What is a "Resource Pool"?

[RobG]

I'm having difficulty understanding Project messages, particularly
references to "resource pool".

I've created what I thought was a resource pool to be used by many
project schedules - i.e. it has a list of all the people & other
resources, rates, calendars, etc. and has nothing else in it. Let's
call it resource.mpp. I've also created a master project to hold an
overall view of all the schedules that are using the pool - let's call
it master.mpp. I'll call the other files sub01.mpp, sub02.mpp, etc.

When I open the master file, I get a message that asks "This file is
the resource pool for many projects". Now I understood that
resource.mpp was the resource pool, why does project tell me that
master.mpp is a "resource pool"? Isn't it a master project?

Anyhow, I thought that the message was because the file is opening the
resource pool file, so I clicked "open read-only". When I go to save,
it tells me that my master file is read-only, so clearly the "resource
pool" referenced when opening the file is actually the master file,
not the resource file.

So, if I elect to open the "resource pool" (i.e. the master file) as
read-write, then expand one of the inserted projects, I get a message
"This file shares resources from a resource pool, what do you want to
do?"

Now I was under the impression that I'd already opened the "resource
pool", so what is it referring to now? Is it the actual resource
pool? The master file? The individual project files? Is it now
saying that sub01.mpp is now a "resource pool" to? If I say to open
read-only, I can't save changes to sub01.mpp, telling me that the term
"resouce pool" in this latest dialog is actually the sub-project, not
resource.mpp.

Very confusing.

I want to be able to open the master schedule and still have people
working on the sub-projects. From what I can see, it's all or
nothing. Either they are all editable (locking out other users from
all the files) or they are all read-only.

Is this correct?

 

[Jim Aksel]

Sounds confiusing doesn't it? You have the files named correctly, and you
understand it correctly how you have explained.

A resource pool is married to a series of project files. Since sub01.mpp
(et al) are also project files, they too can use the resource pool. This is
why you get the questions as all the files open. You essentially assign it
that way when you tag the resource.mpp to master.mpp.

If you plan to make changes to a file, you need to open it in read/write
mode. which will lock out other users. That's a good thing as it enforces
referential integrity in the files. If two people were chaning versions of
the same file at the same time then who is correct when you go to save? The
last guy to save would win and obliterate the other changes. Project Server
gets you around that problem.

I have a master.mpp with resource.mpp and sub01.mpp through sub11.mpp. If I
want to edit task relationships and %Complete in sub05.mpp, I can open
Master.mpp as read/write, then open all the other files (except sub05.mpp) as
read only. I must open mpp.05 as read/write to be able to save changes to
that file.

The alternative is to open sub05.mpp independently and make the changes
there and save. That's ok too.... just don't move the file or change its
name. If you link to tasks in other files (such as sub07.mpp) then those
files have to open as read/write as well.

In closing, when you create Master.mpp and insert sub01.mpp into it, you are
really only creating a pointer to sub01.mpp. If you make changes in sub01.mpp
from within master.mpp you are actually changing the underlying files
sub01.mpp.

I hope this reduced your confusion.

 

[John]

I'm having difficulty understanding Project messages, particularly
references to "resource pool".

I've created what I thought was a resource pool to be used by many
project schedules - i.e. it has a list of all the people & other
resources, rates, calendars, etc. and has nothing else in it. Let's
call it resource.mpp. I've also created a master project to hold an
overall view of all the schedules that are using the pool - let's call
it master.mpp. I'll call the other files sub01.mpp, sub02.mpp, etc.

When I open the master file, I get a message that asks "This file is
the resource pool for many projects". Now I understood that
resource.mpp was the resource pool, why does project tell me that
master.mpp is a "resource pool"? Isn't it a master project?

Anyhow, I thought that the message was because the file is opening the
resource pool file, so I clicked "open read-only". When I go to save,
it tells me that my master file is read-only, so clearly the "resource
pool" referenced when opening the file is actually the master file,
not the resource file.

So, if I elect to open the "resource pool" (i.e. the master file) as
read-write, then expand one of the inserted projects, I get a message
"This file shares resources from a resource pool, what do you want to
do?"

Now I was under the impression that I'd already opened the "resource
pool", so what is it referring to now? Is it the actual resource
pool? The master file? The individual project files? Is it now
saying that sub01.mpp is now a "resource pool" to? If I say to open
read-only, I can't save changes to sub01.mpp, telling me that the term
"resouce pool" in this latest dialog is actually the sub-project, not
resource.mpp.

Very confusing.

I want to be able to open the master schedule and still have people
working on the sub-projects. From what I can see, it's all or
nothing. Either they are all editable (locking out other users from
all the files) or they are all read-only.

Is this correct?

Rob,
The strange sounding messages you are seeing are probably the result of
how you set up the various files. I just tried a test case by doing the
following:
1. I have a common resource pool file stored on my desktop. It has only
resource data and no tasks
2. I have two user files that reside on my working directory (i.e. "My
documents"). Each user file it set up to share resources from from the
pool file.
3. I created a new blank file and inserted the two user files
(Insert/Project). The only message I get is one asking if I want to open
[the] resource pool to see assignments across all sharer files.

In the above structure, the master file is NOT the resource pool file
but the resource pool file is opened (read only) when I open the master
and say "yes" to the message.

I have another master file with multiple inserted projects. In this case
the master file is the resource pool for all subproject files. When I
open that file I always get a message asking if I want to open the
resource pool read only, read-write (this choice locks out other users
from making updates to the pool), or open the pool read-write in a new
master.

From your description, it sounds like you have designated the master
file as the pool file for the subprojects even though you may not have
intended to do so. In order to check that, open one of your subprojects.
Go to Tools/Share Resoruces. What is the source of resources for that
file? It should identify the resource pool file not the master.

If you want to make the master file read only, thus allowing users to
work on their subprojects, I suggest you use Save As for the master and
select "recommended read only" under "tools/general options" when saving.

Note: If you have a common resource pool, only one user at a time can
have write access. Otherwise, there could be a conflict in the pool file
if more than one user were updating information.

Hope this helps.
John
Project MVP

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Rob,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

You might like to have a look at my series on Microsoft Project in the
TechTrax ezine, particularly #17 & 18 on multiple projects, at this site:
http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc or this:
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMFrame.asp?CMD=ArticleSearch&AUTH=23
(Perhaps you'd care to rate the article before leaving the site,
Thanks.)

FAQs, companion products and other useful Project information can be seen at
this web address: <http://www.mvps.org/project/>

Hope this helps - please let us know how you get on

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP