Identifying Local Resources

[BTOjohn]

As per previous post, I am receiving these messages about local resources,
but I thought that I was clean of them now. Is there any way to identify
local resources globally? Or identify resource accounts that may have
problems associated?

I do have inactive resources in projects, but (and I might be completely
misunderstanding this) I did not want to remove them frmo the project,
because I don't want to loose their actual work values within the project -
vital for accounts etc.

Any help of course much appreciated.

 

[Guidho]

As far as I know, the only way to find local resources is to open each
individual project file and look for local resources.

 

[mark.everett]

You most likely won't have local resources in the Enterprise Resource
Pool (they wouldn't be local resources then ). The local resources
exist in your project managers' plans. You need to make it a "training
and performance issues" (TM Dale Howard) that they set up local
resources correctly:

From a Job Aid I wrote:

Step Action
1 In Project Professional, open the project and click on View and then
Resource Sheet.
2 In the Resource Sheet go to the first blank row and enter the name of
the local resource. Follow the naming convention in use (e.g., last
name, comma, space first name; friendly name, etc).
3 Double click the name to bring up the Resource Information tab.
4. In the General tab, make sure the Email box is blank and that
Workgroup box is set to None.
5 Making settings in the Working Time, Costs, Notes, and Custom Fields
tabs as needed or required.
6. The Indicator field in Project will show an icon of a sheet of paper
and the profile of a person. Mousing over the icon will reveal the
words "Local Resource."

Note: Failure to set the Workgroup value to None will result in
Project Server trying to add the resource to the Enterprise Resource
Pool and will generate an error.

Mark Everett
www.quantumpm.com

 

[BTOjohn]

Thanks for the help - I had cottoned on to the fact that I wouldn't find
local resources in the resource pool =) but that doesn't stop them being in
projects, as you point out. This is already a training issue, and I think
we've got it pegged, but if there's no way of idetifying local resources that
could have been created historically, then its more a question of opening
each and every project...

Any ideas on the inactive resources staying in live and ongoing projects?

cheers,

John

 

[mark.everett]

John -

If you delete an inactive resource (assuming you are using Project
Server 2003), you will not lose actuals. The inactive resource will be
changed to a local resource with the words "deleted on [date] ..." plus
any other information you want to put in the line. You can do this
from Clean Up Project Server Database or by using PSCleaner, a free
download from Microsoft.

As far as finding out all instances of all local resources on all your
projects, I would suggest that you get with your DBAs to write a SQL
query. Some local resource data is available in the OLAP cube as a
total, so it's in the database. I don't know what the value is for a
local resource though. You will have to experiment by putting a known
project with a local resource on the server.

Mark

 

[Jackson T. Cole]

So, what happens to "actuals" of a deleted resource in the OLAP cube? If
the resouce is deleted in the middle of a fiscal period as presented in the
cube, you don't the past to necessarily "disappear"!

"BTOJohn" didn't mention it, but in my projects with inactive pool
resources, I have to EXPLICITLY change their "Workgroup" state to "None"
EVERY TIME I Publish/Save the project! I tried using Resource Pool management
to set "Workgroup", but that is the only place it stays "None". When I
re-open a project, all the inactives have "Workgroup" set to "Default", their
old Windows account and email set right back to what they were when the
resource was active.

Hope someone still has entry flagged for a response! :>)

JC

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

JC --

When you delete an enterprise resource, Project Server converts that
resource to a local resource in each project to which the resource is
assigned, and changes the resource's Workgroup value to None. When you
publish those project and then the OLAP cube rebuilds, the local resource
hours appear in the Status dimension in the Local Resources leaf. Thus,
Project Server accounts for all hours in all projects.

As you describe your problem with setting resources to Inactive, is your
Project Server administrator changing their Workgroup value to None in the
Enterprise Resource Pool, or are you doing this in a project? It must be
done in the Enterprise Resource Pool to make the setting "stick." Let us
know.

So, what happens to "actuals" of a deleted resource in the OLAP cube? If
the resouce is deleted in the middle of a fiscal period as presented in
the
cube, you don't the past to necessarily "disappear"!

"BTOJohn" didn't mention it, but in my projects with inactive pool
resources, I have to EXPLICITLY change their "Workgroup" state to "None"
EVERY TIME I Publish/Save the project! I tried using Resource Pool
management
to set "Workgroup", but that is the only place it stays "None". When I
re-open a project, all the inactives have "Workgroup" set to "Default",
their
old Windows account and email set right back to what they were when the
resource was active.

Hope someone still has entry flagged for a response! :>)

JC

John -

If you delete an inactive resource (assuming you are using Project
Server 2003), you will not lose actuals. The inactive resource will be
changed to a local resource with the words "deleted on [date] ..." plus
any other information you want to put in the line. You can do this
from Clean Up Project Server Database or by using PSCleaner, a free
download from Microsoft.

As far as finding out all instances of all local resources on all your
projects, I would suggest that you get with your DBAs to write a SQL
query. Some local resource data is available in the OLAP cube as a
total, so it's in the database. I don't know what the value is for a
local resource though. You will have to experiment by putting a known
project with a local resource on the server.

Mark

 

[Jackson T. Cole]

I am the Administrator, and I have set more than one inactive Pool
resource to have "Workgroup" equal "None" in the Resource Pool. They do stay
that way in subsequent re-opens of the Resource Pool. I also clear e-mail,
and Windows account, and they stay cleared.

