Custom fields in reports....

[Asolepius]

......or lack of! MSP 2003 Standard won't let me use any of my custom fields
in reports. The odd thing is, I can use custom filters but not fields. They
are simply missing from the drop-down list. Am I right about this? Is there
a work-around?

 

[JulieS]

Hi,

You don't mention which reports you are trying to add the custom fields to,
but most reports are based upon a table. Create a table showing the felds
you need in your report, then either modify an existing report or create a
new report. On the Definition tab for either the task report or resource
report, pick the custom table you created.

Hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

 

[Asolepius]

Hi,

You don't mention which reports you are trying to add the custom fields
to,
but most reports are based upon a table. Create a table showing the felds
you need in your report, then either modify an existing report or create a
new report. On the Definition tab for either the task report or resource
report, pick the custom table you created.

Hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

I am editing a copy of the cash flow report. I don't want to use the default
field Actual Cost as it isn't really actual at all. My client wants to track
cost as invoiced, so I have a custom field called Invoiced Cost which is
filled in manually. I want a monthly cash flow showing baseline cost versus
invoiced cost (or any other cost I might want). Another limitation is that a
crosstab is only 2-dimensional, so I can only have months as columns and 1
cost field not 2. I really want 2 columns for each month. Hmmmm .... this is
really a pivot table job. Or an OLAP cube?

BTW is the convention here to top post? Not in any other NGs I know.

 

[JulieS]

Hi,

You are correct, in a crosstab report, you can only show one value as the
summary value. Cross tabs really are the early versions of pivot tables.
Based upon your description, I would say exporting the data to Excel would
most likely be the best option. Project's strength really isn't in cost
manipulation and if you need to enter the invoiced costs manually, by
exporting to excel you have much greater calculation choices.

As far as posting replies at the top.... I don't really know. I access this
forum through a browser and when I reply the space is left at the top. Mostly
lazy behavior on my part .

 

[John]

I am editing a copy of the cash flow report. I don't want to use the default
field Actual Cost as it isn't really actual at all. My client wants to track
cost as invoiced, so I have a custom field called Invoiced Cost which is
filled in manually. I want a monthly cash flow showing baseline cost versus
invoiced cost (or any other cost I might want). Another limitation is that a
crosstab is only 2-dimensional, so I can only have months as columns and 1
cost field not 2. I really want 2 columns for each month. Hmmmm .... this is
really a pivot table job. Or an OLAP cube?

BTW is the convention here to top post? Not in any other NGs I know.

Asolepius,
You can't get a timescaled custom field (i.e. monthly invoiced cost)
displayed directly in a report or view in Project. That is because
Project does not know how to timescale the custom values values. It
might be linear and it might not.

You are right in that only a single row of field data is displayed in
the crosstab report. That shows one of the limitations with the built-in
reports. When I need to create a timescaled or other custom report, I
always use VBA. Although the utility "analyze timescaled data in Excel"
will export basic timescaled data from Project to Excel, nothing beats a
custom macro to get exactly the data you want in exactly the format you
want. Using VBA you can also generate timescaled data for your custom
cost. All you need to do is define how the custom cost is spread and
then let the VBA code create it.

BTW, what's a "top post"?

Hope this helps.
John
Project MVP

 

[Asolepius]

snip
All you need to do is define how the custom cost is spread and

then let the VBA code create it.

BTW, what's a "top post"?

Hope this helps.
John
Project MVP

Thanks - I will investigate VBA for this.

`Top post' means writing your reply in front of the preceding message text.
The usual convention is to write it at the bottom as you have done. Reading
replies can be confusing otherwise.

 

[Asolepius]

As far as posting replies at the top.... I don't really know. I access
this
forum through a browser and when I reply the space is left at the top.
Mostly
lazy behavior on my part .

Thanks for advice. See my reply to John re top posting.

 

[Mike Glen]

I beg to differ! Most of those good people who provide replies in these
forums have been watching the thread and generally know what's been going
on.
A top post thus becomes much quicker to read and saves many keystrokes from
having to scroll down through all the previous post in the thread. Bottom
posting is only acceptable, in my view, if it can be read in the browser
without having to scroll, which means deleting all the past bits of the
thread (a procedure most people are too lazy to do!). If you want to see
earlier bits of the thread, then click the previous message. Top posting
is definitely preferable for me.


Mike Glen
Project MVP

 

[Mike Glen]

Each to his own, John, but I had to scroll down to see your message!


Mike Glen
Project MVP

 

[Mike Glen]

Each to his own, John, but I had to scroll down to read your reply!


Mike Glen
Project MVP

 

[John]

I beg to differ! Most of those good people who provide replies in these
forums have been watching the thread and generally know what's been going
on.
A top post thus becomes much quicker to read and saves many keystrokes from
having to scroll down through all the previous post in the thread. Bottom
posting is only acceptable, in my view, if it can be read in the browser
without having to scroll, which means deleting all the past bits of the
thread (a procedure most people are too lazy to do!). If you want to see
earlier bits of the thread, then click the previous message. Top posting
is definitely preferable for me.


Mike Glen
Project MVP

Mike,
Now that I understand what "top post" means, I take the opposite
approach. I must not be from the "lazy" bunch. I generally delete all
threads above my reply except for the most relevant, depending on which
my reply best applies to. I personally think that leaving the whole
thread intact just leads to excess clutter. If I want to see the whole
schebang, I go to Google.

Just my 2 cents.
John

 

[Asolepius]

Each to his own, John, but I had to scroll down to see your message!


Mike Glen
Project MVP

snip
It's just a convention, but after 10 years on UseNet this is the only NG I
have come across where top posting is tolerated.

 

[Gemma]

Could you explain me how I can do it? it's the first time I used VBA in MS
Project . I am trying to save a macro creating a new report, defining de
diferrent options in order to change the objects and properties according
what I want to show in the report but the macro is empty and I cannot modify
anything

Thanks a lot!

 

[John]

Could you explain me how I can do it? it's the first time I used VBA in MS
Project . I am trying to save a macro creating a new report, defining de
diferrent options in order to change the objects and properties according
what I want to show in the report but the macro is empty and I cannot modify
anything

Thanks a lot!

Gema,
Are you the original poster or someone with a similar question?

First let me say this. VBA is an advanced feature of Office
applications. Generating (or replicating) a timescaled report using VBA
generally requires working directly with Project objects in background
processing. Trying to record a macro, which operates in foreground
processing, won't get you there.

If you see an "empty" macro it is because some operations that can be
done manually in Project simply do not have a counterpart in VBA,
particularly when trying to use a recorded macro. Some of those feature
may be accessible by operating directly on Project's objects, but in
some cases the desired data is not directly available and must be
generated indirectly.

Hope this helps.
John
Project MVP

 

[John]

Thanks John.
I'm not the original poster, I've got the same problem.

Do you know if there is any web where I could find examples for doing this?

Gemma,
By having the "same problem" what exactly do you mean? If you are simply
trying to create a report using VBA, that's one thing, but if you are
trying to generate timescaled data for a field that does not have it
(i.e. a custom field) then that's something a whole lot more complex.

Depending on what you are trying to do you may or may not need VBA. If
you can provide more detail information, I can give you a better
assessment of available options.

The bottom line is, pretty much anything can be done with Project, it's
just a matter of time and resources (i.e. someone with the right
knowledge and experience) to do it.

John
Project MVP