Microsoft Project 2000 Resource Kit

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Overview of Microsoft Project Central
Customizing and Administering Microsoft Project Central
Views

Microsoft Project Central is a companion product to Microsoft Project 2000. It enables collaborative planning among workgroup members, project managers, and other stakeholders. With Microsoft Project Central, project team members can exchange and work with project information at a Web site, making communication easier no matter where project team members are located.

Overview of Microsoft Project Central

Before project managers and project team members can begin using Microsoft Project Central, you need to understand installation details, Microsoft Project Central architecture, and the database schema.

Customizing and Administering Microsoft Project Central

The Microsoft Project Central administrator customizes and maintains a variety of features and options in Microsoft Project Central to ensure that it conforms to the organization's requirements and to make it easier for the project teams to use. The topics in this chapter provide information about these options and features, as well as information for troubleshooting.

Views

The Microsoft Project Central administrator designates the views that workgroup members can use to see project information and defines exactly what information users can see. The project manager may need to coordinate with the Microsoft Project Central administrator to be sure all users can view the information they need. 

Overview of Microsoft Project Central

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Microsoft Project Central is a companion product to Microsoft Project 2000. It enables collaborative planning among workgroup members, project managers, and other stakeholders. With Microsoft Project Central, project team members can exchange and work with project information at a Web site, making communication easier no matter where project team members are located. This section describes the installation, administration, and uses of Microsoft Project Central in your organization.

Installing Microsoft Project Central

If you have installed a beta version of Microsoft Project Central, you must remove it before installing the new version. For more information, see "Removing the beta version of Microsoft Project Central" in this article. For information on installation requirements for Microsoft Project Central Server, see "Systems Requirements" in Part 1 – Environment of the Microsoft Project Resource Kit.

To install Microsoft Project Central Server 

  1. Insert the Microsoft Project CD into the CD-ROM drive.

  2. Click Install Microsoft Project Central Server.

  3. Enter your user name and organization, and then click Next.

  4. Accept the license agreement, and then click Next.

  5. In the Install Microsoft Project Central Server here box, specify where you want to install the server. 

    The default location is the drive with the most disk space. If this is the c: drive, then the default location will be c:\ProjectCentral. The location you specify will become the name of the new virtual directory that is created on the Web server.

  6. Select one of the following two options:

    • Install now. This option installs MSDE on the same computer where you are installing the Microsoft Project Central Server.

      Choose this option if you want to use MSDE as your database store for Microsoft Project Central and if you do not have another database you can use. MSDE is suitable if there are no more than 10 to 15 concurrent users of Microsoft Project Central. The default MSDE database is created with the username "sa" and a password that you specify during installation. If you want a more secure and scalable solution, use a SQL Server or Oracle database as described below. 

      You cannot choose this option if the computer you are installing on already has either SQL Server or MSDE installed.

    • Customize. This option allows you to specify the database you want to use as the Microsoft Project Central store. You can specify a SQL Server, MSDE, or Oracle database. SQL Server, MSDE, or Oracle must already be installed on a database server in your organization, and a database must have already been created to continue with the custom installation of Microsoft Project Central Server. If the database has not been installed, quit the installation of the Microsoft Project Central Server, and then start it again after the database is in place.

Creating SQL, MSDE or Oracle database and tables

To create a SQL Server, MSDE, or Oracle database and tables, complete the appropriate steps in the procedures below. For Microsoft SQL Server and MSDE, you can either choose a default installation of the database, or you can create your own database. For Oracle, you cannot create a default installation.

To create a default database and table installation for a SQL Server or MSDE 

  1. On the database server computer, go to the MS-DOS Prompt.

  2. Change directories to the CD-ROM drive, and on the Microsoft Project CD, go to the folder \Pjcentrl\Isapi\1033 (or the appropriate folder for your language).

  3. Type the following commands to create a database and tables in the database and to insert default records for the tables:

        osql -U <account name> -P <password> -i Crttable.sql
        osql -U <account name> -P <password> -d <db name> -i Insdefsq.sql
        osql -U <account name> -P <password> -d <db name> -i Insdefsi.sql
    
For example, if the account name is *sa*, the password is ProjectPW, the commands would be:

<pre IsFakePre="true" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
 osql -U sa -P ProjectPW -i Crttable.sql
 osql -U sa -P ProjectPW -d Project_CentralDB -i Insdefsq.sql
 osql -U sa -P ProjectPW -d Project_CentralDB -i Insdefsi.sql

Note   The parameter letters U, P, d, and i are case sensitive.

To create your own custom database and table installation for SQL Server and MSDE, use the SQL Server Enterprise Manager, as explained in the following procedure: 

  1. Open Enterprise Manager for SQL Server.

  2. Create a new database for ProjectCentral, for example, "Project_CentralDB," or other database name. Add a new logon user with the SQL Server Authentication option selected, and type a password to allow access to the database. Make the new database the default database for the user.

    This new logon user should have the db_owner role in the Microsoft Project Central database to allow the user to save Project Central tables and data in that database.

  3. From Windows, go to the MS-DOS Prompt.

  4. Change directories to the CD-ROM drive, and on the Microsoft Project CD, go to the folder \Pjcentrl\Isapi\1033 (or the appropriate folder for your language).

  5. Copy the files, Crttable.sql, Insdefsq.sql, and Insdefsi.sql to c:\ProjectCentral. 
    You need to modify Crttable.sql so that it references the database you just created by replacing the occurrence of Project_CentralDB with your database name. **Note **  Since you have now created a database in step 2 above, you need to comment out the following two lines in Crttable.sql:

    CREATE DATABASE Project_CentralDB

    go

  6. After modifying Crttable.sql to reference your database, type the following commands to create tables in the database and to insert default records for the tables:

        osql -U <account name> -P <password> -i Crttable.sql
        osql -U <account name> -P <password> -d <db name> -i Insdefsq.sql
        osql -U <account name> -P <password> -d <db name> -i Insdefsi.sql
    

Note   SQL Server Query Analyzer can be used instead of the Osql tool.

