Importing versus "Save As" directly into the DB

[NYC PMO]

I've been looking through the discussion threads trying to understand the
risks associated with saving .mpp's directly into the project server 2003
versus importing. Seems to be working fine thus far. Can anyone help me out
before I remove and re-import 30 projects?

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

NYC PMO --

If you have resources assigned to tasks in a local project, open the project
and click File - Save As, and then save the project in the Project Server
database, the system will not automatically convert the local resources to
enterprise resources. If you use the Import Projects wizard to import the
local projects into the Project Server database, the wizard will allow you
to match and replace local resources with enterprise resources. That's why
we recommend the wizard rather than using File - Save As. Hope this helps.

 

[NYC PMO]

Dale thanks for that.

But when you do a File -> Save As and it evokes the wizard prompting you to
map local resources to enterprise resources, doesn't that achieve the same
thing? Or no?

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

NYC PMO --

When you open the .mpp file and click File - Save As, the system will
display a dialog that allows you to map only "same named" local resources
with enterprise resources. It does not allow you to map "differently named"
local resources with enterprise resources. For example, in my .mpp project,
I am using the following resources:

Dale Howard
mcobb
Linda Jacobi

In the Enterprise Resource Pool, the following resources are listed:

Dale Howard
Mickey Cobb
Linda Erickson

When I open my .mpp file and click File - Save As, the system will prompt me
with a dialog to match ONLY the local resource Dale Howard with the
enterprise resource Dale Howard. It WILL NOT prompt me to match mcobb with
Mickey Cobb Howard or Linda Jacobi with Linda Erickson (her married name).
The result is that mcobb and Linda Jacobi will be left as local resources in
the project after the Save As operation completes, which defeats the purpose
of using File - Save As.

Frankly, I'm not sure why you want to debate me on this issue. If you use
the Import Projects wizard, the system will cause your .mpp project to
conform to all enterprise standards for Project fields and outline codes, to
match up local resources with enterprise resources, to conform to enterprise
Task fields and outline codes, and to use enterprise calendars for task
calendars.

If you don't want to use the Import Projects wizard, be my guest and use
File - Save As. But I'm telling you that File - Save As is not the
recommended approach for bringing non-enterprise projects into the Project
Server database. Hope this helps.

 

[Mike]

Dale

I agree with your recommendation but with a small refinement. Within
the wizard you can map an "incorrect" name to an enterprise name by
changing the drop down option in the Action on Import cell. This is
reasonably for one or two resources. If there are a lot of mismatches
then they are more easily tidied up within the plan.

Mike