a
simple example you can try so you will believe that what I say is true.
And then we can start speculating on _why_.

Dale Howard [MVP] (dot at dot) wrote:
Jay --

Since you seem set on "going round and round" with us on this issue, did
you
ever create the custom enterprise Task field with your formula like I
recommended in my original post? If so, does it work correctly? Let us
know.




Sorry, I've been off the grid for a couple of days...

I'm not sure what you mean by "inadequate". Follow the steps that I
specify in my original posting, and you will see this project-level
custom field show different graphical indicators on different tasks.

I just tried it again in a completely different environment to make
sure I was not seeing things.

- Used Enterprise Project Text6. Filled in the formula below. For
graphical indicators I created two: one that tests for "A" and displays
a red sphere, and an "is any value" that displays green.
- Created a new project with two tasks. One has duration = 0. The other
has duration = 10 days and is 75% complete. Added the Enterprise
Project Text6 column to my Gantt Chart in Project Pro. The first task
displayed green, the second task displayed red (and the project summary
task showed red).

I think my example is fine to illustrate that Project is performing
some kind of row-level processing for a project-level custom field.

Gary L. Chefetz [MVP] wrote:
Well then, I don't think it's a very good illustration as the formula
is
inadequate.




Yes, this is an illustration only.

Please understand, I am not asking for help in writing a formula. I
am
asking for confirmation of this "inconsistency" in the way Project
displays project-level graphical indicators.

Gary L. Chefetz [MVP] wrote:
Jay:

Are you using this example: IIf([Actual
Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")
as
a means to illustrate an inconsistency only? Does your ultimate
formula
exclude for milestones? Dividing [Actual Duration] by [Duration]
really
doesn't make much sense to me as [Duration] will always equal
[Actual
Duration] once you meet or exceed [Baseline Duration] whether or
not
the
baseline is preserved.





I am getting strange results with a project-level custom field
which
has a formula and a graphical indicator. When I add the custom
field
inside Project Professional 2003, some rows show one indicator
and
others show a different indicator. This is, of course, unexpected
for a
project-level field; all rows should display the same indicator.

I tried to boil it down to a simple, and hopefully repeatable,
example.
Use this formula on an Enterprise Project Text field:

IIf([Actual Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")

Set your graphical indicator to Red if the formula equals "A",
and
Green for everything else (don't test for "B").

On rows where the Duration = 0, the indicator always shows Green,
no
matter what the indicator shows on Task 0. The hovertext is the
same
for each row (and it matches row 0), only the graphical indicator
is
different.

In the formula, the division by Duration is important because you
can
generate an error if you divide by zero. I think the error is
what
is
throwing the wrong indicator (even though the hovertext does not
change).

Look like a bug or am I missing something?

We're running Project Server 2003 SP2a, and Project Pro 2003 SP2.

 

[Jay]

I am not following you. Please explain.

Jay:

With your example, we'd expect strange behavior as it doesn't deal with the
zero durations. Do you get where I'm coming from?

I think we have a simple misunderstanding here.

I am not asking for help in writing a formula for a custom field. I
know how to do that. I have written them for many clients. I am happy
with the custom fields I wrote for my current client.

I just wanted to spark some discussion around something that I found
was strange and interesting. And wholly unexpected given our common
understanding of what a project-level field should do. Enterprise
Project Text fields should never display different graphical indicators
on different tasks in a project -- but I gave you an example of one
that does. (Enterprise Task Text fields can display different
indicators - I know.)

I grant you that the formula I originally posted is not something an
experienced Project user would implement. (For one thing, I would use %
Complete rather than dividing Actual Duration by Duration.) It's just a
simple example you can try so you will believe that what I say is true.
And then we can start speculating on _why_.

Jay --

Since you seem set on "going round and round" with us on this issue, did
you
ever create the custom enterprise Task field with your formula like I
recommended in my original post? If so, does it work correctly? Let us
know.




Sorry, I've been off the grid for a couple of days...

I'm not sure what you mean by "inadequate". Follow the steps that I
specify in my original posting, and you will see this project-level
custom field show different graphical indicators on different tasks.

I just tried it again in a completely different environment to make
sure I was not seeing things.

- Used Enterprise Project Text6. Filled in the formula below. For
graphical indicators I created two: one that tests for "A" and displays
a red sphere, and an "is any value" that displays green.
- Created a new project with two tasks. One has duration = 0. The other
has duration = 10 days and is 75% complete. Added the Enterprise
Project Text6 column to my Gantt Chart in Project Pro. The first task
displayed green, the second task displayed red (and the project summary
task showed red).

I think my example is fine to illustrate that Project is performing
some kind of row-level processing for a project-level custom field.

Gary L. Chefetz [MVP] wrote:
Well then, I don't think it's a very good illustration as the formula
is
inadequate.




Yes, this is an illustration only.

Please understand, I am not asking for help in writing a formula. I
am
asking for confirmation of this "inconsistency" in the way Project
displays project-level graphical indicators.