To create a custom database and table installation for Oracle

Note ***   *** You cannot create a default installation with Oracle. You can only create a custom installation.

  1. Create an Oracle database.

  2. Create a tablespace for the Microsoft Project Central tables.

  3. Start the Oracle Security Manager.

  4. On the General tab of the Create User dialog box, type a new name for the database.

  5. In the Authentication list, select Password.

  6. Under Tablespaces, select the tablespace you created.

  7. Click the Roles/Privileges tab.

  8. Select Connect and Resource in the Available list, and then click Roles in the Privilege Type list to grant the user CONNECT and RESOURCE roles. **Note **  Instead of granting the RESOURCE role to the new user, you can grant CREATE TABLE to the user instead.

Then

  1. Click the Quotas tab, and grant this user unlimited quotas in the Microsoft Project Central database.

  2. Log on as the new user to perform the remaining actions.

  3. On the database server computer, go to the MS-DOS Prompt.

  4. Change directories to the CD-ROM drive, and on the Microsoft Project CD, go to the folder \Pjcentrl\Isapi\1033 (or the appropriate folder for your language).

  5. Type the following commands to create tables in the database and to insert default records for the tables:

        Crttblor.sql
        Insdefor.sql
        Insdefoi.sql
    

Note   You need to install the Oracle Net8 Client on the Microsoft Project Central Server before Microsoft Project Central will work correctly.

To create the Microsoft Project Central Server

After you have set up the database, you can run the custom installation of Microsoft Project Central Server. You will need to specify the database server, database name, and a valid logon ID and password. For Oracle, you don't need to specify the database name.

After you have installed the Microsoft Project Central Server, users can connect to it using the URL https://[servername]/ProjectCentral, where servername is the name of the Web server where you have installed Microsoft Project Central Server, and where ProjectCentral is the innermost folder name (or virtual directory) specified in the installation path.

Notes If the database has not been set up properly, Microsoft Project Central will not function correctly. If you uninstall Microsoft Project Central Server, the virtual directory is not automatically deleted. If you want to install using the same virtual directory, you will need to delete the existing virtual directory using Microsoft Internet Service Manager before re-installing. If you specified a different location during installation, such as c:\ProjectCentralNew, then users will have to access Microsoft Project Central using the URL https://[servername]/ProjectCentralNew.

Set up the Browser Module for Microsoft ProjectCentral

The Browser Module for Microsoft Project Central is for those who do not wish to use Microsoft Internet Explorer as their browser client. The module uses the Microsoft Internet Explorer functionality in Windows, but does not register itself as a browser. It can only view a Microsoft Project Central site. To set up the Browser Module for Microsoft Project Central:

  1. Insert the Microsoft Project 2000 CD and click the link Install Browser Module for Microsoft Project Central. Alternatively, from the Microsoft Project 2000 CD, run Setupclt.exe

  2. After setup has finished, on the Windows Start menu, click Programs, and then click Browser Module for Microsoft Project Central.

  3. On the Tools menu, click Server Settings.

  4. If a server is not already established, click Add.

  5. Enter a server name (any name that will help you remember what the connection is for).

  6. Enter the server address as https://your servername/virtual directory name. For example, https://MyServer/ProjectCentral

  7. Click OK twice.

It may be easier to install the Browser Module for Microsoft Project Central using a network server by creating an administrative installation point. The administrative installation point is a server share that contains all of the setup files for the Browser Module for Microsoft Project Central. Users connect to this share and run setup. 

To create an administrative installation point for the Browser Module for Microsoft Project Central 

  1. Create a share on a network server for the administrative installation point.

  2. On a computer running the Windows 95/98, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows 2000 operating systems, go to the MS-DOS Prompt.

  3. Type the following line:

    [CD-ROM drive]:\setupclt.exe /a

  4. Follow the instructions in the wizard to finish creating the installation point.

Note   Make sure users have access to the network share.

The default connection state for the Browser Module for Microsoft Project Central is LAN without proxy server. Use the following steps if you need to use a proxy server to communicate with your Web server: 

  1. On the Tools menu in the Browser Module, click Internet Options.

  2. Click the Connections tab, and then click LAN Settings.

  3. Type the appropriate proxy information, and then click OK.

Communicating by using e-mail instead of Microsoft Project Central

If you don't want to use the Web to communicate project information with team members, you can use a MAPI-based Microsoft Project 2000 Workgroup Message Handler to communicate project information in e-mail. The Workgroup Message Handler in Microsoft Project is responsible for formatting, retrieving, and sending information to and from resources that are working on a project. Every manager and resource who will receive MAPI workgroup messages must also have the Workgroup Message Handler installed on their computers.

The Workgroup Message Handler in Microsoft Project 2000 supports the following client mail systems:

  • Microsoft Exchange running on Windows 95, Windows NT, or Windows 2000.

  • Microsoft Mail for Windows NT.

  • Lotus cc:Mail 7.0 or later for Windows 95, Windows NT, or Windows 2000.

  • Lotus Notes 4.5a or later for Windows 95, Windows NT, or Windows 2000.

  • Microsoft Outlook 97 or later

Notes   The Workgroup Message Handler cannot work with Microsoft Mail running under Windows 95. Users in this situation must update their mail system to use Microsoft Exchange client that is shipped with Windows 95 for the Workgroup Message Handler to function properly. For more information about installing Microsoft Exchange for use with a Microsoft Mail post office, see your Windows 95 or Windows 98 documentation.You may reproduce and distribute an unlimited number of copies of the Workgroup Message Handler which includes the following files: wgsetup.stf, wgsetup.lst, wgsetup.exe, mfc42.dll, msvcrt.dll, openmail.exe, olmenu.ecf, opml32.dll, olmenu.dll, msflxgrd.ocx, olepro32.dll, regwiz.exe, oleaut32.dll, stdole2.tlb, extract.exe, setup.ini, prj98_ca.dll, acmsetup.exe, msetup.dll, acmsetup.hlp, as long as each copy is a true and complete copy, including all copyright and trademark notices. 

