Understanding Views

[Tara Mattison]

I have two separate groups utilizing the same project
server. I would like to create a project center view for
one group and one for the other, specifically highlighting
just the information they want to see. One group needs
their projects to not be visible by any other, so we
created an enterprise project text field called visibility
and gave values of public or private. When I go to add a
new "PROJECT CENTER" view, I cannot define parameters as I
can in a "PROJECT" view. Furthermore, I cannot find where
PROJECT views are used in Web Access. Please help!

 

[Dale Howard]

Tara --

The solution to your problem is not a quick and easy one, as you are
describing what is essentially a Project Server security issue. In general
terms, you will need to do each of the following procedures to make this
happen:

1. Log into Project Web Access with Administrator permissions and then
create the two custom Project Center views.

2. Log into Microsoft Project 2002 with Administrator permissions, open the
Enterprise Global, and then populate the RBS field with an outline code
structure that mimics the "org chart" of your company. (After doing so,
save and close the Enterprise Global, then close Microsoft Project 2002 as
well.)

3. Log back into Microsoft Project 2002 with Administrator permissions,
open the Enterprise Resource Pool, and set an RBS field value for each
resource which locates that resource in the "org chart" for your company.
(After doing so, save and close the Enterprise Resource Pool.)

4. Log into Project Web Access with Administrator permissions and create
two custom Groups, one for each of your two groups of people, and identify
the appropriate people in each Group.

5. In PWA, create a custom Category match each of the Groups you created,
and then specify the correct Group in each Category. In addition, specify
what projects and what Project Center view can be seen in each Category.

Without knowing or working in your environment directly, I can't be much
more specific about each of these steps. I hope this helps, at least a
little.

 

[Tara Mattison]

Dale,
Unfortunately, the org chart has nothing to do with who
can view and not view certain projects.
Let me be more specific.
We make a series of products. We have various stages of
design for each product. We do not want sales or marketing
folks to see any project plan for a product that is not in
a stage nearing release. We further do not want them to
see certain data about the project plans that ARE in a
stage nearing release.
I understand how I can use views to hide the data we do
not want them to see. What I do not understand is how to
keep the projects that are in conception and design phases
off the views that these folks (who would just have MSProj
Server authentication and are not resources) can see. Does
this make sense? I created an enterprise field
called "Visibility" and made it required and gave it two
values "Public" and "Private". Is there any way for me to
filter on this field in a project center view, or, is
there any other way for me to control the display of
certain projects? Any help appreciated. I bought Gary's
book and am trying to get through the security chapter,
but I still feel like that the security permissions on
project server logically apply to all projects in the same
manner, when I want to apply them to SOME projects in one
way, and SOME in another. Hope this helps to clarify my
needs.
Thanks,
Tara

 

[Dale Howard]

Tara --

If certain people should see one set of projects, and certain other people
should see another set of projects, then what you will need to do is to
create a Group for each group of people, a Category which specifies exactly
which projects and which Views can be seen, and then include the correct
Category with the proper Group. This method may be a bit labor intensive to
maintain, since every time a new project is created in your portfolio, you
will need to add that project to the correct Category.

The answer I gave about the "org chart" was how to use the RBS field to
determine who can see what automatically, and is much less labor intensive.
Consider this example:

In one department of the company, Gary is an executive, Dale is a PM, and
Mickey is a team member. Gary is Dale's boss and Dale is Mickey's boss. In
another department of the company, Larry is an executive, Dan is a PM, and
Benjy is a team member. Larry is Dan's boss and Dan is Benjy's boss. If
the RBS settings are set up correctly, and the correct settings are made for
the My Projects and My Organization categories, then Gary will be able to
see only Dale's projects and not Dan's projects, and Larry will be able to
see Dan's projects but not Dale's projects. Dale will be able to see his
projects, but not Dan's, and vice versa. Mickey will be able to see her
projects, and not Benjy's, and vice versa. Get the drift?

I'm certain that one of these methods will solve your problem. Go for it!