Migrating to Microsoft Project Professional 2002

Article
02/20/2014

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Published: May 1, 2002

Applies to:

Microsoft Project Professional 2002
Microsoft Project Server 2002

Summary This paper introduces the new features of Microsoft Project Professional 2002 (along with Microsoft Project Server for workgroup functionality) and addresses issues associated with migrating existing projects from Microsoft Project 98 and Microsoft Project 2000.

Introduction to Microsoft Project 2002

This paper introduces the new features of Microsoft® Project Professional 2002 (along with Microsoft Project Server for workgroup functionality) and addresses issues associated with migrating existing projects from Microsoft Project 98 and Microsoft Project 2000. It is intended to help project managers and information technology (IT) professionals responsible for deploying and supporting Microsoft Project ensure a smooth transition to Microsoft Project 2002.

Microsoft Project 2002 offers major feature additions and enhancements over its predecessors. Since the release of Microsoft Project 2000, Microsoft has performed extensive research and development, collecting feedback from current users and identifying the needs of knowledge workers in general and expert project managers new to the product. The resulting improvements focus on two areas: making Microsoft Project easier to use, and addressing the project management requirements of large organizations.

As part of the upgrade, Microsoft has introduced new additions to the Microsoft Project family. These products give you the flexibility to purchase and install the Microsoft Project products that are best suited to your organization. The new Microsoft Project 2002 product lineup is introduced in the section below.

This white paper assumes you will be upgrading to Microsoft Project Professional 2002, and identifies best practices and potential issues associated with migration from Microsoft Project 2000 or Microsoft Project 98. For information on migrating to Microsoft Project Standard, see the white paper " Migrating to Microsoft Project Standard 2002."

The Microsoft Project 2002 Product Family

Microsoft has expanded the Microsoft Project family product line to include two desktop applications, as well as a stand-alone, server-based collaboration tool.

Microsoft Project Professional 2002

Microsoft Project Professional 2002 is a new product designed specifically to meet the needs of organizations that require enterprise project management functionality. Microsoft Project Professional combines the functionality of Microsoft Project Standard with enterprise project management features.

Microsoft Project Standard 2002

Microsoft Project Standard is the new version of the Microsoft Office project management solution designed for single users and small workgroups. Microsoft Project Standard builds on the features of Microsoft Project 2000, adding enhancements that contribute to ease of use and provide better integration with Microsoft Office applications.

For information on migrating to Microsoft Project Standard, see the white paper "Migrating to Microsoft Project Standard 2002."

Microsoft Project Server

Microsoft Project Server was originally introduced with Microsoft Project 2000 as the server component for the Web-based collaboration tool, Microsoft Project Central. With the release of Microsoft Project 2002, Microsoft Project Server will be sold as a separate product and no longer bundled with the desktop products. Microsoft Project Server includes five Microsoft Project Server Client Access Licenses (CAL). As with Microsoft Project 2000, each desktop application includes one CAL. Additional CALs are available through volume licensing.

The latest version of Microsoft Project Server includes many new features, such as enhanced security and integration with SharePoint™ Team Services from Microsoft, which allows you to organize, store, share, and track project-related information including documents and issues in a secure, central location.

The following diagram illustrates the relationship between the Microsoft Project Professional 2002 desktop application and Microsoft Project Server.

mgrpro01

Microsoft Project Professional with Microsoft Project Server

The new features of Microsoft Project Professional support four primary design goals:

Make using Microsoft Project more intuitive for new and existing users by including new features to allow knowledge workers and business managers to gain personal productivity faster.
Make project data and more accessible and improve collaboration among project team members.
Manage, view, and analyze your organization's entire portfolio of projects using custom enterprise codes; ensure consistency in data entry and reporting; and manage a central enterprise resource pool.
Provide a project management platform to enable users to extend their use of the Microsoft Project.

