Microsoft Project 2000 Resource Kit
| Archived content. No warranty is made as to technical accuracy. Content may contain URLs that were valid when originally published, but now link to sites or pages that no longer exist. |
On This Page
Before You Upgrade
Working with Multiple Versions and Other Applications
Upgrading to Microsoft Project 2000 provides project managers even more control over planning, scheduling, and tracking, as well as opportunities for increased collaboration and visibility of project information. This chapter addresses issues associated with migrating existing projects from Microsoft Project 98 or earlier or other applications to Microsoft Project 2000. It is intended to help project managers and IT professionals responsible for deploying and supporting Microsoft Project evaluate the benefits of upgrading and to ensure a smooth transition to Microsoft Project 2000.
In addition to new and enhanced features, Microsoft Project 2000 takes advantage of advances in the Microsoft Windows platform and Microsoft Office 2000 technologies to keep users up and running. Features that ensure efficient deployment and administration include Install on Demand, Roaming User Support, support for Windows Terminal Services, and a pluggable user interface.
You can upgrade your entire organization to Microsoft Project 2000 at the same time, or you can upgrade your organization one department at a time. The following topics describe how to plan and manage your upgrade to Microsoft Project 2000.
Before You Upgrade
Learn about the conversion process, supported file formats, using the Global file to make upgrading more convenient, and frequently asked questions.
Working with Multiple Versions and Other Applications
If users in your organization are not all using the same version of Microsoft Project, or if they are using other applications for project management, the information in this section can help you determine the best way to share files among different versions of Microsoft Project or between Microsoft Project and other applications.
Before You Upgrade
.gif "Cc722674.spacer(en-us,TechNet.10).gif")
The Microsoft Project 2000 Setup program simplifies installation and upgrading. It detects and automatically removes previous installations of Microsoft Project. If you install Microsoft Project 2000 to a new folder, the Setup program offers an option to remove previous installations of Microsoft Project. Note that installing both Microsoft Project 2000 and Microsoft Project 98 on the same computer is not recommended, and it is suggested that you allow the Setup program to remove the existing version.
Before you begin upgrading to Microsoft Project 2000 from a previous version of Microsoft Project or from other applications, review the information in the following sections:
Getting Started with the Conversion Process
Microsoft Project 2000 supports a variety of file formats, although the support varies from previous versions. Microsoft Project 2000 uses a new version of the MPP file format. While the MPP file extension is the same as that used by previous versions, files saved in native Microsoft Project 2000 format cannot be opened in other versions of Microsoft Project.
Upgrading from Microsoft Project 98
You can upgrade directly from Microsoft Project 98 to Microsoft Project 2000. In addition to the native Microsoft Project 2000 MPP file format, Microsoft Project 2000 enables users to save files to the native Microsoft Project 98 MPP file format, making it easier to exchange projects with users who have not yet upgraded to Microsoft Project 2000. Saving to MPX file format is no longer supported.
Upgrading from Microsoft Project 95 and Microsoft Project 4.x
Microsoft Project 2000 cannot read files created in versions before Microsoft Project 98. Users who need to open projects created in earlier versions should save the project in Microsoft Project exchange (MPX) file format, if available, before opening the project in Microsoft Project 2000.
Upgrading to Microsoft Project 2000 from other applications
Users who need to open projects created in other project management applications should save the project files in Microsoft Project exchange (MPX) file format before opening the project in Microsoft Project 2000.
Prerequisites to upgrading
Before you start the conversion process, you must:
Determine which files you want to move to Microsoft Project 2000, and then use a virus scanning program to scan the files for viruses.
Create backup copies of the files you want to convert.
Install Microsoft Project 2000; follow the instructions in Deployment.
See also
The international features of Microsoft Project 2000 with MultiLanguage Pack allow you to deploy it throughout your international organization. For information about multilingual support issues to consider if your organization is upgrading to Microsoft Project 2000 with MultiLanguage Pack from localized versions of Microsoft Project, see "Planning an International Move" in Part 7 – lnternational Use of the Microsoft Project Resource Kit.
Supported File Formats
A file format determines the way that information is stored in a project file, document, or database. If Microsoft Project recognizes the file format, you can exchange files directly with previous versions or other applications.
The Microsoft Project 2000 MPP file format
Microsoft Project 2000 uses a new version of the MPP file format. While the MPP file extension is the same as that used by previous versions, files saved in native Microsoft Project 2000 format cannot be opened in previous versions of Microsoft Project. Microsoft Project 2000 can read from and save to the Microsoft Project 98 MPP file format, facilitating a smooth migration. Data relating to new or enhanced features in Microsoft Project 2000 may be lost when saving to the Microsoft Project 98 MPP file format.
The MPX file format
Microsoft Project 2000 can read files in the Microsoft Project exchange (MPX) file format; however, it does not allow users to save MPX files. The MPX file format was replaced with the Microsoft Project Database (MPD) file format in Microsoft Project 98 to improve file interchange support and enable cross-language compatibility. The MPX file format is essentially a record-formatted text file containing only project data in ASCII text format. While it contains only rudimentary project data, the MPX file format does enable users to exchange project data between other applications and versions of Microsoft Project earlier than Microsoft Project 98. Though Microsoft Project 2000 no longer saves in the MPX file format, users can migrate files from other applications to Microsoft Project 2000 by saving in the MPX file format, opening the files in Microsoft Project 2000, and then saving the files to Microsoft Project 2000 MPP file format.
The Microsoft Project database file format
Like Microsoft Project 98, Microsoft Project 2000 uses the Microsoft Project Database (MPD) file format as its standard interchange file format. However, the database schema has been changed substantially to improve performance and make it easier to work with Microsoft Project data in a database. In Microsoft Project 2000, the database schema has been simplified, reducing 38 tables to 21. Field names follow a standard naming convention, and are unique across all tables. By default, assignment time-phased data is stored as compressed binary data in the database. If a user prefers to have access to time-phased data in the database, it can be saved in expanded form using a much simpler structure, similar to what is seen in the Resource Usage View or Task Usage View in Microsoft Project.
Because of these changes, Microsoft Project 2000 can open a project file that has been saved to Microsoft Project 98 database format; however, it cannot save a project in the Microsoft Project 98 database format. Users who will exchange files between versions must use the Microsoft Project 98 MPP format.
Supported database file formats
Microsoft Project supports the following databases through Open Database Connectivity (ODBC):
Microsoft Access 2000
Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 or later
Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) 1.0 or later
Oracle Server, version 8.0 (or later) server and client
Microsoft Project 2000 can also make the ODBC connection automatically when writing to and reading from Microsoft Access 2000 databases when users directly select Microsoft Project Database (MPD) or Microsoft Access Database (MDB) as the file type in the Open and Save dialog boxes (File menu).
Note Saving or loading data is not supported with tables that are linked in Microsoft Access in such a way that the data exists in another application or database management system, and Microsoft Access is just providing the connection. To access the data you must actually import it into Microsoft Access or connect to the source directly.
External file formats
Microsoft Project 2000 can read and write directly to the following file formats:
MPD/MDB files
Microsoft Excel 95 Workbooks
Microsoft Excel PivotTables (export only, no import)
TXT files (Tab delimited)
CSV files (Comma delimited)
HTML files (export only, no import)
Previously supported formats
Some file formats that were previously supported and are no longer supported in Microsoft Project 2000 are:
Microsoft Project 3.0 files (MPP, MPV, MPC, MPW, and MPX)
Conversion of Microsoft Project 3.0 macros to current Visual Basic for Applications language and syntax
FoxPro DBF files
Lotus WKS, WK1, and WK3 files
dBase III and dBase IV DBF files
Excel 3.0 and 4.0 XLS files
See also
For strategies to help you plan a gradual upgrade to Microsoft Project 2000, see "Strategies for Sharing Files Among Different Versions of Microsoft Project" and "strategies for Sharing Files with Other Applications" in this article.
For information about upgrading to Microsoft Project 2000 from a previous version of Microsoft Project, see "Strategies for Sharing Files Among Different Versions of Microsoft Project" and "Backward Compatibility" in this article.
For more information the Microsoft Project database structure and about creating and updating project data directly in the database while maintaining the consistency and integrity of the data, see the file ProjDB.htm located on the Microsoft Project 2000 CD in the folder \Pfiles\MSOffice\Office\ProjDB.htm.
For more information on using Microsoft Project with data access pages, see the file svrsetup.htm located on the Microsoft Project 2000 CD in the folder \Pjcentrl\HELP\1033.
OLE-DB is a specification for a set of data access interfaces that enables many data stores in an enterprise to work seamlessly together. Microsoft Project 2000 is a read-only OLE-DB provider. This makes it possible for other applications to easily access Microsoft Project's data, making it much easier to integrate project data in the enterprise. For more information on how to access Microsoft Project data through the Microsoft Project 2000 OLE DB Provider, see the file OLE_DB.htm located on the Microsoft Project 2000 CD in the folder \Pfiles\MSOffice\Office\ProjDB.htm. In addition to describing the OLE DB table structures, this document details some of the limitations and idiosyncrasies of the provider, describes how to access the table structure using data access pages, and provides sample ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) code.
The Global File
Overview of Global.mpt
The Global file (Global.mpt) is used as a master template file for any new project that is created in Microsoft Project 2000. By default, it contains all built-in views, calendars, forms, reports, tables, toolbars, menu bars, and import-export maps. You can customize these items or add new items in the Global file. The Global file cannot store tasks, resources, or assignments.
How does Microsoft Project locate the Global file?
When Microsoft Project 2000 is opened, it first tries to locate a Global file using the following policy registry keys:
The Root Key policy key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office
\9.0\MS Project\GlobalSearch
Data: RootKey
Value: <Full path to Global.mpt>
Type: REG_SZThe Administrator can set this key to point to a particular location for Global.mpt
If Microsoft Project finds that this registry key is set and it finds a Global.mpt at the location it points to, then it boots using that Global.mpt. If Microsoft Project cannot find a Global.mpt at this location, then it checks the following registry key.
The Permission policy key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office
\9.0\MS Project\GlobalSearch
Data: Permission
Value: <0 or 1> //0=not restricted, 1=restricted
Type: REG_DWORDIf this key is set to '1', it means that the administrator wants the user to boot with one and only one Global.mpt at the location that the Root Key registry key points to, so Microsoft Project displays an error and exits the boot process if it cannot find a Global.mpt at this location.
If the Permission key is not set or is set to '0', then Microsoft Project gets the user's current user interface language ID, and looks for Global.mpt in the appropriate LCID folder of the location that the Root Key points to, that is, <value of RootKey>\LCID. For example, if the user's current language is Japanese, this will be <value of RootKey>\1041. The administrator may set Permission to '0' to support multiple language environments where the user is allowed to run Microsoft Project in multiple languages. By setting Permission to '0', the administrator won't need to change the Root Key every time the user switches to a new language. If searching and locating a Global.mpt in the LCID folder succeeds, Microsoft Project boots using this Global.mpt; otherwise, it displays an error and exits the boot process.
If the Root Key policy registry key is not set, then Microsoft Project looks for a Global.mpt in these locations in the following order:
The current folder. If the user has a short-cut specifying the "Start In" folder and if a Global.mpt file resides there, Microsoft Project 2000 will open that Global.mpt file. If the user double-clicks a project in the Windows Explorer and Microsoft Project 2000 is not already open, if a Global.mpt file is saved in that particular folder, then Microsoft Project 2000 will use it.
The user's profile folder. Microsoft Project looks in the Application Data folder under the user's profile. For example, on Windows 98, with User Profiles turned on, this location is:
\Windows\Profiles\Username\Application Data\Microsoft\MS Project
On Windows 2000, it is the Application Data folder for the user profile.
