Inactive Resources - spooler error

[Ludo]

In Microsoft Project server 2002(SP1), it seems that when a plan containing
inactive resource is opened, it does not load the lastest information for
this inactive resource.

When a resource is gone, the windows user account is disabled in the active
directory. In parallel, the resource is disabled and the windows user account
is deleted (switched to Microsoft Project Server authentication) in Project
Server.
then If a project containing the resource is opened, the windows user
account is still visible in the resource sheet and generate a spooler error
when trying to publish the project.

Is this a known bug and is there a fix / workaround for that?

thanks

 

[Sumant]

Please tell the error that you see in spooler.
-Sumant

 

[Ludo]

Sumant,

The error message is

The Manager cannot create the resource account (0x8C040017).

It seems that when opening the project, it does not "refresh" resources
information for inactive resource. And then, loads the resource information
from the project and not from the enterprise resource pool. So,the windows
user account is still in the project and not anymore in the resource pool.
When publishing it does not match the resource and then generate the error.
(securiity prevents PM's to create automatically resources account).

Do you manage to reproduce the same error?

Thanks

 

[Sumant]

Hi Ludo,

This is happening because your User does not have
"Create Accounts from Microsoft Project" permission assigned.

Verify this .. using Project Web Access
- logon as administrator
- goto Admin - > Manage Users and Groups
- Check the "Global Permissions" assigned to the user/group
(select Group and click on Modify Group.. scroll down for Global
Permissions)
- Set 'Allow' permission for "Create Accounts from Microsoft Project"

Hope this helps.. let me know if still its not rectified.

-Sumant

 

[Ludo]

Sumant,

Thanks for the follow up but this does not solve the problem. I do not want
to allow PM's to automatically create accounts in MS EPM database as users
creation is centrally managed by a PMO.
The user exists well in the enteprise resource pool but is not updated when
opening the project plan if the resource is inactive.

2 examples to illustrate:
A user is assigned to activities in a Microsoft Project plan. This user uses
Windows authentication.

- If I delete his windows user account (either in Admin pages or in the
enteprise resource pool), then when repoening the project, the user is loaded
without his windows user account and this does not cause any problem when
publishing.

- If I delete the windows user account AND set the resource to inactive,
when opening the plan, the rsource is well inactive BUT the windows user
account is still there and this generate the spooler error when trying to
publish because the resourcein the project with the windows user account does
not match anymore the resource in the enterprise resource pool without a
windows user account.

It looks like a bug that does not reload inactive resource information when
opening projects .

Many thanks for the help and follow up
Cheers,

 

[Sumant]

Hi Ludo...

Though I am able to understand whatever u mentioned, yet can't say that
whether that's a reson for all this.

Should read this article -
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;843088

Also.. if you don't want them (pm) to have this privilege (account creation)
...
can we try once publishing such projects using that PMO login... though this
may sound a bit foolish to you .. but giving it a try may solve your problem.

And please do let me know if you are able to solve this in some other way..


-Sumant

 

[Ludo]

Sumant,

Indeed, allowing PM to create themselves Users in the database is the open
door to rubbish in the database. Even the PMO does not have the right to
create accounts from Microsoft Project (I've disabled it at enteprise level).
The only way of creating users (after having received the info from HR dep)
is to do it in the enteprrise resource pool. that's important to centrally
manage resources.
Yes, I have a solution for this (let's say a workaround): when opening a
project containing inactive resource, I have to manually delete the windows
user account for the inactive resource(so manually synchronizing the windows
user account in the project plan and the windows user account in the
enteprise resource pool) in the resource sheet and then I can publish without
errors.

cheers,

 

[Ramya]

Ludo/Sumant,

We have the exact same problem in our system too. And the "workaround" that
Ludo mentioned is what we are doing to get rid of this error.

However if there is any other solution I would like to know about it too.

Thanks,
Ramya.

 

[Gary L. Chefetz \(MVP\)]

Ramya:

Leaving open assignments in a project plan for inactive resources, is like
saving a desk for a person after they've left the company. The procedure you
follow when a resource is leaving the company should be to close out any
open assignments for resources in all project plans before making them
inactive. This means setting remaining work on all open assignments to zero,
and reassigning the remaining work to another resource.

--

Gary L. Chefetz, MVP
"We wrote the books on Project Server"
http://www.msprojectexperts.com

For Project Server FAQs visit
http://www.projectserverexperts.com

For Project FAQs visit
http://www.mvps.org/project

-