Save vs Publish and Retrieving Projects from the Server 2007

M

Monique

Hi,
We recently implemented Project Sever 2007 from Project Sever 2003 and we
are having issues with projects not reflecting changes after publishing. I
suspect it has to do with processes the PM's used in the past. Can someone
provide clarification on

1) When one opens Project Pro 2007, and selects open, what does Retrieving
Projects from the Server do when you have saved your project plan and not
published? The project plan has been published in the past.

2) What happens when you save, publish, make changes save, then check-in?
Does the draft DB get overwritten with the save first ersion then the pubish
verson?How does that effect the plan when you retrieve projects from the
server?

Thanks!
 
S

Scott m Wagner - EPM Consulting Services

Monique,

Two things that I hope will help:
At this link you will find the data flow diagram for EPM 2007
http://technet2.microsoft.com/Offic...629e-43b0-89f5-fe79ad6b274c1033.mspx?mfr=true

Also this comment from inside the "Planning and architecture for Office
Project Server 2007" (Page 38): Available at this link:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=79598&clcid=0x409


The Save and Publish queue manages new and incremental saves of working
projects to the Draft database and also manages publishing a project — that
is, moving the project from the Draft to the Published database.

I hope that covers most of your questions.
 
D

Dale Howard [MVP]

Monique --

If the PM creates a new project, saves it in the Project Server 2007
database, but does NOT publish it, the project is NOT visible at all in the
Project Center page in PWA.

If the PM opens the project, saves and publishes the project, the project is
visible in the Project Center and detailed Project views in PWA.

If the PM opens the project, makes changes to the project, saves it but does
NOT publish the changes, PWA still shows the old version of the project
before changes.

Therefore, your PM's need to be instructed to explicitly publish the current
version of each project so that this information shows up in PWA. Hope this
helps.
 
M

Monique

Thanks,
What happens when the PM from Project Pro saves, publishes and makes
changes, then saves, checks in AND then opens and hits the retrieving the
projects from the server. Which version are they opening and does the local
and the publish copy now match match? I know that for the project plan to
show in PWA publishing needs to be done.
 
S

Scott m Wagner - EPM Consulting Services

Monique,

In this case, after the PM made changes, he did not publish so the published
version is not the same. You can save and check in, make changes, save again
etc.

Until you "publish" the current copy and the published copy are different.
 
D

Dale Howard [MVP]

Monique --

When the PM does the steps you detail, then he/she is missing the final
step, which is to publish the latest schedule changes. Why in the world
would he/she omit this last step? Perhaps old habits from Project Server
2003 are hard to shake. Anyway, enough lecture from me! :)

Using the scenario you just stated, when the PM re-opens the project, he/she
is opening the copy in the Local Cache. This version may be different from
the latest Published version, but will match the version that is stored in
the Draft database. The reason that the Local Cache project will match the
Draft project is because the system synchronizes the Local Cache and Draft
versions at the time the PM checks in the project. But if the PM doesn't
publish the project at the end of the editing process, then the Local Cache
version may not not (and probably will not) match the Published version.
Remember, the only information that goes to the Published database is what
the PM actually publishes, and that is what is visible in PWA in the Project
Center and detail Project views. Hope this helps.
 
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