After the manager installs the Workgroup Message Handler and sends the workgroup message in Microsoft Project 2000, then all resources must run the Workgroup Message Handler setup program to be able to respond to those workgroup messages.

All resources should run the WGsetup.exe program to install the Workgroup Message Handler. This program is available in the WGsetup folder of the Microsoft Project CD. You can make the Workgroup Message Handler Setup program available to resources in two ways:

  • Copy the entire WGsetup folder from your Microsoft Project 2000 CD to a network location and ask your resources to run WGsetup.exe from the network.

  • Copy the files from the WGsetup folder of your Microsoft Project 2000 CD to two floppy disks.

  • Copy the following files to disk 1: Extract.exe, Prj2k_1.cab, Setup.ini, WGsetup.exe, WGsetup.inf, WGsetup.lst, and WGsetup.stf.

  • Copy the file Prj2k_2.cab to disk 2.

After you have copied all files to the floppy disks, send these two disks to your resources, and ask them to run WGsetup.exe from disk 1.

Removing the beta version of Microsoft Project Central 

  1. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs, click Microsoft Project Central Server, and then click Add/Remove (or click Remove if you are using Windows 2000).

  2. In the Microsoft Project Central Server Maintenance Mode dialog box, click Uninstall Microsoft Project Central Server.

  3. Using the Internet Service Manager, delete the virtual directory where you installed the beta version of Microsoft Project Central.

    If you are using Microsoft NT Server 4.0, on the Start menu, click Programs, click Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack, and then click Internet Service Manager.

    If you are using Microsoft Windows 2000, in Control Panel, click Administrative Tools, and then click Internet Services Manager. You can then delete the virtual directory created for Microsoft Project Central.

    Note   Uninstalling Microsoft Project Central Server does not remove MSDE. Use the following steps to remove MSDE manually:

    1. Stop the MSDE service using the Services program in Control Panel. In the Services dialog box, stop the service named MSSQLServer.

    2. In the Windows Task Manager, end the program named sqlmangr.exe.

    3. Remove MSDE using Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel.

    4. Delete the data files under the \mssql7\data folder on the server.

    5. Remove the following registry key:

      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Web Server\SQLInstalledByPrj 

See also

For more information on installing and using data access pages as views in Microsoft Project Central, see the file Svrsetup.htm located on the Microsoft Project CD in the folder \Pjcentrl\HELP\1033\. 

Using Microsoft Project 2000 and Microsoft Project Central

Microsoft Project Central contains six areas or pages.

  • Home page   The Home page allows quick access to most areas of Microsoft Project Central, and helps users decide which pages they need to visit first. For example, they may learn they have new tasks and need to go to the Tasks page to see them. An administrator can customize this page by going to the Admin page and reading the overview information there.

  • Tasks page   The Tasks page displays the Timesheet, where users can see the tasks they are assigned to. From this page, users can also create new tasks, delegate tasks to others, and transfer calendar information from Microsoft Outlook.

  • Views page   The views page contains two types of views on project information: a list of projects organized into a portfolio; and views on assignments that have been made through Microsoft Project Central. From a portfolio view, you can also drill down to see a view of an individual project. The administrator sets up the different views. See "Views" in this article for more information.

  • Status Reports page   The Status Reports page allows project managers to generate requests for status reports, send these requests to team members, and view team members' reports. It allows team members to respond to status reports and send them to their managers. Microsoft Project Central consolidates individual team members' responses into a group status report for the whole team, which the manager can then view.

  • Admin page   The Admin page allows an administrator to customize most areas of Microsoft Project Central, including setting up views, security options, and calendar options and customizing the content and look of some pages.

Note Most of the instructions for using Microsoft Project Central are contained within the pages themselves. Users can also click Help on the menu bar anywhere within the pages to see more help on a specific area. They can also point to items on the pages, such as buttons and options, to see tips about the items.

Getting users ready to start using Microsoft Project Central

When the Microsoft Project Central Server is installed, it creates a default user called Administrator. The password for this user is blank by default; therefore, one of the first things you should do after installation is to go to Microsoft Project Central (by going to the URL https://[server name]/ProjectCentral either on the server or on a client computer), log on as Administrator and change the password. 

After you have installed the Microsoft Project Central Server, most of the features can be used without further configuration. However, you might want to do additional work such as setting up views for your team, selecting authentication options for logging on, and customizing the look of pages. Most of the instructions for these activities are contained on the Admin pages and in online Help for Microsoft Project Central.

The administrator needs to tell project managers what the URL is for the Microsoft Project Central server so that they can enter the URL into their project files in Microsoft Project 2000. 

After authentication options have been chosen, and views have been set up, project managers can set up Microsoft Project 2000 to allow their project teams to work with Microsoft Project Central. 

  1. In Microsoft Project 2000, on the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Workgroup tab.

  2. In the Default workgroup messages box, click Web.

  3. In the Microsoft Project Central Server URL box, type the URL for the Microsoft Project Central Server.

  4. Under Identification for Microsoft Project Central Server, select one of the following logon methods:

    Windows user account to use your Microsoft Windows user account to identify yourself as the project manager to Microsoft Project Central. All the workgroup messages you send will display the logon account you used to log on to the network. Windows user accounts offer the strongest security for authentication. In addition, when you use a Windows user account, you are automatically authenticated when you access Microsoft Project Central, so you don't need to enter a user name or password.

    Microsoft Project user name to use Microsoft Project Central authentication and your user name to identify yourself to Microsoft Project Central. All the workgroup messages you send will display your user name as it appears on the General tab of the Options dialog box (Tools menu). When you access Microsoft Project Central, you will be required to enter this user name and a password.

    Note   By default, your password will be blank the first time you log on to Microsoft Project Central. You can set your password during your initial session.

  5. Optional: To perform work in Microsoft Project Central, such as setting up status reports or message rules, without first having to send a workgroup message, click Create Account. **Note **  You need an account before you can work with Microsoft Project Central, but one is created for you automatically when you send a workgroup message. Perform this step only if you want to work with Microsoft Project Central before sending a workgroup message.