The user's profile language folder. This is the language ID subfolder in the Application Data folder for the User Profile. For example on Windows 98 with User Profiles turned on, it is:
\Windows\Profiles\Username\Application Data\Microsoft\MS Project\1033
(if the user's language is English)The folder where the Winproj.exe file is located. By default, the Microsoft Project 2000 application is installed in the folder:
\program files\Microsoft Office\Office
The Winproj.exe language folder. By default, this folder is in the following location:
\program files\Microsoft Office\Office\1033
If Microsoft Project 2000 opens the Global file from this location (which it does by default the first time Microsoft Project 2000 is launched), it doesn't save changes to this copy, but saves them to the profile language folder.
If the Global file isn't found in any of these locations then the Windows Installer starts and attempts to restore a copy to the Winproj.exe language folder.
If the Windows Installer is unable to restore a copy of Global file (for example, if the source is unavailable or you cancel the operation), then Microsoft Project 2000 displays the message that it will create a "new" Global file that will be missing some items.
In Microsoft Project 2000, there is no Backup.mpt file. If the Global file cannot be found in the search process above, it can be reinstalled from the Microsoft Project 2000 installation CD or the network installation point.
Items stored in Global.mpt
By default, the Global file contains all built-in views, calendars, forms, reports, tables, filters, toolbars, menu bars, and import/export maps, as well as all default settings. Tasks, resources, and assignments can't be stored in the Global file.
The Global file can also store customized features and settings, including macros and custom fields. Storing custom items in the Global file makes them available to all other projects. Customized features and settings in different Global files can also be shared by merging the two Global files.
Global.mpt on a shared server
If Microsoft Project 2000 is run from a network server in your organization, Microsoft Project looks for the Global file in the working directory on the local computer first. If the local Global file is removed from this directory, Microsoft Project uses the Global file on the network server.
Users with read/write permission on the network server could modify the original Global file. Subsequent installations of Microsoft Project that run from the network server would then use this modified Global file rather than the original Global file. To ensure that Global file cannot be modified on the network server, users should have read-only permission on the network server. Changes made to the Global file on a read-only server cannot be saved. When they exit Microsoft Project, however, users can save a copy of the changed Global file in a different location.
Upgrading Global.mpt
Setup requirements
When installing Microsoft Project 2000 over an existing version of Microsoft Project, the Setup program has several ways of dealing with any existing Global file that is found:
If the existing Global file was created in Microsoft Project 98, the Setup program renames it to Global98.mpt, creates a registry entry with this new name (including the path to its location), and installs the new Global file.
If the existing Global file is a Microsoft Project 2000 Global file, the Setup program does not overwrite it with a new copy. The file will also not be renamed or entered in the registry.
If the version number of the existing Global file cannot be detected, the Setup program renames it to GlobalXX.mpt and installs the new Global file without creating a registry entry.
If the existing Global file was created in Microsoft Project 98, the Setup program copies the Global file to the default location:
c:\program files\Microsoft office\office\1033\Global98\Global98.mpt
Then, a registry key is set that tells Microsoft Project that there's an old Global file that the user may want to upgrade. The key is:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\Microsoft\office\9.0\ms project\previous global
In this key is a string name that is:
Renamed Global File
And the value is the location where the Global98.mpt resides on the system. Then, when the user first starts Microsoft Project, a message is displayed to notify the user of existing customizations and allows the user to move these items across to the new Global file as described below.
Combining contents of previous and current Global files
The process of upgrading to Microsoft Project 2000 requires that you resolve several issues related to the Global file. If the new Global file is written over the old Global file, customized views, tables, toolbars, menus, filters, reports, forms, and calendars are lost. However, if the existing Global file is used instead of the Microsoft Project 2000 Global file, then many new additions to Microsoft Project are unavailable. To ease the transition to Microsoft Project 2000 from older versions of Microsoft Project, Microsoft Project 2000 supports a Global file upgrade scheme that allows users to easily incorporate existing customizations, either selectively or completely automatically, following these steps:
If an existing Global file is found during setup, it will be renamed and an entry with the new name will be made in the registry.
Microsoft Project will always boot with the new version of the Global file.
The first time Microsoft Project starts and a renamed Global file is detected, Microsoft Project displays a message to notify the user of existing customizations in an old Global file and provides the opportunity to bring the customized items across to the new Global file.
The user has the choice to move all customized items to the new Global file automatically, move only selected items manually, or move none at this time.
If the user selects the automatic upgrade option, Microsoft Project determines which items were user-edited in the old Global file and moves all those items over to the Microsoft Project 2000 Global file.
If the user selects the manual upgrade option, Microsoft Project displays the Organizer in Global Upgrade mode, with both the old and new Global file contents available. The user can then select exactly which items to carry over.
Automatic Global file upgrade
When upgrading a user's customized items automatically, Microsoft Project incorporates the following updates in the new Global file:
Items that the user actually modified in Microsoft Project 98.
Items in Microsoft Project 2000 that have changed from the previous versions. For items that have changed between versions, Microsoft Project will incorporate the changes updating any old items that are moved over to match Microsoft Project 2000 standards.
The following list describes the upgrade that will take place for each type of item:
Views
Most customized views replace the view of the same name in Microsoft Project 2000 or are added to the list of views if the name does not exist in Microsoft Project 2000.
If any of the Microsoft Project 2000 Gantt views are replaced with the old version during an upgrade, Microsoft Project includes the bar styles for Deadline dates, Group by Summary task, Split, Rolled Up Split, Ghost Task, and Project Summary to ensure all the Microsoft Project 2000 features are present.
Tables
Any customized table replaces the table of the same name in Microsoft Project 2000 or is added to the list of tables if the name does not exist in Microsoft Project 2000. Some tables have new fields in Microsoft Project 2000. If any of these fields are replaced with the old version during an upgrade, then Microsoft Project will insert the new fields into the table. For example, if the Resource Entry table is replaced, Microsoft Project will insert the Type and Material Label
Command Bars
Any customized toolbar items are added to the end of the toolbar with the same name in Microsoft Project 2000. If a custom button has been added and it has a custom button face, the button face is moved over as well, but other changes involving button faces are ignored. If a same-named toolbar does not exist in Microsoft Project 2000, the entire toolbar is moved over. If the command associated with a particular button is no longer supported in Microsoft Project 2000, the button is not moved over. In all cases, the Visual Basic or Microsoft Project 4.0 or 4.1 toolbars will not be moved over and any previous customization will be lost.