However, when I open any Enterprise project with said resources
assigned, their resource information form has ALL the cleared fields named
above filled with the old information, and "Workgroup" set to "Default". If I
change the resource information fields to match the Enterprise Pool, it makes
no difference if I save or publish the project - reopening that project and
opening a Resource information form has all fields re-filled, and "Workgroup"
= "Default".

This is really more of nuisance than a problem, IMHO, but some PM's are
less tolerant than I am, and want it fixed.

JC --

When you delete an enterprise resource, Project Server converts that
resource to a local resource in each project to which the resource is
assigned, and changes the resource's Workgroup value to None. When you
publish those project and then the OLAP cube rebuilds, the local resource
hours appear in the Status dimension in the Local Resources leaf. Thus,
Project Server accounts for all hours in all projects.

As you describe your problem with setting resources to Inactive, is your
Project Server administrator changing their Workgroup value to None in the
Enterprise Resource Pool, or are you doing this in a project? It must be
done in the Enterprise Resource Pool to make the setting "stick." Let us
know.

So, what happens to "actuals" of a deleted resource in the OLAP cube? If
the resouce is deleted in the middle of a fiscal period as presented in
the
cube, you don't the past to necessarily "disappear"!

"BTOJohn" didn't mention it, but in my projects with inactive pool
resources, I have to EXPLICITLY change their "Workgroup" state to "None"
EVERY TIME I Publish/Save the project! I tried using Resource Pool
management
to set "Workgroup", but that is the only place it stays "None". When I
re-open a project, all the inactives have "Workgroup" set to "Default",
their
old Windows account and email set right back to what they were when the
resource was active.

Hope someone still has entry flagged for a response! :>)

JC

John -

If you delete an inactive resource (assuming you are using Project
Server 2003), you will not lose actuals. The inactive resource will be
changed to a local resource with the words "deleted on [date] ..." plus
any other information you want to put in the line. You can do this
from Clean Up Project Server Database or by using PSCleaner, a free
download from Microsoft.

As far as finding out all instances of all local resources on all your
projects, I would suggest that you get with your DBAs to write a SQL
query. Some local resource data is available in the OLAP cube as a
total, so it's in the database. I don't know what the value is for a
local resource though. You will have to experiment by putting a known
project with a local resource on the server.

Mark

 

[Jackson T. Cole]

OK, think I got it figured out! It's the order in which you do things!

It appears you cannot mark the pool resource "Inactive" before you have
edited their Resource pool entry to clear the unneeded fields, and make
"Workgroup" equal "none", AND you have opened and re-saved (or re-published,
not sure which) every project in which they are assigned time!

At least my experiment today showed this to be the process.

FYI.

I am the Administrator, and I have set more than one inactive Pool
resource to have "Workgroup" equal "None" in the Resource Pool. They do stay
that way in subsequent re-opens of the Resource Pool. I also clear e-mail,
and Windows account, and they stay cleared.

However, when I open any Enterprise project with said resources
assigned, their resource information form has ALL the cleared fields named
above filled with the old information, and "Workgroup" set to "Default". If I
change the resource information fields to match the Enterprise Pool, it makes
no difference if I save or publish the project - reopening that project and
opening a Resource information form has all fields re-filled, and "Workgroup"
= "Default".

This is really more of nuisance than a problem, IMHO, but some PM's are
less tolerant than I am, and want it fixed.

JC --

When you delete an enterprise resource, Project Server converts that
resource to a local resource in each project to which the resource is
assigned, and changes the resource's Workgroup value to None. When you
publish those project and then the OLAP cube rebuilds, the local resource
hours appear in the Status dimension in the Local Resources leaf. Thus,
Project Server accounts for all hours in all projects.

As you describe your problem with setting resources to Inactive, is your
Project Server administrator changing their Workgroup value to None in the
Enterprise Resource Pool, or are you doing this in a project? It must be
done in the Enterprise Resource Pool to make the setting "stick." Let us
know.

So, what happens to "actuals" of a deleted resource in the OLAP cube? If
the resouce is deleted in the middle of a fiscal period as presented in
the
cube, you don't the past to necessarily "disappear"!

"BTOJohn" didn't mention it, but in my projects with inactive pool
resources, I have to EXPLICITLY change their "Workgroup" state to "None"
EVERY TIME I Publish/Save the project! I tried using Resource Pool
management
to set "Workgroup", but that is the only place it stays "None". When I
re-open a project, all the inactives have "Workgroup" set to "Default",
their
old Windows account and email set right back to what they were when the
resource was active.

Hope someone still has entry flagged for a response! :>)

JC


:

John -

If you delete an inactive resource (assuming you are using Project
Server 2003), you will not lose actuals. The inactive resource will be
changed to a local resource with the words "deleted on [date] ..." plus
any other information you want to put in the line. You can do this
from Clean Up Project Server Database or by using PSCleaner, a free
download from Microsoft.

As far as finding out all instances of all local resources on all your
projects, I would suggest that you get with your DBAs to write a SQL
query. Some local resource data is available in the OLAP cube as a
total, so it's in the database. I don't know what the value is for a
local resource though. You will have to experiment by putting a known
project with a local resource on the server.

Mark