  6. To apply your workgroup selections to all new projects, click Set as Default.

  7. Team members need to enter the same URL into their browsers to respond to workgroup messages from managers, respond to status report requests, and report their status on tasks. However, you can set up Microsoft Project to send an e-mail message to workgroup members (which includes a URL to Microsoft Project Central) whenever they receive a new workgroup message in Microsoft Project Central.

    To automatically notify workgroup members of new Microsoft Project Central messages, select the Send hyperlink in E-mail note check box. You can use this feature only if an e-mail system links the members of your workgroup.

    Note   E-mail notifications cannot be sent for status reports and task delegations; therefore, users need to check Microsoft Project Central regularly for these items.

You can now assign team members to tasks and send them workgroup messages, such as TeamAssign, TeamStatus, and TeamUpdate. For more information on using the workgroup functionality of Microsoft Project, see online Help for Microsoft Project.

Important   Team Members will not see their assignments and cannot update their timesheets until the project manager sends them a workgroup message notifying them of their task assignments. To send a workgroup message, click Workgroup on the Tools menu and then click the message you want to send.A TeamAssign message notifies resources of their task assignments, and a TeamStatus message requests status on their work (You do not need to send a TeamStatus message for resources to report status; after you send them a TeamAssign message, they can enter hours worked directly in their timesheets).The data in your project file will not be accessible through Microsoft Project Central Views until you use the Update to Web Server command on the Workgroup submenu (Tools menu). Make sure you read the topic on Setting Up Views in Microsoft Project Central and follow the instructions to have your project data accessible to the Microsoft Project Central Server.

Microsoft Project Central accounts for users

When a project manager sends workgroup messages to project team members from Microsoft Project 2000, Microsoft Project Central accounts are created for them automatically. To set up team members' Microsoft Project Central accounts to use their Windows user accounts, the project manager must add this information within Microsoft Project 2000, using the following procedure.

  1. On the View menu, click Resource Sheet.

  2. In the Resource Name field, select a resource whose Windows user account you want to add.

  3. Click Resource Information, and then click the General tab.

  4. Click Windows Account, and then enter the resource's Windows user account, using the format DomainName\UserName (note that you must use this format for Microsoft Project to recognize Windows users accounts correctly).

    If you don't know the resource's Microsoft Windows user account, and you have already entered the URL for the Microsoft Project Central server in the Workgroup tab of the Options dialog box (Tools menu), click Windows Account to find the resource's Windows user account through the e-mail address book.

  5.  Repeat steps 2–4 to add Windows user accounts for other resources.

If Windows user accounts are not specified in Microsoft Project, then resource names will be used to create Microsoft Project Central accounts. These accounts are authenticated using Microsoft Project Central authentication; team members will see a logon screen when they go to the Microsoft Project Central site, and they will have to enter their resource names and passwords. By default, team members' passwords will be blank the first time they log on to Microsoft Project Central, and they can set their passwords during their initial sessions.

User accounts can also be added by an administrator from within Microsoft Project Central or within Microsoft Project 2000. To add accounts in Microsoft Project Central, log on as an Administrator. On the menu bar in Microsoft Project Central, point to Admin, click Users, and then click Add User.

Adding resources' e-mail addresses to a project

If you will be using an e-mail workgroup system for some resources or if you selected the Send hyperlink in E-mail note check box in the Options dialog box, you may need to enter e-mail addresses for resources. This procedure is necessary only if the resource's e-mail address is not exactly the same as the resource's name in Microsoft Project. For instance, if a resource's name and e-mail address are both Chris, then you don't need to perform this procedure. However, if the e-mail address is ChrisL instead of just Chris, then you need to add that resource's e-mail address.

  1. On the View menu, click Resource Sheet.

  2. In the Resource Name field, select a resource whose e-mail address you want to add.

  3. Click Resource Information, and then click the General tab.

  4. In the Email box, type the e-mail address for the resource, and then click OK.

    If the resource is located outside your organization, be sure to include the entire address, for example, someone@microsoft.com.

  5. Repeat steps 2–4 to add other resource's e-mail addresses.

Setting up a status report

Managers create status report requests from within Microsoft Project Central and then send the reports to team members. 

To create a status report request 

  1. Log on to Microsoft Project Central, point to Status Report on the menu bar, and then click Request a Status Report.

  2. Select Set up a new status report for your team to respond to, click OK, and then follow the instructions in the wizard to create the status report.

    You can specify the recurrence of the report, names of the resources who are to respond to the report, and the topics that are contained in the report.

To view status reports sent to you by your team:

Point to Status Report on the menu bar, and then click Group Status Reports.

You can view your team members' responses and merge them into a single, combined status report for your entire group. Or you can specify that Microsoft Project Central should automatically merge the reports.

How team members use Microsoft Project Central pages

When team members log on to Microsoft Project Central, the Home page is displayed. From here they can access the following areas of Microsoft Project Central.

  • Timesheet   The Timesheet contains task information. From the Timesheet, team members can enter and send updates on actual hours worked on tasks; create new tasks; delegate tasks to others; transfer calendar entries from Outlook; delete tasks they are no longer working on; and sort, filter, and group tasks for easier viewing.

  • Status Reports   Team members can respond to status reports sent to them by their managers. In addition to information about the hours worked on a task, managers are often interested in getting reports from their resources describing what they have been working on, the goals and objectives they have set, obstacles they are facing, and other issues.

  • Views   Team members can look at views their manager has set up. Views allow team members to view information in other projects or view assignments made through Microsoft Project Central.

Offline capabilities of Microsoft Project Central

Team members can work with Microsoft Project Central while offline. They can access the following information and functions:

  • Viewing, editing, and saving changes to their timesheets for a specified time period. Users must be online to send updates for their timesheets.

  • Editing and saving changes to status reports. Users cannot send status reports while offline, but they cannot view previously submitted, previously edited, or late status reports. Managers cannot view resource status report responses or create and send new status report requests.

  • Users will be able to see the Home page but will not be able to view messages. Managers will not be able to create or run rules to process messages.

If team member are using Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or later, the Work Offline command on the File menu must be checked. They can then access Microsoft Project Central pages by choosing Microsoft Project Central from the Favorites menu.

