Linking Projects on SharePoint Sites

[Jane]

We are using MS Project Standard 2003 and have projects stored on multiple
SharePoint sites. We want to be able to link tasks from the various
schedules into one schedule.

If the projects are stored locally then it works fine. But it can't link
tasks across the SharePoint sites. (Can't link using the https://
connection.

Question: Do you know if we can do what we want if we use MS Project
Professional? Can you link projects across SharePoint sites with that
product? What about Project Server? Can users still update their own
project files on their SharePoint sites, and the roll them all up into one
project file on a project server?

As you can probably tell... I'm not a Project users. Thanks for help or
insight.

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Jane,

Try posting on the microsoft.public.project.server newsgroup (forum).
Please see FAQ Item: 24. Project Newsgroups. FAQs, companion products and
other useful Project information can be seen at this web address:
http://project.mvps.org/faqs.htm

Mike Glen
Project MVP

 

[John Milan]

When you say 'if the projects are stored locally then it works fine', I am
inferring that you are using Master Project/Sub Project capability to create
the single schedule. If this is correct, then storing the projects within
SharePoint will prevent you from creating this type of rollup.

The reason is that the Master/Sub rollup using file path information to
resolve MPP file locations. When you store the MPP files in SharePoint, the
file must be copied locally for MS Project to open. Bringing a file stored on
SharePoint to your local computer can change the file path location, which
breaks the Master/Sub rollup.

There are at least three options:

1) You could save the MPP files to SharePoint using a UNC file path (i.e.
\\server\site\documents\thefile.mpp). SharePoint will support this and I
believe the reference file path won't change even if you checkout/checkin.

2) You could move to Project Server.

3) Rather than storing MPP files in SharePoint you could send MS Project
tasks to SharePoint task lists, that way you could cross reference on your
local machine but still have task information available on SharePoint.