How to update Project data

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I am trying to understand how i am supposed to update data in a Project Project: I am wanting to create a project and then create/update/sync tasks etc. in it from an external (Web, ASP.NET) application.

I thought PDS (calling methods via SOAP) was the way to go. Then I read (MSDN, "The Project Data Service and Microsoft Project Server Security Architecture"):
Ideally, client-side applications should only perform reads on the Microsoft Project Server database. If you need to update data, consider using a server-side PDS extension. If you absolutely must update Microsoft Project Server database tables directly, [...<dire warnings>...]

*If* I understand correctly, I have two possible approaches:

1. Write a server-side PDS extension, or write to Project Server database directly. *Either* way, from what I can see, I end up writing SQL "INSERT INTO..." statements, with all the consequences for data integrity/security/trying to understand the table contents & relationships correctly

2. Existing PDS Project Methods give me "ProjectsCheckout" & "ProjectsCheckin". I thought --- but now I'm not at all sure --- that this might (somehow) give me a Project I could update via Automation & the Project Object Model and then check back into Project Server having updated it. Is this what the standard Project Professional Windows client is doing when you make changes to a project opened from Project server and saved back?

So I'm trying to understand how (best) to go about updating Project data?

 

[Gary L. Chefetz [MVP]]

Please post your question to microsoft.public.project.developer where you're
much more likely to get a reply.

I am trying to understand how i am supposed to update data in a Project

Project: I am wanting to create a project and then create/update/sync tasks
etc. in it from an external (Web, ASP.NET) application.

I thought PDS (calling methods via SOAP) was the way to go. Then I read

(MSDN, "The Project Data Service and Microsoft Project Server Security
Architecture"):

Ideally, client-side applications should only perform reads on the

Microsoft Project Server database. If you need to update data, consider
using a server-side PDS extension. If you absolutely must update Microsoft

*If* I understand correctly, I have two possible approaches:

1. Write a server-side PDS extension, or write to Project Server database

directly. *Either* way, from what I can see, I end up writing SQL "INSERT
INTO..." statements, with all the consequences for data
integrity/security/trying to understand the table contents & relationships
correctly

2. Existing PDS Project Methods give me "ProjectsCheckout" &

"ProjectsCheckin". I thought --- but now I'm not at all sure --- that this
might (somehow) give me a Project I could update via Automation & the
Project Object Model and then check back into Project Server having updated
it. Is this what the standard Project Professional Windows client is doing
when you make changes to a project opened from Project server and saved
back?