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Jun

Exporting Groups of Projects

Categories: P6 Professional, Primavera P6

Tags: P6 Export, P6 Import, P6 Professional

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by Bill Pepoon

Backing up a Primavera P6 database is the best option for moving the entire set of project data – schedules, resources, calendars, layouts, etc. – to another computer. But if the only goal is to move a group of projects from one database to another, there is an easy way to do this very quickly.

We all know that a project must be open in order to be exported. So the first step is to simultaneously open all of the projects that need to be exported. Caveat: you cannot open more than 100,000 activities concurrently in P6 Professional but there is otherwise no limit to how many projects can be opened at the same time. For this reason I recommend exporting groups of projects based on either a Project Portfolio or EPS node.

In the first screenshot I have selected a group of projects based on their EPS Node. I can either highlight projects individually using Shift or Ctrl on the keyboard, or simply highlight the EPS Node itself:

Now that the projects are open I can then start the normal export process, as seen in the next two screenshots. The only difference is that I am selecting a common name for all of the projects. I typically name the file after the Project Portfolio or EPS Node to avoid confusing a group of projects with a single project. In this example I have called the common file, “Manufacturing Projects”:

When importing the group of projects I still have the option of importing some or all of the projects. Note that because I am importing back into the same database Primavera P6 is warning me that matches across the board were found.

That is all it takes to move a group of projects from one database to another. When I am working on construction claims this is a great way to send the attorneys all of the project files. The size of the common file will of course be larger than normal but XER files are text-based and generally never get too large to email as an attachment.

If you have any comments or questions please feel free to contact me.

May

Import Primavera P6 Filters with Layouts

Categories: Primavera filters, Primavera layouts, Primavera P6

Tags: Primavera filters, Primavera Layout File, Primavera layouts, Primavera P6

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by Bill Pepoon

Most Primavera P6 users know how to share a layout with someone in a different database. But did you know that filters can also be shared? To recap, we select View → Open Layout → Export to transport a Primavera Layout File (PLF) from the database. The other user then selects View → Open Layout → Import to bring the PLF file into their database. While there is no such export/import feature for filters, they can be attached to any layout and therefore transferred to another database.

The trick to exporting filters with layouts is to copy an existing filter as a Layout Filter. In the screenshot below I have selected the existing User Defined filter, “Activities with Steps”. To create a Layout Filter, select “Copy As Layout” from the right-hand side of the filters menu:

In the next screenshot we see the result of this operation. The “Activities with Steps” filter appears under a new group, “Layout Filters”. All filters copied to this group will be exported with any layout you choose to export. Because of this, you might want to keep the number of Layout Filters to a minimum, or delete those that should no longer be exported.

One other thing. The above layouts are project layouts. The Enterprise Project Structure (EPS) has its own set of layouts. When the other user receives the Primavera Layout File it is important that they open a project – any project – and import the layout in the Activities window. EPS layouts are not compatible with project layouts despite having the same PLF format. However, EPS filters can likewise be exported with EPS layouts.

Mar

How to Tell Which Data Fields Can be Imported via Excel

Categories: P6 Professional

Tags: Microsoft Excel, P6 Export, P6 Import, Primavera P6 Professional

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by Bill Pepoon

Microsoft Excel is a great interface for sharing and editing Primavera P6 data. I often send spreadsheets to clients for their input on data such as durations and budgets. For clients who do not own P6 or understand how to use it, Excel is an easy way to communicate changes. In fact, I typically request that my clients use spreadsheets to submit progress for updates; inputting progress manually inside P6 takes too long and introduces the possibility for errors.

It is very important to understand which data fields can be imported via Excel to avoid wasting time making changes in the spreadsheet. Thankfully, P6 will always warn us if we know where to look.

The quickest way to export P6 data to Excel is to right-click inside the Activity Table, which brings up the following menu:

There are some limitations, however, to this export method. Some of these limitations are:

All activities currently displayed in the Activity Table are exported; you must filter the activities in the Activity Table first to limit the number of activities being exported
All columns currently displayed in the Activity Table are exported; you must change the layout to see other columns or to limit how many columns are exported

Note that Activity ID, Activity Status, and WBS Code are always exported regardless of whether they are currently displayed. This is because P6 needs these references for any changes you might want to import back into P6.

The image below shows some typical data fields displayed when exporting directly from the Activity Table to Excel:

Here is how you can tell which data fields can be imported via Excel: data fields that have an asterisk (*) in the second row of the title can not be imported. In the above example Budgeted Total Cost has an asterisk. While this data can be exported directly from the Activity Table, any changes made to the budgets will not import. Similarly, changes can not be made to the Start or Finish dates; these are calculated fields. Activity Name and Original Duration, on the other hand, can be modified in Excel and the changes will import.