Filters
Any customized filter replaces the same-named filter in Microsoft Project 2000. If a same-named filter does not exist in Microsoft Project 2000, the filter is just added to Microsoft Project 2000.
Forms
Any customized form replaces the same-named form in Microsoft Project 2000. If a same-named form does not exist in Microsoft Project 2000, the form is just added to Microsoft Project 2000.
Reports
Any customized reports replace the reports with the same names in Microsoft Project 2000. If a same-named report does not exist in Microsoft Project 2000, the report is just added to Microsoft Project 2000.
Calendars
All existing calendars are brought over to Microsoft Project 2000. Edited calendars with the default names replace the Microsoft Project 2000 calendars, while others will be added.
Modules
Microsoft Project 2000 will scan each of the Microsoft Project-supplied modules, checking for any user-defined macros that have been added and these macros will be moved over to Microsoft Project 2000. This check will work at macro-level granularity, based on macro name, so user-edits to Microsoft Project-supplied macros will not be detected or carried over.
If any modules encountered are password protected, the protected-module handling scheme is carried out before the upgrade actually occurs.
After an automatic upgrade, Microsoft Project 2000 sets the flag in the registry so that the upgrade message will not come up again the next time the user boots Microsoft Project 2000.
Manually upgrading the Global file
If the user selects Upgrade manually in the upgrade message, Microsoft Project 2000 brings up the Organizer in a special global upgrade mode, with the old Global file on the left and the new Global file on the right.
In this special upgrade mode, the user can only move items from the old Global file to the new Global file. The Upgrade button is always disabled when the user clicks an item in the Microsoft Project 2000 Global file list on the right. Depending on the current tab, clicking the Upgrade button will merge old information with new information or just overwrite the new information. The particular action is the same for each type of item as the one used for automatic updating, except that the upgrade only occurs for individual items that the user selects on the left before clicking the Upgrade button. In either case, the Organizer will not issue an alert to confirm or rename if the user selects an item to upgrade in the old Global file that conflicts with an already existing item name in the new Global file. To avoid a conflict or accidental overwrite, the Rename button can be used to rename an item in either Global file before moving items.
Note that you cannot rename items in the old Global file. When the user clicks Close, the Organizer closes along with the old Global file. After the new Global file is upgraded manually, Microsoft Project 2000 continues to display the upgrade message when Microsoft Project is opened until the user selects the Don't tell me about this again check box.
Cross-language Global file upgrading
Because the automatic upgrade scheme relies on text string comparisons, localized text strings would have to be accounted for in each language version of Microsoft Project to allow for cross-language Global file upgrading. Microsoft Project, however, does not store text strings from all languages in each individual language version, so the user who installs Microsoft Project 2000 over a different language version of Microsoft Project will not be able to upgrade the Global file automatically. When the user specifies an automatic upgrade in the upgrade message, Microsoft Project 2000 will look in the file for evidence that the language of the Global file and Microsoft Project 2000 are the same. If the old global file is in a different language, an alert is displayed to warn the user of this language incompatibility and allow the user to manually upgrade customized items using the Organizer.
Opening any Global file
With the ability to open an old Global file, Microsoft Project 2000 actually is capable of opening any Global file. Therefore, it is possible to access another user's customized global template information without the need to copy it back and forth between project files. If the user wants to access the contents of another Global file, either from a previous version or from the current version of Microsoft Project, the user can simply open it from the File Open dialog box. When opening an old Global file (Microsoft Project 98), the user is placed in the Organizer in the upgrade mode and everything behaves as described above. When opening a current Global file (that is, one marked with the same version as the currently running version of Microsoft Project), the user is placed in the Organizer in the normal Organizer mode. Thus, with two Microsoft Project 2000 Global files, information can be copied back and forth in either direction and alerts are displayed to prevent overwrites by allowing items to be renamed. The only restriction is that the user cannot go into the File Open dialog box and open the currently active Global file. And, although you can launch Microsoft Project 2000 by double-clicking the Global file, it is not recommended.
Forcing Microsoft Project 2000 to open with an old Global file
Although Microsoft Project automatically launches with the new Global file, allowing users to incorporate items from the old file, it is possible to force Microsoft Project 2000 to boot with an old Global file. To use an old Global file, you can replace the Microsoft Project 2000 Global file with a Microsoft Project 98 Global file that is still named Global.mpt. Because you are not merging the old Global file with the new Global file, you will be restricted to only the items contained in the old Global file. Upon exiting, this Global file is automatically saved to Microsoft Project 2000 format, and the file is no longer compatible with Microsoft Project 98.
Using the Global file to distribute customizations to your organization
After customizing Microsoft Project to better reflect the needs of your organization, the policy registry keys can be used to specify that individual installations of Microsoft Project 2000 always open the customized Global file saved on the network. Also, users can share additional customizations using the Organizer, including those described below.
Sharing customized views
Information in a view or report can be customized by applying different tables and filters and the appearance of printed reports or views can be customized by adding notes, gridlines, borders, and column totals.
Sharing customized toolbars
Built-in toolbars and buttons can be customized or new custom toolbars and buttons can be created. A toolbar is a set of buttons and list boxes that provide command shortcuts for working with Microsoft Project. Clicking a toolbar button is usually quicker than clicking a command on a menu. By default, the Standard and Formatting toolbars are displayed below the menu bar at the top of the screen. Any built-in or custom toolbar can also be hidden, modified or moved to another location. Once a custom toolbar is created, it is automatically saved in the Global file.
Sharing customized filters
If none of the Microsoft Project built-in filters meet the needs of your organization, a filter can be modified or a new filter created. When a project is saved, the new or modified filter is saved only with the project file, but it can be copied to the Global file using the Organizer.