See also

To learn more about administration and maintenance for Microsoft Project Central, see "Customizing and Administering Microsoft Project Central" in this article.

To learn more about setting up and creating views, see "Views" in this article.

Microsoft Project Central Architecture

Database Architecture

When you use Microsoft Project 2000, you can store your project data in a project file (.mpp) or a database. Microsoft Project Central stores its data in a database that is separate from the project data. You cannot store project data in its native format in the Microsoft Project Central database, or vice versa. 

When you send a workgroup message from Microsoft Project, such as a TeamAssign message, Microsoft Project sends data about the task assignment to the Microsoft Project Central Server. The server uses this data to populate the Microsoft Project Central database. When a resource logs on to Microsoft Project Central and tries to view his or her Timesheet, the server retrieves the data specific to that resource and displays it.

When resources send updates to project managers with their Timesheet information (for example, actual hours worked) in Microsoft Project Central, this information also gets stored in the Microsoft Project Central database. When the project manager logs onto Microsoft Project Central, the manager will see messages from the resources containing their Timesheet information. If the project manager chooses to update these messages, then data is transferred from the Microsoft Project Central database to the Microsoft Project file (or if the project is saved in a database, then it is transferred to the database), so that the project is updated with the appropriate data.

Views Architecture

To make your project data available through Microsoft Project Central portfolio views, you need to use the Update Project to Web Server within Microsoft Project 2000. 

On the Tools menu, point to Workgroup, and then click Update Project to Web Server.

Using this command sends high-level data about your project, such as project summary information, to the Microsoft Project Central Server, which stores this information in the Microsoft Project Central database. The Microsoft Project Central administrator may need to configure views in Microsoft Project Central to make sure the appropriate users can see the desired high-level information for your project. To learn how to do this, see "Setting Up Views in Microsoft Project Central" in this article. When these users log on to Microsoft Project Central and view their portfolio, they will see the high-level information for your project along with the other projects in their portfolios.

Detailed information about your project's tasks and resources does not get stored in the Microsoft Project Central database to be displayed in views. To make this information available through Microsoft Project Central views, you need to store your project in a network location or in a database that is accessible to the Microsoft Project Central Server. To learn how to make project information available to the server, see "Setting Up Views in Microsoft Project Central" in this article. After you have made this information accessible, when users with appropriate permissions click on your project in their portfolio views, the Microsoft Project Central Server retrieves your project data and displays it to the users in a view of their choice (the administrator controls the list of views available to a particular user).

See also

For more information on basic installation procedures and requirements, see "Installing Microsoft Project Central" in this article.

To learn how to set up views, see "Setting Up Views in Microsoft Project Central" in this article.

Customizing and Administering Microsoft Project Central

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The Microsoft Project Central administrator customizes and maintains a variety of features and options in Microsoft Project Central to ensure that it conforms to the organization's requirements and to make it easier for the project teams to use. The following topics provide information about these options and features, as well as information for troubleshooting.

Basic Administration

To administer and customize Microsoft Project Central, you must log on as Administrator. You can start by logging on using the Administrator account, which Microsoft Project Central creates by default. You can then add additional administrators by pointing to Admin on the menu bar of Microsoft Project Central, and clicking Users. Most administrative functions are explained in online Help for Microsoft Project Central. However, more detailed information is provided below for some administrative functions.

Set the server to single-user mode

To perform certain administrative tasks, such as deleting items from the Microsoft Project Central database, merging user accounts, and changing nonworking time categories, you must put the Microsoft Project Central Server in single-user mode. Single-user mode ensures that users cannot connect to the Microsoft Project Central database and change data while you are performing these administrative tasks, which could corrupt the database.

Before you put the server in single-user mode, you should make sure that no users are currently connected to the database. A simple way to do this is to send e-mail to all your users and warn them to stop using the server (either as a browser or browser module client or from Microsoft Project) at a specified time. Then, to be sure that no users are connected, you can run the database procedure sp_who. This procedure provides information about current Microsoft SQL Server users and processes. The result set returned from executing sp_who includes the following information:

Column

Data type

Description

spid

smallint

The system process ID

status

nchar(30)

The process status

loginame

nchar(128)

The logon name associated with the particular process

hostname

nchar(128)

The host or computer name for each process

blk

char(5)

The system process ID for the blocking process, if one exists. Otherwise, this column is zero.

dbname

nchar(128)

The database used by the process

cmd

nchar(16)

The SQL Server command (Transact-SQL statement, SQL Server internal engine process, and so on) executing for the process

Note   If you are using Oracle, you can view user connections and processes by viewing the sessions in the Oracle Instance Manager.

To see the current processes, type the command osql -S<server> -U<userID> -P<password> -Q"sp_who" at the MS-DOS prompt. If you have chosen the default Install Now option and installed MSDE on the Microsoft Project Central Server computer, then you can run this command from the MS-DOS prompt on the server. If you have chosen a custom installation, then you should run this command on the computer that hosts the Microsoft Project Central database. After running the command, you will see several system processes listed. These are normal system processes that should be disregarded. Check the dbname, loginame, and hostname fields in the result set for Microsoft Project Central connections. If only one Microsoft Project Central user is listed (your administrator session), you can set the server to single-user mode.

To put the server in single-user mode, point to the Admin on the menu bar, and then click Server Mode

Important   When you have finished your administrative tasks, reset the server to Normal mode so that users can reconnect and start using it again. Only the administrator who set the server to single-user mode will be able to reset it to normal mode. Other users or even other administrators will not be able to reset the server using the Microsoft Project Central Admin module; they will not even be able to log on to Microsoft Project Central (Note that you can reset the server to normal mode directly in the Microsoft Project database; information in a script to reset the server in the database will be added soon to the Microsoft Project Resource Kit. Check the Resource Kit periodically for updated information.Note   Relatively few administrative tasks require the server to be in single-user mode—deleting items from the database, merging user accounts, changing nonworking time categories, and changing authentication options. The user interface for these functions documents the fact that single-user mode is required and does not allow you to perform the tasks until you have set the server to single-user mode. 