To take advantage of the new Microsoft Project enterprise features, your organization needs Microsoft Project Professional plus Microsoft Project Server and Microsoft Project Server CALs.

Microsoft recommends that customers deploying Microsoft Project Professional and Microsoft Project Server configure the server to support publishing projects by Microsoft Project Professional only. When project and resource information from both Microsoft Project Professional and Microsoft Project Standard is mixed on a single server, the accuracy and usefulness of reports can be significantly reduced.

The features that support these goals are summarized below.

Intuitive Project Management

Manage resources across multiple projects

With Microsoft Project Professional, you can allocate enterprise resources across all of your organization's projects based on skills, availability, and other attributes. Resource management can be done manually or through the Resource Substitution Wizard to achieve the best use of your resources.*
Discover more with powerful analysis tools

PivotTable® views provide powerful visual representations of your enterprise-wide project information that can be easily manipulated for further analysis.*
Easily set user-level security

Keep your project data secure with user permission settings. Multiple security levels let you easily manage access to information, views, and data entry capabilities based on team roles.*
Project Guide

With the addition of the Project Guide, Microsoft Project Professional 2002 provides a new interactive step-by-step project management aid to help users quickly and easily create and manage project plans, access key Microsoft Project features directly, and become productive immediately. It guides users through each step of setting up a project, assigning resources, tracking project progress, and reporting project status.
Enhanced Help

Improved Help functionality and new scheduling smart tags provide timely and relevant assistance to users as they work. The smart tags help users ensure they are getting the results they expect when they adjust their project plans.
Easy integration

In addition to a simple new interface based on the look and feel of Microsoft Office XP, Microsoft Project 2002 includes better integration with Microsoft Office products. Users can convert task lists created in Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook®, or Microsoft Outlook Web Access into Microsoft Project 2002 project plans to get up and running even more quickly.
Project Map

The Project Map, located in online Help, guides you through the phases of project management as you design, implement, and track your projects.

Accessibility and Collaboration

Keep focused on enterprise-wide initiatives

Improved views help you to analyze all projects and resources from a central location, making it easier to track progress and make more informed business decisions.*
Keep project information consistent

With Microsoft Project Professional, everyone in your organization enters data the same way every time. Data is reported and organized consistently across the enterprise, providing an accurate, easy-to-interpret view of your organization's projects.*
Gain a better understanding of your projects

Take advantage of powerful "what if" analysis and other simulation tools to increase efficiency, improve forecasting and planning, and make smarter business decisions.*
Store project information in a shared location

Integration with SharePoint Team Services lets your team store, organize, share documents, and track issues for each project in a secure, central location.*
Automated communications

Microsoft Project 2002 adds support for automated e-mail notifications, advising users of information such as project updates, upcoming milestones, issues, and more, with direct links to project plan information. This feature reduces administrative workload and helps teams keep projects on track.
Collaboration

Through improved features within the Microsoft Project Server CALs, team members and stakeholders (depending on their permissions) can view, update, and run queries on project information via the Web.

*Requires Microsoft Project Server 2002, which includes SharePoint Team Services.

Project Management Platform

Manage multiple large-scale projects

Microsoft Project Professional lets you easily aggregate project plans, manage thousands of action items, and schedule multiple projects, ensuring all of the projects in your portfolio are aligned with enterprise-wide initiatives.*
Build your team more efficiently

With Microsoft Project Professional, you can a build a team from resources across the enterprise by using the Build Team from Enterprise feature.
Work with a scalable project management solution

Tight integration with Microsoft Project Server and Microsoft SQL Server™ provides the foundation for enterprise-wide project management that supports your growing organization.*
Share information with enterprise-wide applications

By using industry standards such as XML and SOAP, Microsoft Project Professional easily integrates and exchanges data with other business applications and databases.
Deploy enterprise-wide standards and templates

Microsoft Project Professional enforces a standard method of data input, which ensures consistent reporting across your portfolio of projects.*
Customization

Users can now easily tailor project plans to match their business practices by adding custom fields using the Project Guide or through the standard user interface.
Integration

Seamless integration of Microsoft Project Server and SharePoint Team Services minimizes the time and cost of deploying and supporting the separate software products.
Data administration

Administration is simplified through the complete integration of Microsoft Project Server technology with Microsoft Project 2002 features.

* Requires Microsoft Project Server 2002, which includes SharePoint Team Services.

How to Upgrade

Microsoft provides several tools to help users evaluate the benefits of Microsoft Project Professional 2002 and to make it easier to deploy Microsoft Project Professional with Microsoft Project Server. The following steps should allow you to make an informed decision about migrating to Microsoft Project Professional.

Evaluate the Product

Carefully consider your organization's project management requirements. If you plan to roll out Microsoft Project Server for enterprise use, you should read the EIF (Enterprise Implementation Framework). The EIF framework suggests an approach for building an implementation strategy for your business. Assessing the requirements of your business and users includes selecting and purchasing hardware, deciding upon Microsoft Project Server options, designing enterprise custom fields, migrating or importing existing data, and switching production systems.

Plan the Deployment

Microsoft provides tools to help customers deploy Microsoft Project 2002. The EIF contains a number of documents that will guide you in planning and scheduling deployment of Microsoft Project 2002, especially in a large enterprise.

At a high level, the migration process for Microsoft Project Professional 2002 includes:

Understanding user roles, frequency of use, numbers of users in different roles, and reporting needs.
Determining which enterprise features you will need for your organization, such as portfolio analysis and resource substitution.
Determining which required enterprise fields, calendars, and views need to be included in the enterprise global template.
Adding or importing enterprise resources. Enterprise resources must exist before they can be assigned to project teams.
Importing projects to the Microsoft Project Server database.

Purchase Microsoft Project 2002

Microsoft Project Professional and Microsoft Project Server can be purchased separately from authorized resellers in your area or online at shop.microsoft.com. Each copy of Microsoft Project Professional 2002 includes a single CAL for Microsoft Project Server. Additional CALs can be purchased through volume licensing.

Install Microsoft Project 2002

The Microsoft Project 2002 Setup program simplifies installation and upgrading. It detects and automatically removes previous versions of Microsoft Project. The Microsoft Project Server Installation Guide Help file, Pjsvr10.chm, covers the details of installing Microsoft Project Server and Microsoft Project Professional. You will need to review server hardware and software requirements thoroughly before upgrading.

Migration Considerations

Upgrading to Microsoft Project Professional 2002 provides project managers greater control over planning, scheduling, tracking, and portfolio modeling and analysis, as well as opportunities for increased collaboration and visibility of project information among team members and management. In most cases, project plans created with Microsoft Project 2000 or Microsoft Project 2002 can be opened, edited, and saved in either version without problems. However, because the new and enhanced features of Microsoft Project 2002 are not supported in earlier versions, there may be unexpected results.

The issues associated with interoperability between versions and with migrating projects from older versions to Microsoft Project 2002 are summarized below and discussed in detail in the following sections.

Changes to the scheduling engine

Microsoft Project 2002 includes refinements to the scheduling engine. While it is unlikely that these improvements will recalculate existing schedules or cause unexpected results when project plans created in Microsoft Project 98 or Microsoft Project 2000 are opened, these changes are identified to allow users to confirm the integrity of project data after migration.
Backward compatibility

The Microsoft Project 2002 file format is compatible with Microsoft Project 2000, so users of Microsoft Project 2000 and Microsoft Project 2002 may share projects without converting their files. However, project information related to the new features of Microsoft Project 2002 may not be displayed or may have an unexpected appearance when project plans are opened in Microsoft Project 2000. These effects may be more pronounced when files are opened in Microsoft Project 98. Microsoft Project 2002 users who exchange project information with users of Microsoft Project 2000 or Microsoft Project 98, or who expect a single project file to be opened in more than one version, should carefully review the "File types and formats" and "Backward Compatibility" sections later in this paper.
File types and formats

