M
mlewanfr
Hi everyone!
I think I have a solution to this problem, but I'd like to vent my
frustration.
I have an Excel sheet with Constraint date (Start no Earlier than),
Duration and Name of a number of tasks.
If I import this file to a New MS Project (2003 SP1), everything is
fine. The Constraint Type is added automatically.
If I import just Constraint date and Name, everything is fine.
If I import all fields to an Existing MS Project, the Constraint dates
are ignored completely. I guess there is a good reason for that to
happen, but why on earth do I get no warning that they are ignored? Why
on earth do I get no advice on how to fix it? Why on earth do I get no
advice on why they are ignored?
I tell MSP: import this. MSP fails to do so. MSP gives no warning. I
could have continued working on this Project for days before I noticed
that part of the base data wasn't there.
It took me hours to find workarounds to get the data in there.
Those hours could have been reduced, if MSP had followed the basic
usability guidelines to tell the user when an action fails.
Those hours could also have been reduced, if MSP had given a decent
shortcut to import a file, so one wouldn't have to go through File >
Open > Select all file types > Click on the file > Select Existing
Map.... for every test.
So the work arounds?
I found two ones.
1) First import all fields except Duration. Then merge in duration from
the same Excel file with Name as merge key.
2) Add a column for Constraint Type and type "start no earlier than"
for each line. Make sure that the spelling is 100% correct - not only
because it won't work otherwise, but above all because you won't get
even a hint of a warning if it isn't.
Solution 2) is the most logical one and it was the first one I tried,
but it didn't work - probably because of a spelling mistake, which MSP
didn't bother telling me about, so I gave up at first, thereby loosing
another hour or so.
Regards
Magnus
I think I have a solution to this problem, but I'd like to vent my
frustration.
I have an Excel sheet with Constraint date (Start no Earlier than),
Duration and Name of a number of tasks.
If I import this file to a New MS Project (2003 SP1), everything is
fine. The Constraint Type is added automatically.
If I import just Constraint date and Name, everything is fine.
If I import all fields to an Existing MS Project, the Constraint dates
are ignored completely. I guess there is a good reason for that to
happen, but why on earth do I get no warning that they are ignored? Why
on earth do I get no advice on how to fix it? Why on earth do I get no
advice on why they are ignored?
I tell MSP: import this. MSP fails to do so. MSP gives no warning. I
could have continued working on this Project for days before I noticed
that part of the base data wasn't there.
It took me hours to find workarounds to get the data in there.
Those hours could have been reduced, if MSP had followed the basic
usability guidelines to tell the user when an action fails.
Those hours could also have been reduced, if MSP had given a decent
shortcut to import a file, so one wouldn't have to go through File >
Open > Select all file types > Click on the file > Select Existing
Map.... for every test.
So the work arounds?
I found two ones.
1) First import all fields except Duration. Then merge in duration from
the same Excel file with Name as merge key.
2) Add a column for Constraint Type and type "start no earlier than"
for each line. Make sure that the spelling is 100% correct - not only
because it won't work otherwise, but above all because you won't get
even a hint of a warning if it isn't.
Solution 2) is the most logical one and it was the first one I tried,
but it didn't work - probably because of a spelling mistake, which MSP
didn't bother telling me about, so I gave up at first, thereby loosing
another hour or so.
Regards
Magnus