Delete items from the database

You can delete items from the Microsoft Project Central database to free up space and remove data that is no longer needed. You need to set the server to single-user mode before you can delete information.

  1. Point to Admin on the menu bar, click Server Mode, click Single User, and then click Save Changes.

  2. Point to Admin on the menu bar, and then click Delete from Database.

  3. Select the items you want to delete from the database.

  4. Near the bottom of the page, specify which users you want to delete the items for, and then click Delete at the top of the page.

  5. After you have deleted all the items, reset the server to Normal mode. Point to Admin on the menu bar, click Server Mode, click Normal, and then click Save Changes.

Caution   Items removed from the database are permanently deleted from the database. However, they are not removed from the project files that are the original source of the data.

Merge user accounts

When project managers set up their resources in Microsoft Project and send them workgroup messages, Microsoft Project Central uses either the resource names or, if specified, the Microsoft Windows user accounts for the resources to create their Microsoft Project Central accounts.

If project managers do not use the same names for the resources in their projects, then a single resource could have multiple Microsoft Project Central accounts. For example, one project manager may call a resource Jane while another project manager could call her JaneD or specify her Windows user account, so this resource would have multiple Microsoft Project Central accounts. 

You can consolidate or merge multiple accounts so that the user does not have to log on to Microsoft Project Central under several different names to receive all information. To merge accounts, point to Admin on the menu bar, click Users, and then click Merge User Accounts. However, you should only merge accounts that actually refer to the same person—you should not try to merge accounts for different people.

Notes You cannot merge user accounts if they share common data. For example, if two users have been assigned the same task or if a manager has requested the same status report from two users, then you cannot merge their user accounts. This kind of data sharing should be infrequent if the two accounts actually refer to the same person, because it's unlikely that the same task should be assigned to, or the same status report be requested from, two resources who are actually the same person. If there is a data conflict for two user accounts that you need to merge, the only way you can resolve this is by deleting the shared items from the Microsoft Project Central database. Having managers delete the shared tasks from their Microsoft project files or delete the status report requests will not work in this case; you will actually have to delete the shared items from the database by pointing to Admin on the menu bar, clicking Delete From Database, and then following the instructions on the page.Before merging user accounts, you should make sure that project managers first make the required changes in their project files and resend their workgroup messages as necessary. For example, if you need to merge Jane into JaneD, you should first make sure that all project managers who use Jane in their projects change this resource name to JaneD in their project files and resend their workgroup messages, if necessary. Only after this change has been made in all the active project files should you merge the two user accounts.

Ideally, all project managers in an organization should name resources in their projects using the same convention—either a full name or an e-mail alias, for example—to avoid creating multiple Microsoft Project Central accounts for the same person.

See Also

For more information on basic installation procedures and requirements, see "Installing Microsoft Project Central" in this article.

To learn more about setting up authentication and security options, see "Security and Authentication for Microsoft Project Central" in this article.

To learn more about setting up views, see "Setting Up Views in Microsoft Project Central" in this article.

Administering the Microsoft Project Central Database

To protect the data in your Microsoft Project Central database, it should be managed in the same way as any other application database. This includes backing up your data regularly, monitoring the state of the database, monitoring the activity on the database server, and keeping the data in the database organized for performance. If Microsoft Project Central was installed using SQL Server or Oracle, tools to administer the database are probably available. The default Microsoft Project Central installation process installs MSDE, however, which does not come with administration tools. The Microsoft Project Resource Kit Toolbox includes SQL scripts to perform the basic database administration tasks.

To install the scripts, run the file DbScript.exe in the Microsoft Project Resource Kit Toolbox. The scripts are extracted into a folder <Program Files>\PRKTools\ProjectCentralAdmin. The SQL scripts are designed to be run from BAT files. To adapt the scripts for your environment, open and modify the SQL scripts and BAT files to specify the correct parameters, which are included in the comments within each script and file. Once modified, the SQL scripts and BAT files should not require further modification.

Notes The BAT files call the OSQL program that is supplied with both MSDE and SQL Server. You can execute the commands contained within the BAT files directly from the command line.The SQL scripts work for both MSDE and SQL Server; however, they do not work for Oracle. Corollary scripts must be created for Oracle.All of the BAT files are designed to run on the database server computer. They do not work if they are run on another computer.

Use the scripts provided to perform the following administrative tasks:

  • Create a backup device for the Microsoft Project Central database   A backup device must be created before the database can be backed up. You only need to create a backup device once.

  • Back up the Microsoft Project Central database   After a backup device has been created, the database should be backed up regularly. The frequency of your backups depends on the amount of database update activity. You should make backups more often if there is a great deal of database activity. It is highly recommended that the backup file be located on a disk drive other than the drive where the database is located. Copy the backup file to a secure location after each backup is completed. Backups can be performed while the database is being used although it is recommended that the backup job be scheduled for off-hours to minimize the effects on computer resources.

  • Restore the Microsoft Project Central database  If you encounter a problem in the database, you can restore it from the database backup file.

  • Back up and restore the master database   The master database contains information about the Microsoft Project Central database as well as all users, the backup devices, and other system information. The master database should be backed up periodically. Because the master database is not updated as often as the Microsoft Project Central database, you can back it up less often. Schedule backups for the times just before and after any major changes to the database server, such as creating a new database or adding new users. The scripts in the Toolbox include scripts for creating a backup device for the master database backup, backing up the master database, and restoring the master database.

  • Check database page allocation   Run this script periodically to check for and repair any problems in the database files.

  • Check server activity Run this script periodically to see 1) who is logged onto the server and may be blocked by another user, 2) how much space is used for data files, and 3) how much space is used for log files.

  • Stop a blocking process   If the resulting data provided by the script that checks server activity indicates that one SQL Server process (SPID) is being blocked by another process, the blocking process can be stopped ("killed"). A blocking process may cause a chain of blocked processes. If the process at the head of the chain is stopped, the rest of the processes should be unblocked. **Caution **  When executing this script, be careful to determine that the problem is persisting (blockages may occur for short periods and take care of themselves) and that you kill the correct SPID to avoid having to kill more processes than necessary to alleviate the problem.

