Resource Pools - Best Practice / Dos and Don'ts

[Steve Scott]

I have some questions about some of the finer points of using Resource Pools:-

1) When a PM wants to connect his Sharer File to the Pool for the first
time it appears to open the RP as Read/Write access - how do I prevent the
pool being inadvertantly updated by the PM?

2) What is the purpose of the Update Resource Pool button - who uses it -
the Share File owner or the administrator of the RP?

3) What is the purpose of the Refresh Resource Pool button - who uses it -
the Share File owner or the administrator of the RP?

4) Are 2 & 3 above actually ever needed because it appears the RP and Sharer
files automatically update when they are both opened by the RP Administrator
or PM?

Thanks in advance

 

[Rod Gill]

Hi,

1) The PM can always update the pool unless you make the pool read only
which is not a good idea (you actually want PMs to update the pool so your
data is as up to date as possible.

2) Update Resource pool - By default when you open the Resource pool, it
opens in read only. Update closes the pool, opens in write mode, updates it,
saves, closes then re-opens in read only. The idea is only one person can
have it in read/write, so update is the shortest time possible to have it
open in write mode.

3) Refresh closes then re-opens the pool in read only so you see the latest
data if another project has updated it since you first opened the pool in
read only.

4) yes unless you only ever want to open the pool occasionally for short
periods.

BEWARE, the Pool uses old DDE technology. NEVER rename project files, move
them or over-write them without first detaching from the pool and then
saving the pool and project. If you do any of these, you roll a dice and the
wrong number corrupts your project or the pool or both!

--

Rod Gill
Microsoft MVP for Project

Author of the only book on Project VBA, see:
http://www.projectvbabook.com