Sharing customized Visual Basic modules
If a macro is saved initially in a Global file, it is available for any other project file on a computer. Whether a macro is saved in an active project file or the Global file, it can be made available to other users in your organization by using the Organizer.
Using templates to share custom elements
You can save time in planning new projects by using templates. A template should not be confused with Global file. It is merely a Microsoft Project file saved with the file extension .mpt to allow existing schedules to be reused as the starting point for creating new schedules. Task and resource information, formatting, macros, and project-specific settings can all become part of a template. Any information in a Microsoft Project file (MPP) can become part of a planning template, including:
Task and resource information
View and text formatting
Macros
File-specific settings
You can ensure that these types of information are set up uniformly across projects by distributing templates that project teams can use when new projects begin.
Typically, any changes to views, tables, filters, calendars, reports, and forms are local; that is, they take place only in the active project file. However, any changes to toolbars, menus, and import/export maps are global; that is, the changes are made to the Global file and apply to all project files on a computer. Then when a new project file is opened, it reflects your customized toolbars and menus. When format settings (such as bold, italic, color, or bar shape) are changed, those settings apply only to the active project file and not to other project files on a computer. Changes to Visual Basic modules can be either global or local, according to your preference. But you can customize views, tables, filters, calendars, reports, and forms and share with other users by saving the file as a template. When the template is opened and saved with a new name, the new project file shows the original Microsoft Project defaults (which are saved in the Global file) as well as the customized elements saved in the template.
Using the Global file to roll out customizations to your organization
Depending on how users in an organization are set up to work on project files, you can roll out customizations in one of several ways:
Administrators can modify the policy registry key to specify that individual installations of Microsoft Project 2000 always open the customized Global file saved on the network. For more information, see "How does Microsoft Project locate the Global file" in this article.
If users have Microsoft Project 2000 installed on local computers (or if they run Microsoft Project from a network server but keep files in a working directory on their local computers), they can use the customized Global file simply by replacing their Global file with the customized Global file or by using the Organizer to copy customizations from the customized Global file to their own Global file.
If users run Microsoft Project from a network server and open files from there as well, they will automatically get customization updates as the administrator updates the Global file on the network server.
FAQs About Upgrading
When I convert a Microsoft Project file to Microsoft Project 2000, can I open it in a previous version of Microsoft Project?
You cannot open a Microsoft Project 2000 project in a previous version of Microsoft Project. However, you can save a Microsoft Project 2000 file in the Microsoft Project 98 file format.
Can I install Microsoft Project 2000 on the same computer as Microsoft Project 98?
Installing Microsoft Project 2000 on a computer with Microsoft Project 98 is not a configuration tested for Microsoft Project 2000. Therefore, we do not recommend installing both versions on the same computer. Because of differences in OLE file registration in Microsoft Project 98 and Microsoft Project 2000, there may be problems with file references stored in a project file for resource sharing, inserted projects and cross-project linking.
Do macros in a Microsoft Project 98 file work in Microsoft Project 2000?
Macros in Microsoft Project 98 will work in Microsoft Project 2000 with no special formatting or conversion. Simply open the file in Microsoft Project 2000 and save it to automatically update the file to Microsoft Project 2000 format. To share Microsoft Project 98 code modules with other files in Microsoft Project 2000, save the code modules to the Global file and upgrade the Global file to Microsoft Project 2000.
Can I convert a password-protected project code module?
Password-protected code modules in Microsoft Project 98 files can be opened and saved in Microsoft Project 2000. But the code modules may not work if saved to Microsoft Project 98 format after being saved in Microsoft Project 2000.
See also
For more information about changes to Microsoft Project Visual Basic, see "Visual Basic for Applications" in Part 1 – Environment of the Microsoft Project Resource Kit.
For more information about upgrading the Global file, see "The Global File" in this article.
Working with Multiple Versions and Other Applications
If users in your organization have not all upgraded to Microsoft Project 2000, the following information will help you find the best ways for users to share files from different versions of Microsoft Project and to share files created in other applications with Microsoft Project.
Specifying the Default Save Format
When users save a file in Microsoft Project 2000, the file is saved in the Microsoft Project 2000 MPP file format by default. If Microsoft Project 2000 users need to share files often with users of other versions of Microsoft Project or other applications, you can change the default format that Microsoft Project 2000 uses for saving new files.
Users select a default file format by using the Options dialog box (Tools menu). You can set one default file format for your organization by using the System Policy Editor.
Change the default file format
To specify a default format for Microsoft Project 2000, use the Save tab in the Options dialog box (Tools menu). In the Save Microsoft Project files as box, select a file format.
After you set the default file format, all new project files are saved in the default format unless you specify a different format in the Save As dialog box (File menu) when you save a file.
Tip You can also set the default location for saving files in the Save tab of the Options dialog box (Tools menu) or by using a system policy.
Use a system policy to set a default file format
In Microsoft Windows 95/98, Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0, and Windows 2000 Professional, you can set system policies for a single user, a specific group of users, or all users in a workgroup. The Microsoft Project policy template includes a system policy to change the default value for the Save as type option in the Save As dialog box (File menu). This policy allows you to set one default file format for all the users in your organization.
To set a policy for the Save as type option for Microsoft Project
In the System Policy Editor, double-click the Local User icon.
In the Local User Properties dialog box, click the plus sign (+) next to Microsoft Project 2000.
Click the plus sign next to Tools Options.
Click the plus sign next to Save, and then select the Save Microsoft Project files as check box.
In the Save Microsoft Project files as box, select the file format you want to use as the default.
When you distribute your system policies, all the users in your workgroup save Microsoft Project files in the same format.
See also
You can set policies for other Microsoft Project 2000 options by using the System Policy Editor and the Microsoft Project policy template. For more information, see "System Policy Editor" in Part 4 – Management and Support of the Microsoft Project Resource Kit.
For more information about data compatibility when saving to different versions of Microsoft Project, see "Backward Compatibility" and "Strategies for Sharing Files with Other Applications" in this article.