Microsoft Project Professional uses the same MPP file format as Microsoft Project 2000. This file format enables users to share files between these programs, although there may be backward compatibility issues, as noted in the "Backward Compatibility" section later in this paper. Microsoft Project Professional 2002 can also read files from the MPD format, MPX format, and the .mpp files created by Microsoft Project 98. In addition, Microsoft Project Professional introduces a new XML data interchange format based on the Microsoft Project Data Interchange schema.
Database formats

The database format in Microsoft Project 2002 has some additional fields for data required by the new Microsoft Project 2002 features. Microsoft Project 2000 can still directly access a Microsoft Project 2002 database, and projects in Microsoft Project 2000 and Microsoft Project 98 databases can be opened directly by Microsoft Project 2002. To take advantage of performance and functionality unique to SQL Server, Microsoft Project Server now requires the use of Microsoft SQL Server 2000.

Changes to the Scheduling Engine

Microsoft Project 2002 includes an enhanced scheduling engine. These enhancements improve performance and precision of scheduling, with little impact on existing project plans.

Differences Between Microsoft Project 2002 and Microsoft Project 2000

Users upgrading project plans from Microsoft Project 2000 should be aware of the following two issues, which in some cases may cause changes to earned value calculations or the way work is rescheduled.

Earned value analysis

In Microsoft Project 2000 and Microsoft Project 98, the value of the EAC (Estimate at Completion) field was equal to the value of the Cost field. In Microsoft Project 2002, the calculation of EAC takes the new Cost Performance Index (CPI) into account, giving an alternative projection of final cost, assuming that past financial performance achieved in the project is a predictor for the future financial performance of the project.

Variance at Completion (VAC) depends on the EAC value (VAC = BAC – EAC; BAC is Budget At Completion, which equals Baseline Cost); so in Microsoft Project 2002, VAC may differ from the value in Microsoft Project 2000.
Tracking

When edits are made to %Complete, %Work Complete, Actual Work, or Actual Duration, by default, Microsoft Project 2002 moves forward remaining work that occurs before the status date to start at the status date and moves back completed work that occurs after the status date to finish at the status date. This behavior prevents remaining work from being scheduled in the past and actual work to remain in the future. The particular options can be set in the Calculation tab of the Options dialog box (Tools menu). Note that only edits to sheet data (that is, data that is not timephased) have this effect. Also note that if no explicit status date is entered in the Project Information dialog box, the current date will be used.

Differences Between Microsoft Project 2002 and Microsoft Project 98

Users upgrading project plans from Microsoft Project 98 should be aware of the issues identified in the previous section ("Differences Between Microsoft Project 2002 and Microsoft Project 2000"), as well as the following issues:

Task scheduling

Only rarely will schedule dates change when a schedule created in Microsoft Project 98 is opened in Microsoft Project 2002. Nevertheless, when a file is opened in Microsoft Project 2002 for the first time, users should examine the schedule carefully to determine whether dates have shifted.
Task criticality

Because of improvements in the way that Microsoft Project 2002 calculates the critical path, it is possible that the criticality of specific tasks—that is, whether or not the task is included in the project's critical path—may shift when an existing project plan is opened in Microsoft Project 2002.
Master project critical path

Similarly, a new feature enables Microsoft Project 2002 to calculate the critical path for a master project across all subprojects. This change provides greater accuracy by creating a single critical path that flows through the subprojects. Users can disable this feature, choosing to calculate the critical path individually for each inserted project (as in Microsoft Project 98) by clearing the Inserted projects are calculated like summary tasks check box in the Calculation Options dialog box.