  • Reorganize the database  After significant database update activity, the data in the database can become disorganized, resulting in performance problems. Running this script periodically keeps the data organized for better performance. It is highly recommended that this script be run during off-hours to minimize the effects on computer resources.

  • Shrink the database files  The database files will grow over time. They should occasionally be shrunk to conserve space.

  • **Set Microsoft Project Central to Normal mode  ** If a Microsoft Project Central administrator places Microsoft Project Central in Single-user mode and forgets to reset it back to Normal mode, use the provided script to reset Microsoft Project Central to Normal mode.

Note    Setting Microsoft Project Central to single-user mode is not the same as setting the database server to single-user mode. When Microsoft Project Central is set to Single-user mode, multiple users can still access other databases on the database server using other applications.

The SQL scripts and BAT files are listed below by function:

Function

BAT file

SQL script

Create the Microsoft Project Central database backup device

crtdbdv.bat

crtdbdv.sql

Back up the Microsoft Project Central database

bkpdb.bat

bkpdb.sql

Restore the Microsoft Project Central database

rstrdb.bat

rstrdb.sql

Create the master database backup device

crtmstrdb.bat

crtmstrdb.sql

Backup the master database

bkpmstr.bat

bkpmstr.sql

Restore the master database

rstrmstr1.bat
rstrmstr2.bat

rstrmstr.sql

Check database page allocation

checkdb.bat

checkdb.sql

Check server activity

checksvr.bat

checksvr.bat

Stop (kill) a blocking process

killspid.bat

- no SQL script -

Reorganize the database

reorgdb.bat

reorgdb.sql

Shrink the database files

shrinkdb.bat

shrinkdb.sql

Set Microsoft Project Central to Normal mode

snglusroff.bat

snglusroff.sql

Security and Authentication for Microsoft Project Central

Specifying authentication options

The Microsoft Project Central Server can authenticate users with Microsoft Windows NT Authentication using a Windows user account, Microsoft Project Central authentication using a logon ID and password, or both.

As an administrator, you can choose one of these three authentication options:

  • **Mixed **  Mixed authentication allows both Windows NT Authentication and Microsoft Project Central authentication. However, a single authentication method must be specified for each user account. Some users can be authenticated using Windows NT Authentication while others are authenticated with Microsoft Project Central authentication. Project managers can also choose which authentication option they want for their own accounts.

    Project managers can use a new Windows User Account field in Microsoft Project 2000 to specify the Windows user accounts for their resources. If a Windows user account is specified for a resource, when a workgroup message is sent to that resource, the Windows user account is used to create the resource's account on Microsoft Project Central, and the resource is authenticated with Windows NT Authentication. If no Windows user account is specified, then by default, the resource name is used to create an account on Microsoft Project Central, and the resource is authenticated with Microsoft Project Central authentication.

    If a user's authentication method is Windows NT Authentication, then when the user goes to the Microsoft Project Central site, he or she is authenticated automatically and taken to the Microsoft Project Central Home page. If a user's authentication method is Microsoft Project Central authentication, then the user will see a logon page when connecting to the Microsoft Project Central site and will have to type or select a user name and password.

Note If a project manager sends workgroup messages to his or her resources without specifying their Windows user accounts, then by default the resources will get accounts based on their resource names, with blank passwords. They can change their passwords when they log on to Microsoft Project Central.

  • Windows NT Authentication only   With this authentication option, which provides the highest level of security, all user accounts created on the Microsoft Project Central server must have Windows user accounts specified. Project managers will get errors if they try to create Microsoft Project Central accounts without specifying Windows user accounts

    Project managers use the Windows User Account field in Microsoft Project to specify the Windows user accounts for their resources. With the Windows NT Authentication only option, all project managers must specify a Windows user account for all their resources before sending workgroup messages.

  • Microsoft Project Central authentication only   With this authentication option, all users are authenticated with Microsoft Project Central authentication. Windows user accounts, if specified, are ignored.

    By default, resources' accounts are based on their resource names with blank passwords. They can change their passwords when they log on to Microsoft Project Central.

Note You must be in single-user mode to change authentication types. Changing the authentication method to Windows NT Authentication only inactivates all user accounts that use Microsoft Project Central authentication and vice versa. If you change authentication types again, the original accounts will be not be reactivated automatically.

Enabling the Log on using your Microsoft Windows user account option on the Logon page

By default, when Microsoft Project Central attempts to authenticate a user with Windows NT Authentication, it assumes that the user is using a computer where they have already logged on to the network using a Windows user account. However, this may not always be the case. For example, a user may want to check Microsoft Project Central information using someone else's computer or using a common computer that is shared by several people and where the user has not already logged on with a Windows user account. 

In this case, when the user goes to a Microsoft Project Central site, the Logon page opens instead of the Home page. The user must then click Log on using your Microsoft Windows user account on the left side of the page. After entering his or her Windows user account information, the user is authenticated using Windows NT authentication and is then taken to the Home page. However, to allow users to use the Log on using your Microsoft Windows user account link on the Logon page, the administrator must give users "log on locally" rights on the Microsoft Project Central Server by using Windows NT administration tools on the server computer. 

To provide these rights on servers running the Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0 operating systems, you can add users to the Guests group on the Microsoft Project Central Server computer, which by default has "log on locally" rights. In Windows 2000, right-click My Computer on the desktop, and then click Manage. Under Local Users and Groups, select Groups, and then double-click Guest in the right pane. You can then add the users you want as Guests. You can also add entire departments or groups of users if they have been set up in your domain. 

Notes   Secured Sockets Layer (SSL) cannot be used with Microsoft Project Central Server.Using the Administration module of Microsoft Project Central, you can add links to or content from external web pages to the Microsoft Project Central Home page. You should make sure that the sites you link to or add content from are secure, trusted sites and do not contain malicious code that could affect your users.

See also

To learn more about using setting up authentication options when creating and managing views, see "Setting Up Views in Microsoft Project Central" in this article.