Strategies for Sharing Files Among Different Versions of Microsoft Project
In many organizations, upgrading takes place gradually — one group of users at a time. During the upgrade process, users need to share files saved in Microsoft Project 2000 and previous versions of Microsoft Project. There are several strategies that your workgroup can use to make it easier to share files.
In Microsoft Project 2000, you can open a file created in an earlier version of Microsoft Project. You can also save files to the Microsoft Project 98 MPP file format, as described below.
Saving Microsoft Project 2000 files in an earlier format
By default, Microsoft Project 2000 saves new files in the Microsoft Project 2000 MPP format. But users can save to the native Microsoft Project 98 MPP file format to allow easy exchange of data with users who have not yet upgraded to Microsoft Project 2000. When saving to this format, it is important to remember that Microsoft Project 98 does not include all the features found in Microsoft Project 2000, so some information for new features in Microsoft Project 2000 may be lost when saving to this format. Microsoft Project 2000, however, will remind you of this by default when you save to the Microsoft Project 98 file format.
For example, because the format for storing timephased baseline data changed in Microsoft Project 2000, if a user creates a project in Microsoft Project 2000 and saves timephased baseline data, it will be lost when saving the project in Microsoft Project 98 MPP format. But if a user opens a Microsoft Project 98 file or the user initially specifies Microsoft Project 98 as the file save format before entering timephased data, and then the user saves a baseline, no timephased data is lost while saving to the Microsoft Project 98 file format.
If users in your workgroup use an earlier version of Microsoft Project, you can change the default file format for saving new files to Microsoft Project 98 by using the Save tab of the Options dialog box (Tools menu) or the System Policy Editor. All files are saved in the default format unless you specify a different file format in the Save As dialog box (File menu).
Saving Microsoft Project 2000 files automatically
Users now have the option to automatically save a project file every few minutes. You can customize the interval, and you may choose between saving only the active project or saving all open project files. You may also choose to be prompted before automatic saving occurs.
Saving Microsoft Project 2000 files to a default path
Microsoft Project 2000 also allows you to specify the default directory to save files, user templates, and workgroup templates. It also allows you to specify the default format when saving a project. In addition, files can be stored remotely via Web Folders, which are file-based shortcuts to Web servers. Microsoft Project 2000 supports publishing to Web Folders with all file formats.
Tip You can also set the default file format to an ODBC database and specify the database location to save to by default.System Policy Tip You can use a system policy to define the default value for the Save as type option in the Save As dialog box (File menu). In the System Policy Editor, set the Microsoft Project 2000\Tools Options\Save\Save Microsoft Project files as policy. For more information about the System Policy Editor, see "System Policy Editor" in Part 4 – Management and Support of the Microsoft Project Resource Kit.
Administering System Policies
Microsoft Project 2000 can read system policies and disable a feature based on the policy. For example, an administrator may apply a policy that fixes the Office Assistant as Logo. (Logo has the least number of animations of all the Office Assistants and is the best choice for maximizing performance in a Windows Terminal Services environment.) Microsoft Project 2000 maintains this policy, which allows an administrator to control users' environments.
Saving Microsoft Project 2000 files as Web pages
When you save a file in the Web page file format (.htm), Microsoft Project 2000 works behind the scenes to create HTML tags for Microsoft Project text and graphics that Web browsers can display in a Web page. However, unlike Microsoft Office 2000, Microsoft Project 2000 cannot open files saved in HTM file format.
Working with projects in a database
Supported database file formats
Microsoft Project supports the following databases through Open Database Connectivity (ODBC):
Microsoft Access 2000
Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 or later
Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) 1.0 or later
Oracle Server, version 8.0 (or later) server and client
Microsoft Project 2000 can also make the ODBC connection automatically when writing to and reading from Microsoft Access 2000 databases when users directly select Microsoft Project Database (MPD) or Microsoft Access Database (MDB) as the file type in the Open and Save dialog boxes (File menu).
Note Saving or loading data is not supported with tables that are linked in Microsoft Access in such a way that the data exists in another application or database management system, and Microsoft Access is just providing the connection. To access the data you must actually import it into Microsoft Access or connect to the source directly.
Opening Microsoft Project 98 projects that were stored in a database
A project that was previously saved to a database using Microsoft Project 98 can be opened in Microsoft Project 2000. However, if the project is saved to a database again, it will be saved with the Microsoft Project 2000 database structure. Because the Microsoft Project 2000 database format has been completely changed, there will be two copies of the project each in different database formats. The original Microsoft Project 98 data will not be affected.
Upgrading the database structure from Microsoft Project 98 to Microsoft Project 2000
You can use the Database Upgrade Utility to upgrade some or all of the projects in a Microsoft Access, SQL Server, or Oracle database from the Microsoft Project 98 database structure to the Microsoft Project 2000 database structure. To load the Database Upgrade Utility, right-click any toolbar in Microsoft Project 2000 and select Database Upgrade Utility.
See also
For more information about sharing files with a specific version of Microsoft Project, see "Getting Started with the Conversion Process" and "Backward Compatibility" in this article.
You can change the default file format that Microsoft Project uses when saving new files. For more information, see "Specifying the Default Save Format" in this article.
OLE-DB is a specification for a set of data access interfaces that enables many data stores in an enterprise to work seamlessly together. Microsoft Project 2000 is a read-only OLE-DB provider. This makes it possible for other applications to easily access Microsoft Project's data, making it much easier to integrate project data in the enterprise. For more information on how to access Microsoft Project data through the Microsoft Project 2000 OLE DB Provider, see the file OLE_DB.htm located on the Microsoft Project 2000 CD in the folder \Pfiles\MSOffice\Office\ProjDB.htm. In addition to describing the OLE DB table structures, this document details some of the limitations of the provider, describes how to access the table structure using data access pages, and provides sample ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) code.
Backward Compatibility
When sharing Microsoft Project 2000 files with Microsoft Project 98 users, some data will change or be lost. The following features were added or enhanced in Microsoft Project 2000 and are not supported in Microsoft Project 98.