Backward Compatibility

Backward compatibility refers to the ability to open files created with Microsoft Project 2002 in an earlier version of Microsoft Project. In general, Microsoft Project 2002 offers excellent backward compatibility with Microsoft Project 2000, and, to a lesser extent, Microsoft Project 98. Users should be aware that features introduced in the new version are generally not supported in previous versions, and that the fidelity of a project plan opened in either Microsoft Project 2000 or Microsoft Project 98 depends to some degree on the extent to which these features are used.

Microsoft Project 2002 projects saved to Microsoft Project 2000 and Microsoft Project 98 format

This information applies to files created and saved in Microsoft Project 2002 and subsequently opened and saved in Microsoft Project 2000 or Microsoft Project 98.

The file formats used by Microsoft Project 2002 and Microsoft Project 2000 are compatible; no information is lost when a user opens, edits, and saves in Microsoft Project 2000 a project created with Microsoft Project 2002. Fields and features unique to Microsoft Project 2002 will not be visible in Microsoft Project 2000, but they will not be lost if the file is saved and subsequently opened in Microsoft Project 2002. Note that this is true only if the file is saved using the Save command. If the file is saved using the Save As command, all information unique to Microsoft Project 2002 is lost.

Specific features and data that may be affected are listed below:

Baselines

Project 2000 supports only a single baseline per project. Additional baselines saved in Microsoft Project 2002 will not be shown in Microsoft Project 2000.
Calculation options

If a project plan's calculation options were set in Microsoft Project 2002 to place actual and remaining work in relation to the status date, they are ignored in Microsoft Project 2000. However, actual and remaining work does not move if the project is opened in Microsoft Project 2000 because these calculation options are only considered when the project file is edited in Microsoft Project 2002.
Earned Value, additional fields, and calculation options

Microsoft Project 2000 does not support the additional Earned Value fields. Because multiple baselines are not supported, Earned Value calculations will be based on the default baseline. In Microsoft Project 2002, Earned Value can be based on Physical %Complete. When the file is opened in Microsoft Project 2000, Earned Value for these tasks will always be calculated based on task % Complete.
Generic and deactivated resources

Microsoft Project 2000 does not support generic and deactivated resources.
Grouping

Microsoft Project 2000 does not support grouping on assignment fields or rollups of timephased fields in the usage views. So usage views that include these groupings will group the tasks or resources, not the assignments, and the timephased Group By summary data will be blank. In the Network Diagram View, grouped nodes will not be grouped.
Multiple Project Manager support

Microsoft Project 2000 does not support multiple managers within one project plan.
Organizer items

Organizer items, such as views and tables that reference elements specific to Microsoft Project 2002 (for example, Baseline3 Cost) are hidden when the file is opened in Microsoft Project 2000. A substitute version (for example, a table showing all fields but the Baseline Cost3 field) will be visible. Changes made in Microsoft Project 2000 to such substitute versions are ignored if the file is subsequently opened in Microsoft Project 2002, because the original version is used (for example, the table containing the Baseline3 Cost field).
Update project

When you update a project and reschedule remaining work, Microsoft Project 2000 may not preserve the constraint for constrained tasks that have no progress. Rescheduled work is restricted to future dates.

Microsoft Project 2002 projects saved to Microsoft Project 98

This information applies to files created in Microsoft Project 2002 and subsequently saved in Microsoft Project 98 format. In addition to the issues listed in the previous section ("Microsoft Project 2002 projects saved to Microsoft Project 2000"), users should be aware of the following issues:

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 also saved in Microsoft Project 98 format. In Microsoft Project 2002, you 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 you save the baseline without first specifying Microsoft Project 98 as the save format, when you save the project file in Microsoft Project 98 format, timephased baseline data is lost.
Calendars

Microsoft Project 98 supports only three shifts on a calendar. Five-shift calendars from Microsoft Project 2002 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 2002 will be retained only if the table has only one row. If the table has more than one row, the fields Available From, Available To, and Max Units in Microsoft Project 2002 are mapped directly to the corresponding fields in Microsoft Project 98.
Custom fields

