Project Server 2007 Custom Fields with Formula errors

[EPMIsKillingMe]

Hi All,

This is my first time installing and configuring Project Server 2007 with
Sharepoint 2007.

Everything from a technical deployment so far has gone well which I
_thought_ would be the hard part. Little did I know I'd run into so many
issues configuring the environment!

I'm using a few books but the main one is
http://www.amazon.com/Implementing-...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217366785&sr=1-1

There is a section on custom fields and a very bold warning that custom
fields which will use formulas should be created in Project Professional 2007
(Tools -> Customize -> Fields) and then 'Add Field to Enterprise' instead of
using PWA since you cannot access most of the proper attributes and fields,
etc.

Anyway, when I create a custom field for Percent Cost Variance with a
formula that comes out to [Cost Variance]/[Baseline Cost] and then try and
edit it in PWA, it tries to launch Project Profession 2007 and then displays
an error at the top of the web page saying "the formula contains a syntax
error or contains a reference to an unrecognized field or function name".

Also, Project Professional displays an error dialogs basically stating
"Project cannot open the file" and tries to walk me through a wizard to load
it as a plain text file, etc. etc.

So somehow these things are not synching up. Also, when the PWA page
finally opens up, instead of [Cost Variance] or [Baseline Cost], I see
something like [MSPJ188743689]/[MSPJ188743686].

I already went to Options->Security and enabled loading projects with legacy
data but that did not help anything.

Both Server and PP 2007 have SP1.

What am I doing wrong, especially since I followed the book to a T and it
seemed similar web posts had the same basic instructions.

*sigh*

 

[Jose X Perez]

Once you create the custom field, do you try to close and open the project
pro before edit the custom field?
And keep open the project pro when you edit the field?

I noticed that when you edit a newly created field, is requiered a "restart"
of the project pro in order to update the global template of project pro.

 

[EPMIsKillingMe]

Once you create the custom field, do you try to close and open the project
pro before edit the custom field?
And keep open the project pro when you edit the field?

Hi, and thanks for the response.

Yes I do as PP2007 prompts you to restart it once you move the field over as
an Enterprise field.

I have two issues with the current behavior, and it seems from Googling that
others face the same issue with no resolution.

1) I don't mind just editing these custom fields in PP2007 vs. PWA (at
least ones that use formula or graphical representation) but I can't! The
custom field has all of it's values greyed out for some reason. Other built
in custom fields do not, only when it is an Enterprise one.

2) I still should be able to edit this in PWA regardless...

I've tried editing it in PWA with PP2007 open, with it closed, while the
Angels are playing Boston, when they are not, during the LA earthquake this
morning, after it...no luck