Summary Tasks Don't Appear in Report

[MarkBastable]

Ver: MSProject Standard 2003 (SP1)

For reasons that escape me, there were no summary tasks in my custo
report, despite my having checked the box.

These are the fixes I tried and the conclusion - or lack of one -
came to.

The table in the report is a custom table, so I changed to a standar
one - still no summary tasks.

The filter in the report is a custom filter, so I changed to a standar
one - still no summary tasks.

I used a standard filter and standard table together - still no summar
tasks.

I checked that I was getting summary tasks on standard reports tha
ought to use them. I wasn't.

SO - I HAVE MANAGED TO DO SOMETHING WHICH MEANS THAT SUMMARY TASKS AR
NOT SHOWN ON REPORTS OF ANY KIND UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES

Any ideas? This is going to turn out to be something shamingly simple
I'm sure. But tell me anyway

 

[JulieS]

Hello Mark,

The first thing I recommend is to install at least SP-2 to Project.
The latest service pack is SP-3.

Please give us more information about what standard reports you are
trying to view. Some reports (assignment reports) will not show
summary tasks.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional information
about Microsoft Project

 

[MarkBastable]

Hello again,

Thanks for the response.

Okay, I've figured out what's causing the problem, but I can't see how
to solve it.

I have a customised field, which contains a generated value between 0
and 5. The roll-up to group and summary is defined as 'minimum', and the
'show related summaries' box is checked.

So - on-screen, I can see all the rows I'd expect to see, and their
related summaries, regardless of the value in the customised field on
the summary row itself.

For instance, if the filter criterion is 'customised field equals 1', I
see all the low-level tasks that have a value of 1 in the customised
field, and I see the summary tasks to which those rows belong, even if
the value of the customised field at the summary level is 2.

If I take off the check on the 'show related summaries' box, then I see
only those summaries that happen to comply with the filter criterion -
that is, those that have a value of 1.

When I use that filter in a report, even with the 'show related
summaries' box checked in the filter definition, I don't see the
summaries unless they comply with the filter criterion. I've checked
'show summary tasks' in the report definition, but apparently it doesn't
mean 'show summary tasks that own the low-level tasks that fit the
criteria'; it actually means 'having figured which rows fit the
criteria, show them even if they're sumamry tasks". There is no
report-level equivalent of 'show related summary tasks' and setting that
attribute in the filter doesn't seems to translate to the use of the
filter in a report.

This is a bit of a drag.

For instance, if the value 1 means 'badly overdue' and I have a
requirement to report on badly-overdue tasks, I want to see those tasks
within the summary task of which they're a part, even if the overall
summarised task is only 'slightly overdue' or 'not overdue at all yet'.

Another circumstance would be a filter on resource group. A summary
task might contain low level tasks which are assigned a range of
resource groups - the summary task itself doesn't belong to any single
resource group, so that field is blank. If I run a report to see tasks
assigned to a specific resource group, I want the results grouped under
their summary tasks - but those summary tasks don't show because the
resource group field is blank.

In short, I can't figure out how to get the 'show related summary
tasks' attribute on the filter to have the same effect on a report as it
has on the screen.

This must be a very common requirement - for the report to show the
summaries that own tasks that comply with a filter - so I must be
missing something. Can you advise?

 

[MarkBastable]

Sorry. To be clear, I meant...

-I have a customised field, which contains a generated value between
and 5. The roll-up to group and summary is defined as 'minimum'.

I have a custom filter that selects those rows where the value in th
customised field is, say, 1 - and the 'show related summaries' box i
checked.-

The summaries check is on the filter, not on the customised fiel
definition

 

[JulieS]

Hi Mark,

I don't see the same thing when filtering in a view. (I am running Project
2003 with SP-3). I've created a test file with the Number1 field holding
numbers from 1 - 5. For Summary tasks, I've set the roll up to minimum. If I
apply a filter to a standard Gantt chart view where [number1] is greater than
1, the summary tasks with a value of 1 do appear as long as the option "show
related summary rows" is checked.

When I create a custom report using the filter as part of the report
definition and select the option "Show summary tasks" in the report
definition, all summary task who have a subtask which meets the filter
criteria appear.

I don't understand when you say --

For instance, if the filter criterion is 'customised field equals 1', I
see all the low-level tasks that have a value of 1 in the customised
field, and I see the summary tasks to which those rows belong, even if
the value of the customised field at the summary level is 2.

If the summary rollup is set to minimum, how can the summary be 2 if one if
the subtasks is set at 1?

When I create a custom Task report and apply the "Resource Group" filter to
the report and select "Show Summary Tasks" in the report definition, again,
summary tasks appear.

Does this occur in all projects -- if you create a new test project do you
see the same issues? Have you applied SP-2?

I hope this helps.

Julie

 

[MarkBastable]

Julie wrote: -I don't understand when you say ---

For instance, if the filter criterion is 'customised field equals 1' I
see all the low-level tasks that have a value of 1 in the customised
field, and I see the summary tasks to which those rows belong, eve if
the value of the customised field at the summary level is 2.

Typo. You're right - I meant '0', which I corrected in my post at th
same time you were reading it, I guess.

I'll try building another project from scratch to see if I ca
reproduce the problem. Unfortunately in this corporate environment
have no power to get major patches applied, locally or universally

 

[JulieS]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the update. Keep us posted on whether you can reproduce
the problem in another project file. Good luck with getting the patch
installed.

Julie