For custom fields with user-defined formulas or lookup tables, only the static value is retained. The formulas and lookup tables are not saved. For custom fields that display graphical indicators instead of values, only the values are retained. Graphical indicators are not saved.
Deadline dates

Microsoft Project 98 does not support deadline dates.
Estimated durations

Microsoft Project 98 does not support estimated durations. Values entered as estimates are lost.
Formatting

Microsoft Project 2002 allows significantly more control over formatting individual cells and bars. Any formatting that exceeds the capabilities of Microsoft Project 98 is lost.
Grouping

Microsoft Project 98 does not support grouping. The current grouping applied to all views, and any groups saved with the project are lost.
Hyperlinks

Microsoft Project 98 does not support ScreenTips for hyperlinks. ScreenTips are lost.
Leveling

Microsoft Project 98 supports only 10 levels of priority. The 1000 priority levels of Microsoft Project 2002 are mapped to the 10 priority levels in Microsoft Project 98, so tasks that have unique priorities in Microsoft Project 2002 may be assigned the same priority in Microsoft Project 98. Filters that reference a specific priority are also remapped to the 10-level priority scheme.
Maximum resource units

Microsoft Project 98 does not support resource units of more than 10,000. Any assignment with Max Resource Units greater than 10,000 is changed to 10,000.
Material Resources

Microsoft Project 98 does not support material resources. Resources whose type is set to Material are converted to work resources when the project is saved in Microsoft Project 98 format. Values in the Material Label and Type (resource) fields and Assignment Resource Type (assignment) field are lost.
Macros

To ensure that macros are transferred properly when a project is saved to Microsoft Project 98 format, Microsoft Project 2002 adds a Microsoft Visual Basic® for Applications (VBA) statement to the Project_Open event. This statement forces Microsoft Project 98 to save the macros in the version of VBA that is shipped with Microsoft Project 98.

When the project is opened, Microsoft Project 98 displays the Macro Virus Warning dialog box. You need to click Enable Macros to allow the Project_Open subprocedure to run. If you click Disable Macros, Microsoft Project 98 does not properly save the VBA information, and it will be inaccessible to both Microsoft Project 98 and Microsoft Project 2002. For more information, refer to the " PRJ: Macro Warning, Missing Macros, or Cannot Edit Macro in a Project Saved in 98 Format " Microsoft knowledge base article.
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.
PERT Chart views

Customized Network Diagram views in Microsoft Project 2002 are lost when the file is saved in Microsoft Project 98 format. If the active view includes the Network Diagram as part of a split view, the view is saved as a single-pane view. Any filters applied to Network Diagram views are lost. If a Network Diagram view (known as a PERT Chart in Microsoft Project 98) contains customized formatting or layout originally created in Microsoft Project 98, any new tasks added in Microsoft Project 2002 appear as nodes stacked in the top left corner when viewed in Microsoft Project 98.
Task calendars

Microsoft Project 98 does not support task calendars. Tasks are scheduled only according to the resource calendars or the project calendar.

File and Database Formats

Microsoft Project 2002 supports a variety of file and database formats, including the native file formats (used by Microsoft Project) and data interchange formats (to share information with other applications). The following table lists the file types that are supported by Microsoft Project 2002. Each file type is discussed in detail in the following sections.

Table 1 Summary of supported file formats

File Type	Read	Write	Description
Microsoft Project 2000 MPP	YES	YES	Native project file format
Microsoft Project 98 MPP	YES	YES	Legacy project file format
Earlier (Microsoft Project 1.0, 3.0, and 4.0/95) MPP	NO	NO	Export data from earlier versions in MPX format
Microsoft Project 2000 MPD	YES	YES	Native database file format
Microsoft Project 98 MPD	YES	NO	Legacy database file format
Microsoft Project MPX	YES	NO	ASCII data interchange format
Microsoft Project XML	YES	YES	XML data interchange format using the Microsoft Project Data Interchange schema
Other XML	YES	YES	Requires use of the Import and Export Wizards

Microsoft Project File Types

Microsoft Project MPP file format

Microsoft Project 2002 uses the same .mpp file format as Microsoft Project 2000. Microsoft Project 2002 adds new information to the MPP file format, but the files remain compatible with Microsoft Project 2000. Although the .mpp file extension is the same as that used by previous versions of Microsoft Project, files saved in native Microsoft Project 2002 format cannot be opened in any version of Microsoft Project earlier than Microsoft Project 2000.