Calendars Microsoft Project 98 supports only three shifts on a calendar. Five-shift calendars are converted to three-shift calendars.
Contoured Resource Availability Because Microsoft Project 98 does not support contoured resource availability, data entered in the Resource Availability table in Microsoft Project 2000 will be retained only if the table has only one row. If the table has more than one row, Available From, Available To, and Max Units fields in Microsoft Project 2000 are mapped directly to the corresponding fields in Microsoft Project 98. The Max Units value in the Resource Availability table will not be used in Microsoft Project 98; instead the value in the Max Units field in Microsoft Project 2000 is mapped directly to the Max Units field in Microsoft Project 98.
Custom Fields For custom fields with user-defined formulas, pick-lists, or outline codes, only the static value is retained. The formulas and pick-lists (lookup tables) are not saved. For custom fields that display graphic indicators instead of values, only the values are retained. Graphic indicators are not saved.
Deadline Dates Microsoft Project 98 does not support deadline dates. Dates entered in the Deadline field are lost.
Estimated Durations Microsoft Project 98 does not support estimated durations. Estimated durations are converted to normal durations when saving to Microsoft Project 98.
Formatting If many fields and cells are formatted individually in a Microsoft Project 2000 file, some formatting may be lost when it is saved in Microsoft Project 98 format.
Microsoft Project 98 does not support automatic colors. Automatic colors are mapped to an appropriate Microsoft Project 98 color.
Microsoft Project 98 does not support individual row heights. Rows with different height settings are reset to the row height setting in the table definition.
Grouping Microsoft Project 98 does not support grouping. The current grouping applied to all views, as well as any groups saved with the project are lost.
Leveling Microsoft Project 98 supports only 10 levels of priority. The 1,000 priority levels of Microsoft Project 2000 are mapped to the priority levels in Microsoft Project 98, so tasks that have different priorities in Microsoft Project 2000 may be assigned the same priority in Microsoft Project 98. Filters that reference a specific priority are also re-mapped to the Microsoft Project 98 priorities.
Maximum Resource Units Microsoft Project 98 does not support resource units greater than 10,000. Any assignment with Max Resource Units greater than 10,000 is changed to Max Resource Units = 10,000.
Material Resources Microsoft Project 98 does not support material resources. Resources with Type = Material are converted to normal work resources. Values in the Material Label and Type (Resource fields), Assignment Resource Type (Assignment field) are also lost.
Macros Macros that use new events/methods/properties/objects fail when run in Microsoft Project 98.
In order to ensure that macros are transferred properly when saving to the Microsoft Project 98 format, Microsoft Project 2000 adds a VBA statement in the Project_Open event. This statement forces Microsoft Project 98 to save the macros in the version of VBA that ships with Microsoft Project 98. This statement is:
ThisProject.VBProject.Description = ThisProject.VBProject.Description
The comment on this statement says:
"While saving your file to Microsoft Project 98 format, Microsoft Project 2000 added this line to ensure that your VBA macros are loaded properly."
This statement simply sets the Description of the VBProject to its current value. Nothing changes in the file, but this causes the VBA information in the file to be saved by Microsoft Project 98.
If a Project_Open event handler exists, Microsoft Project 2000 adds this statement at the beginning of the existing subprocedure. If the existing subprocedure already has a line that matches the line Microsoft Project 2000 is trying to add, the first occurrence of such a line in that subprocedure will be deleted and the new one will be added to the top of the subprocedure to ensure that this statement will be executed by Microsoft Project 98. If a Project_Open event handler does not exist, Microsoft Project 2000 will create one and add this statement.
Opening such a project in Microsoft Project 98 will display the Macro Virus warning dialog. You should click the Enable Macros button to allow the Project_Open subprocedure to run and cause Microsoft Project 98 to save the VBA information. If you click the Disable Macros button and then open the Visual Basic for Applications editing environment or run a macro, Microsoft Project 98 will not properly save the VBA information and will place the VBA information in a state that will render it inaccessible in both Microsoft Project 98 and Microsoft Project 2000.
If you have saved a project to the Microsoft Project 98 format and later choose to save to the Microsoft Project 2000 format, this VBA statement will remain. If you want to digitally sign the project, you should remove this statement. If you do not, when the project is opened in Microsoft Project 2000, the description of the VBProject will be modified, and saving the project will not retain the digital signature.
Month Duration Unit Microsoft Project 98 does not support "Month" as a unit of duration. Duration Units and Cost Rates expressed in months are converted to days.
Network Diagram views Changes to the layout of Network Diagram views made in Microsoft Project 2000 are lost when saving to Microsoft Project 98 file format. If the active view includes a Network Diagram as a slave view, the view is saved as a single-pane view. Filters applied to a Network Diagram view are no longer saved with the view. If the file contains customized PERT formatting/layout originally created in Microsoft Project 98, any new tasks added in Microsoft Project 2000 will appear as nodes stacked up in the top left corner when viewed in Microsoft Project 98.
ScreenTips for hyperlinks Microsoft Project 98 does not support ScreenTips for hyperlinks. ScreenTips are lost.
Task Calendars Microsoft Project 98 does not support task calendars. Tasks are scheduled only according to the resource calendars and/or the project calendar. Task calendars are lost when saving to the Microsoft Project 98 file format.
Timephased data in baselines To retain timephased baseline fields (Baseline Work, Baseline Cost) and earned value fields (timephased as well as regular) when a file is saved in Microsoft Project 98 format, you must ensure that the baseline is saved in Microsoft Project 98 format. In Microsoft Project 2000, users must specify Microsoft Project 98 as the Save Format (either by saving the file or by setting the Default Save Format), before saving the baseline. If the baseline is saved without first specifying Microsoft Project 98 as the save format, when you save the file as Microsoft Project 98, timephased baseline data will be lost. If you open a Microsoft Project 98 file in Microsoft Project 2000 then save a baseline, your timephased data is saved in the correct Microsoft Project 98 format automatically and is not lost when you save the file to Microsoft Project 98 format.