Gary L. Chefetz [MVP] wrote:
Jay:

Are you using this example: IIf([Actual
Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")
as
a means to illustrate an inconsistency only? Does your ultimate
formula
exclude for milestones? Dividing [Actual Duration] by [Duration]
really
doesn't make much sense to me as [Duration] will always equal
[Actual
Duration] once you meet or exceed [Baseline Duration] whether or
not
the
baseline is preserved.





I am getting strange results with a project-level custom field
which
has a formula and a graphical indicator. When I add the custom
field
inside Project Professional 2003, some rows show one indicator
and
others show a different indicator. This is, of course, unexpected
for a
project-level field; all rows should display the same indicator.

I tried to boil it down to a simple, and hopefully repeatable,
example.
Use this formula on an Enterprise Project Text field:

IIf([Actual Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")

Set your graphical indicator to Red if the formula equals "A",
and
Green for everything else (don't test for "B").

On rows where the Duration = 0, the indicator always shows Green,
no
matter what the indicator shows on Task 0. The hovertext is the
same
for each row (and it matches row 0), only the graphical indicator
is
different.

In the formula, the division by Duration is important because you
can
generate an error if you divide by zero. I think the error is
what
is
throwing the wrong indicator (even though the hovertext does not
change).

Look like a bug or am I missing something?

We're running Project Server 2003 SP2a, and Project Pro 2003 SP2.

 

[Jay]

One more ping to try to get some discussion here...

Has anyone tried my example (besides Mike), and experienced this
strange behavior for themselves?

I am not following you. Please explain.

Jay:

With your example, we'd expect strange behavior as it doesn't deal with the
zero durations. Do you get where I'm coming from?

I think we have a simple misunderstanding here.

I am not asking for help in writing a formula for a custom field. I
know how to do that. I have written them for many clients. I am happy
with the custom fields I wrote for my current client.

I just wanted to spark some discussion around something that I found
was strange and interesting. And wholly unexpected given our common
understanding of what a project-level field should do. Enterprise
Project Text fields should never display different graphical indicators
on different tasks in a project -- but I gave you an example of one
that does. (Enterprise Task Text fields can display different
indicators - I know.)

I grant you that the formula I originally posted is not something an
experienced Project user would implement. (For one thing, I would use %
Complete rather than dividing Actual Duration by Duration.) It's just a
simple example you can try so you will believe that what I say is true.
And then we can start speculating on _why_.

Dale Howard [MVP] (dot at dot) wrote:
Jay --

Since you seem set on "going round and round" with us on this issue, did
you
ever create the custom enterprise Task field with your formula like I
recommended in my original post? If so, does it work correctly? Let us
know.




Sorry, I've been off the grid for a couple of days...

I'm not sure what you mean by "inadequate". Follow the steps that I
specify in my original posting, and you will see this project-level
custom field show different graphical indicators on different tasks.

I just tried it again in a completely different environment to make
sure I was not seeing things.

- Used Enterprise Project Text6. Filled in the formula below. For
graphical indicators I created two: one that tests for "A" and displays
a red sphere, and an "is any value" that displays green.
- Created a new project with two tasks. One has duration = 0. The other
has duration = 10 days and is 75% complete. Added the Enterprise
Project Text6 column to my Gantt Chart in Project Pro. The first task
displayed green, the second task displayed red (and the project summary
task showed red).

I think my example is fine to illustrate that Project is performing
some kind of row-level processing for a project-level custom field.

Gary L. Chefetz [MVP] wrote:
Well then, I don't think it's a very good illustration as the formula
is
inadequate.




Yes, this is an illustration only.

Please understand, I am not asking for help in writing a formula. I
am
asking for confirmation of this "inconsistency" in the way Project
displays project-level graphical indicators.

Gary L. Chefetz [MVP] wrote:
Jay:

Are you using this example: IIf([Actual
Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")
as
a means to illustrate an inconsistency only? Does your ultimate
formula
exclude for milestones? Dividing [Actual Duration] by [Duration]
really
doesn't make much sense to me as [Duration] will always equal
[Actual
Duration] once you meet or exceed [Baseline Duration] whether or
not
the
baseline is preserved.





I am getting strange results with a project-level custom field
which
has a formula and a graphical indicator. When I add the custom
field
inside Project Professional 2003, some rows show one indicator
and
others show a different indicator. This is, of course, unexpected
for a
project-level field; all rows should display the same indicator.

I tried to boil it down to a simple, and hopefully repeatable,
example.
Use this formula on an Enterprise Project Text field:

IIf([Actual Duration]/[Duration]>0.5,"A","B")

Set your graphical indicator to Red if the formula equals "A",
and
Green for everything else (don't test for "B").

On rows where the Duration = 0, the indicator always shows Green,
no
matter what the indicator shows on Task 0. The hovertext is the
same
for each row (and it matches row 0), only the graphical indicator
is
different.

In the formula, the division by Duration is important because you
can
generate an error if you divide by zero. I think the error is
what
is
throwing the wrong indicator (even though the hovertext does not
change).

Look like a bug or am I missing something?

We're running Project Server 2003 SP2a, and Project Pro 2003 SP2.