An .mpp file created in either the Standard or Professional edition of Microsoft Project 2002 may be freely exchanged between the two editions; however, there are some limitations on what can be viewed or edited in Microsoft Project Professional 2002. Microsoft Project Professional allows only read-only viewing (that is, no editing) of any enterprise data or other project information that is only supported in Microsoft Project Professional. Data related to features common to both editions can be freely edited in Microsoft Project Professional 2002, and the read-only items will be maintained when the file is saved.

If a project file saved with Microsoft Project 2002 with the MPP format is opened in Microsoft Project 2000, unsupported data from any new Microsoft Project 2002 features is ignored by Microsoft Project 2000. The user may edit and save the file in Microsoft Project 2000, and all data is retained, including information unique to Microsoft Project 2002. However, if the Microsoft Project 2000 user saves the project as a new .mpp or database file with a different name with the Save As command (File menu), the unsupported data is not available in the newly created file.
Microsoft Project 98 MPP file format

In addition to the current MPP file format, Microsoft Project 2002 users can save files to the Microsoft Project 98 MPP file format, making it easier to exchange projects with users who have not yet upgraded beyond that version. For more information, see the "Backward Compatibility" section.
Earlier file formats

Project files from versions of Microsoft Project earlier than Microsoft Project 98 (that is, Microsoft Project 1.0, 3.0, and 4.0/95) cannot be opened directly in Microsoft Project 2002. These files must first be saved in the Microsoft Project exchange (MPX) format in the original version of Microsoft Project where the file was created. Microsoft Project 2002 can read .mpx files. For more information, see the "Backward Compatibility" section earlier in this paper.

Data Interchange Formats

Microsoft Project XML file format

Microsoft Project 2002 introduces a new data interchange format, XML, which uses the Extensible Markup Language (XML) to represent project information. Complete projects can be exported to XML documents that conform to the Microsoft Project Data Interchange schema. Microsoft Project 2002 can also read (import) XML documents that conform to this schema. Note that the XML files include only semantic project information; view definitions (for example, Gantt Chart or tables) are not included.

The Import and Export Wizards allow users to exchange XML data between Microsoft Project 2002 and custom or third party applications that support XML but do not use the Microsoft Project Data Interchange schema.
Microsoft Project database (MPD) format

Like Microsoft Project 98 and Microsoft Project 2000, Microsoft Project 2002 supports the Microsoft Project database MPD file format as its standard interchange file format. While a few additions have been made to the database schema to accommodate new Microsoft Project 2002 features, .mpd files created in Microsoft Project 2002 are compatible with Microsoft Project 2000, and files created in either version can be opened by the other.

Microsoft Project 2002 can open a project file that has been saved in Microsoft Project 98 database format; however, it cannot save a project in the Microsoft Project 98 database format. Users who exchange files between Microsoft Project 2002 and Microsoft Project 98 must use the Microsoft Project 98 MPP format.
Microsoft Project Exchange (MPX) file format

Like Microsoft Project 2000, Microsoft Project 2002 can read (import) files in the Microsoft Project Exchange MPX file format; however, it does not allow users to save MPX files. The MPX file format is essentially a record-formatted text file containing project data in ASCII text format. It contains only rudimentary project data, permitting users to exchange project data with other applications. Users who routinely export project data to third party programs or solutions that rely on the MPX file format for data exchange should contact the program vendors about the availability of a solution or upgrade that supports Microsoft Project 2002 or XML.