In the next example I am going to export P6 data using the spreadsheet template method. While this takes a little longer to set up, it offers the distinct advantage of allowing users to export:

Activity Relationships
Expenses
Resources
Resource Assignments

These are considered to be Subject Areas and each Subject Area will appear as a separate tab in Excel. More importantly, users can edit data in these tabs and import the changes back into P6. (There are some limitations to what type of data can be modified in which tabs that I will point out in a moment).

To create a spreadsheet template, select File > Export > Spreadsheet – (XLS):

Because I want to edit budgeted costs for my activities I have chosen the Resource Assignments Subject Area during the export process, as seen below:

Budgeted units and costs can only be modified in the Resource Assignments tab in Excel. Resource Assignments can be displayed in the Activities tab but any modifications made to the budgets in this tab will not import.

In the next screenshot I have selected Budgeted Cost as a data field.Note that the data field does not mention the type of resource (labor, nonlabor or material) because each resource assigned to the same activity will appear on a different line in the spreadsheet. P6 therefore does not need to be told the resource type.

The final image shows the spreadsheet created by the template. This time there is no asterisk in the Budgeted Cost title, meaning this data can be modified and imported back into P6.

But notice what can not be edited – the Activity Name. The Activity Name can only be edited in the Activity tab (which I did not include in this template) or in the initial spreadsheet exported from the Activity Table. Every tab has some limitations in terms of what data fields can be imported. The Subject Area should be your first clue.

In any case, that little asterisk is a big help once you realize what it means!

Jan

We are Moving (But Keeping the Golf Course)

Categories: Construction Science, Northern California, Primavera Training, Rocklin Professional Building

Tags: Construction Science, Golf Course, Northern California, Primavera Scheduling, Primavera Training

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by Bill Pepoon

Starting February 1st our two companies (Primavera Scheduling and Construction Science) will be moving to a new suite in the Rocklin Professional Building. We have been adding more and more Primavera training classes and Suite No. 319 will give us two dedicated training rooms. The street address and phone number are the same as before:

5701 Lonetree Boulevard

Rocklin, CA 95765

(916) 779-4145

Leaving the Rocklin Professional Building was not an option. We love this facility! A private 9-hole golf course in the courtyard is something that our clients will never forget, although we are pretty sure they will retain a lot of Primavera knowledge as well. This professionally-designed and landscaped putting course is a great way to relax during a training break. Leave your clubs at home; we provide the putters and balls!

And if our very intensive and personalized Primavera training programs are not enough incentive for you, we have a standing offer of $50 to any student who makes a hole in one. Trust me – those greens are fast! Below are some pictures:

Jan

Using a Filter to Find Missing Logic

Categories: logic, Primavera P6

Tags: logic, open ends, Primavera P6

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by Bill Pepoon

One of our training clients recently asked us to create a rather unusual filter showing “open ends”, or activities that are missing predecessors and/or successors. While this information can be gleamed from the Schedule Log (Tools > Schedule > View Log) this report does not graphically represent these activities. A filter will of course allow us to show these activities on the Gantt Chart, so that we know when and where these activities occur in the schedule.

In the screen capture below I have created a simple filter to display activities with open ends. Notice that I have two lines in my filter and that I have selected “(Any of the following)” when combing the two specified parameters. The first row asks P6 to list activities where the predecessor value is blank. You might know that we can display predecessors as a column in the Activity Table, and if there are no predecessors for an activity then this cell would be empty.

In the second row I have added the same statement for the successor value. The only thing left to do is make sure P6 understands that I want activities that are missing predecessors or successors. In other words, if the first row or the second row statement is true, give me those results. To do this, I selected “(Any of the following)” filter parameters:

www.primaverascheduling.com

As you can see, setting up the filter is pretty simple. Leaving the value blank does not work in many situations, but for predecessors and successors this approach is fine.

Jan

Websites Down on New Year’s Eve

Categories: Primavera software, Primavera Training

Tags: Primavera software, Primavera Training

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by Bill Pepoon

This is not how we wanted to ring in the New Year, but yesterday our websites (www.primaverascheduling.com and www.constructionscience.com) were down for several hours due to some sort of event at our hosting provider. We don’t know if this was a cyber attack, but it affected thousands of websites. My personal belief, and I am certainly not an IT expert, is that it had something to do with Miley Cyrus. She has never really liked us since we criticized her incorrect usage of “Total Float”. Miley thought it was a Brooklyn line dance.

In any case, if you were trying to purchase Primavera software or book training yesterday we do apologize. This problem was not of our making but we are nevertheless offering a $50 rebate on any software or training purchase starting today through January 8, 2014. You don’t have to do anything to receive the rebate; it will be refunded automatically via PayPal to whatever credit card you used for payment. Unless of course your name is Miley Cyrus.