VBA macro digital signatures If a user saves a VBA project with a digital signature in Microsoft Project 2000, the digital signature is lost when saving to Microsoft Project 98.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) code masks If a user specifies a code mask for WBS fields in Microsoft Project 2000, that information is lost when saving to Microsoft Project 98.
Workgroup settings If a user specifies Web for Default Workgroup Messages in Microsoft Project 2000 (Tools menu, Options command, Workgroup tab), that information is lost when saving to Microsoft Project 98, and the default settings in Microsoft Project 98 are supplied.
Strategies for Sharing Files with Other Applications
Microsoft Project 2000 can transfer information to and from other applications using import/export maps to ensure that information is imported into the proper fields in Microsoft Project or exported into the proper fields in a destination file.
Import/export maps can be edited to identify which fields will be exported and where in the destination format the data will go. An export filter can also be applied to project data, as part of an import/export map. Import/export maps can be used to exchange data with the following applications:
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Excel
ODBC databases
CSV and tab-delimited text files
Import/export maps can also be used to export to HTML format and Microsoft Excel PivotTables.
Administrators can define and distribute standard import/export maps for an organizations by customizing an existing import/export map and deploying it to users as part of a template file or project file, saved in the Global file using the Organizer (Tools menu, Organizer command, Maps tab), or as a macro.
Predefined Import/Export Maps in Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project contains a number of predefined import/export maps for use in exporting and importing (although primarily for exporting) project data to other programs and file formats. It may be useful make a copy of one of the predefined maps and customize it to upgrade particular data. While any map can be used with any file format or database, certain maps are designed with a particular purpose in mind.
Use this map |
To import or export this data |
|---|---|
"Who Does What" report |
Resources, their assignments, start and finish dates, and work |
Compare to Baseline |
Tasks with their ID and name, duration (current, baseline, and variance), start and finish dates (current and baseline), work (current, baseline, and variance), and cost (current, baseline, and variance) |
Cost data by task |
Tasks with their ID, name, and costs (total cost, fixed cost, baseline cost, cost variance, actual cost, remaining cost) |
Default task information |
Tasks with their ID and name, duration, start and finish dates, predecessors, and resource names (the same information as displayed in the task Entry table) |
Earned value information |
Tasks with their ID, name, earned value fields (BCWS, BCWP, ACWP, SV, CV) cost, baseline cost, and cost variance |
Export to HTML using standard template |
Tasks with their ID and name, duration, start and finish dates, resource names, and % complete; resources with their ID and name, group, max units, and peak; assignments with their task ID, task name, resource name, work, start and finish dates, and % complete (useful to export information to a Web page; export options are set to use one of the supplied HTML templates) |
Resource "Export Table" map |
Resources with all of their information |
Task "Export Table" map |
Tasks with all of their information |
Task and resource PivotTable |
Tasks with their name, resource group, resource names, duration, start and finish dates, and cost; resources with their name, group, work, and cost (designed for exporting to an Excel PivotTable) |
Task list with embedded assignment rows |
Tasks with their ID and name, work, duration, start and finish dates, and % complete (designed to export data to Microsoft Excel or a Web page and to look like the Task Usage view, although the indentation doesn't appear in Excel) |
Top Level Tasks list |
Tasks with their ID and name, duration, start and finish dates, % complete, cost, and work |
How Fields are Processed When Importing Data into Microsoft Project 2000
Certain fields in Microsoft Project can be calculated based on data in other fields. The order in which fields are processed by Microsoft Project depends on what other fields are entered by the user. For example, if the user enters values in the Duration field and Start field, Microsoft Project calculates the Finish field. If the user enters values in the Start and Finish fields, Microsoft Project calculates the Duration field. When data is imported into Microsoft Project, the order of the imported fields can affect the calculation of the project, and therefore the sequence in which data is applied when importing is enforced by the processing order in Microsoft Project 2000.
When Microsoft Project reloads a complete project that has been flagged as externally edited, it first restores the project back to its pre-edited state and then applies the changes in the processing order. When data is imported to a new project, Microsoft Project doesn't have the original values in a previous version of the project to compare with the imported version, so default tasks are created and then the updated values are applied according to the standard processing order.
When using import to merge or append project data to an existing project, Microsoft Project 2000 generally follows the standard processing order as long as no columns contain null, or zero length, values. In the case of import-merge and import-append, null values in schedule-related columns may cause data being imported to be processed in a different order than the standard processing order. It is recommended that merge and append import maps be tested before deployment to ensure that they provide the expected results. If they do not provide the expected results, try creating multiple maps with fewer columns and executing them consecutively.
Project options (for example, settings in the Options dialog box [Tools menu]) are loaded and applied before any data is loaded. If any options are externally modified, all schedule data loaded for the project is applied under the modified settings. In the processing order, task fields are always processed before assignment fields. And if there are any conflicts, time-phased data always has the highest precedence and overrides any conflicting field changes.
Processing Order of Task Fields:
Actual Work
Work
Remaining Work
Duration
Actual Duration
Remaining Duration
Start
Finish
Constraint Type
Constraint Date
Actual Start
Actual Finish
Stop
Resume
Percent Complete
Cost
Fixed Cost
Actual Cost
Leveling Delay
Percent Work Complete
Resource Names
Processing Order of Assignment Fields:
Units
Start
Finish
Assignment Delay
Leveling Delay
Actual Start
Actual Finish
Actual Work
Remaining Work
Regular Work
Work
Actual Overtime Work
Remaining Overtime Work
Overtime Work
Percent Work Complete
Task Name
Resource Name
Importing Project Information from Microsoft Team Manager 97
A free Team Manager conversion utility to ensure easy migration of task, resource, and assignment-related data to Microsoft Project 2000 will be added to the Office Update Web site. However, once you've converted your files, you'll need to provide more information to recreate project plans and take advantage of the Microsoft Project 2000 scheduling engine.
Check for updated information on the Office Update Web site.
See also
For more information about the processing order of fields when importing data, see the file ProjDB.htm on the Microsoft Project 2000 installation CD.