Microsoft Project and Microsoft Project Central Databases

Upgrading Microsoft Project Databases

Projects created in Microsoft Project 2000 or Microsoft Project 98 and saved to a database (an MPD file, or a SQL Server or Oracle database) can be opened directly by Microsoft Project 2002; however, they cannot be saved back to the original database tables. It is recommended that project database tables be upgraded manually when you migrate to Microsoft Project 2002. The Microsoft Project Setup program provides scripts for updating SQL Server databases.

When a user attempts to save a project from Microsoft Project 2002 to a Microsoft Project 98 database, a new set of Microsoft Project 2002 database tables is created in the database. The save operation will fail if the user does not have CREATE TABLE permissions on the database server.

When a user attempts to save a project from Microsoft Project 2002 to a Microsoft Project 2000 database, the database tables are upgraded in-place to include the new Microsoft Project 2002 fields. The Save operation will fail if the user does not have ALTER TABLE permissions on the database server.

Backward Compatibility of Databases

Projects created in Microsoft Project 2002 and saved to a database (an MPD file, or a SQL Server or Oracle database) can be opened in Microsoft Project 2000; however, information unique to Microsoft Project 2002 will not be displayed. Although the database format used by Microsoft Project 2002 contains additional fields compared to a database created with Microsoft Project 2000, Microsoft Project 2000 ignores the additional fields.

Projects created in Microsoft Project 2002 and saved to a database cannot be opened in Microsoft Project 98.

Upgrading to the Microsoft Project Server Database Format

The functionality of Microsoft Project Server requires Microsoft SQL Server 2000. In addition, the Microsoft Project Professional enterprise project management features take advantage of SQL Server Analysis Services (OLAP Services) to provide cross-project and cross-resource reporting.

Upgrading a Microsoft Project Central database to the Microsoft Project Server database format on SQL Server can be accomplished by running the SQL upgrade script provided on the Microsoft Project Server installation CD. Physical file placement can improve performance of Microsoft Project Server and ease database recovery. The SQL script can be edited with file and file group specifications; however, only a trained database administrator should edit the scripts.

Note: In no case should table names, column names, data types, or constraints be changed.

If Microsoft Project Central is installed on an Oracle database server, the database must be migrated to Microsoft SQL Server 2000 and then upgraded in-place. This process can be accomplished by running the SQL script that creates the Microsoft Project Central tables on Microsoft SQL Server 2000 and then using Microsoft Data Transformation Services to migrate the data from Oracle to Microsoft SQL Server 2000.

Migrating from Microsoft Project 95

The following sections present two methods for migrating data from earlier versions while ensuring that project data is retained. Note that the Microsoft Project scheduling engine has improved significantly since the release of Microsoft Project 95. As a result, converted projects may be scheduled somewhat differently when opened in Microsoft Project 2002.

Converting from MPX Format

Microsoft Project 95 allows you to save project files in the MPX format, which can be opened by Microsoft Project 2002. The MPX format preserves rudimentary schedule and task information; however some information is lost. Specifically, views, tables, filters, formatting, macros, and custom toolbars are not preserved. In addition, custom fields are not retained by default; however, users can edit the export table to add fields to be saved to the MPX file. To make conversion of multiple files easier, a user could write a simple macro that would open all Microsoft Project 95 MPP files in a single folder and save them in MPX format.

Converting to Microsoft Project 98

To ensure the greatest integrity of project information, users may wish to convert files to Microsoft Project 98 as an intermediate step before converting to Microsoft Project 2002. Doing so ensures that project plans are converted without loss of data; however, users may still encounter differences in the way projects are scheduled. Conversion requires simply opening and saving the existing project file in Microsoft Project 98. To make conversion of multiple files easier, a user could write a macro in Microsoft Project 98 to automate conversion of existing files.