To learn more about setting up views, see "Setting Up Views in Microsoft Project Central" in this article.

How Microsoft Project Central Uses Cookies to Maintain Settings

Microsoft Project Central uses cookies to save the state of specific pages and other user settings so that these settings are restored when users return to a page or when they log on again.

The following settings persist in this way:

  • The state (collapsed or expanded) of the Actions pane (the navigation pane on the left in the Microsoft Project Central user interface)

  • The state (collapsed or expanded) of particular items within the Actions pane

  • The width of the Actions pane

  • The state of the Help pane

  • Settings on the Timesheet page, including all the settings on the View Options, Filter and Grouping, and Delegation tabs

  • The position of the divider on the Timesheet grid

  • The timescale range on the Timesheet

Note   You must have support for cookies enabled in your browser for Microsoft Project Central to work. You must also have support for ActiveX controls enabled.

Deploying Multilanguage and Localized Versions of Microsoft Project Central

You can deploy and maintain a single version of Microsoft Project Central throughout your multinational organization by using Microsoft Project Central Language Packs. For example, you can install an English version of Microsoft Project Central, while supporting German or Japanese users entering and viewing task information in their native languages. 

Microsoft Project Central Language Packs for the following languages are currently available from the Microsoft Project Resource Kit Toolbox:

  • LPK1: German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Korean

  • LPK2: Swedish, Danish, Brazilian Portuguese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Hebrew

  • LPK3: Dutch, Czech, Polish, Finnish, and Norwegian

Note that the Language Packs are available for both Microsoft Project Central and Microsoft Project Central Service Release 1 (SR-1). You must use the Language Packs for the version of Microsoft Project Central that you have installed. Microsoft Project Central SR-1 is available from the Office Update Web site.

The Microsoft Project Central Language Packs are installed on the Microsoft Project Central Server only. They include files for displaying the Microsoft Project Central user interface and online Help. For administrators, this functionality means that you can deploy a single version of Microsoft Project Central to all users, regardless of their language-speaking area. Then you can customize the installation to include local language capabilities or allow users to select their own language settings.

If you want to see the Microsoft Project Central user interface, for example, in a Korean, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, or Hebrew, and the language pack for that language is installed on the server, you may be prompted by Internet Explorer to download language support files for that the particular language. Other languages, such as Western European languages, do not require you to download language support files.

The Microsoft Project Central Server detects a user's Internet Explorer language setting (as specified by clicking the Languages button on the General tab of the Internet Options dialog box). If the Language Pack for that language is installed on the Microsoft Project Central Server, then it will display the Microsoft Project Central interface using that language.

If you want to input text into most areas of Microsoft Project Central, including status reports, the Timesheet, messages, and so forth, in Asian languages or Hebrew, you can use an Input Method Editor.

Notes   To install another language version of Microsoft Project Central, do not use the Microsoft Project Central Setup program. If you attempt to run the installation program twice, you will not be able to install a second copy of Microsoft Project Central. Use the Microsoft Project Central Language Packs to install different language versions of Microsoft Project Central. The Language Packs can be downloaded from the Microsoft Project Resource Kit Toolbox.You cannot use the Microsoft Office Language Settings program to change the language setting for Microsoft Project Central. The Microsoft Office Language Settings program is only used to change the language setting for Microsoft Project and Office 2000 applications. If you install a localized version of Microsoft Project 2000, the default language setting for Microsoft Project Central will be in the same language. All localized versions of Microsoft Project Central will contain an English version as well, in case you want to switch the language settings to English.If you have installed Microsoft Project Central SR-1, you must use the SR-1 versions of the Language Packs. You cannot use the SR-1 versions with the original version of Microsoft Project Central.

Troubleshooting Microsoft Project Central

The following issues may arise with Microsoft Project Central. 

Note   When you send a workgroup message from Microsoft Project, the Microsoft Project Central spooler (which is a supporting application for Microsoft Project and Microsoft Project Central) begins running, and its icon appears in the Microsoft Windows status bar. If an error occurs while sending workgroup messages, a red exclamation mark appears next to the icon. Double-click the icon to open the Microsoft Project Central spooler. When errors occur, the Microsoft Project Central spooler displays a description of each failed message and its error. The description includes the type of error that occurred, the resource the message was being sent to, the project file the message was sent from, and the server associated with the workgroup message. 

  • Material resources cannot be displayed   Microsoft Project Central does not store information about material resources or material resource assignments. Material resources cannot be displayed in Microsoft Project Central views.

  • Uninstalling Microsoft Project Central   If you uninstall Microsoft Project Central Server, the virtual directory is not automatically deleted. If you want to reinstall using the same virtual directory, you will need to either delete the existing virtual directory using Microsoft Internet Service Manager before reinstalling, or reinstall using a different virtual directory. If you are using MSDE and want to clean up the database and start from scratch, then you will need uninstall MSDE separately. See "Installing Microsoft Project Central" in this article for more information on basic installation procedures and requirements.

  • Zooming group status reports won't work   The zoom feature allows a manager to zoom out a group status report so that it displays as plain HTML, which the manager can then save or edit using an HTML editor. However, this feature does not work if you are using Microsoft Visual Interdev 6.0 with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 with Service Pack 1, which does not include the "frame spoof" security fix. For this feature to work, users can install Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 with Service Pack 2 or later, which includes the "frame spoof" fix. The "frame spoof" fix can be installed from the Microsoft Update Web site.

  • Using Microsoft Project Central over the Internet   If you want to access Microsoft Project Central over the Internet, you need to change specific security settings within Microsoft Internet Explorer.

If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer 5:

  1. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Security tab.

  2. Select the Internet icon, and then click Custom Level. 

  3. In the Security Settings dialog box, under Access data sources across domains, select the Enable or Prompt option.

If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01:

  1. On the View menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Security tab.

  2. Select Internet zone in the Zone box, select the Custom option, and then click Settings.

  3. In the Security Settings dialog box, under Navigate sub-frames across different domains, select the Enable or Prompt option.

You can also select the Trusted Sites icon in the Security tab of the Internet Options dialog box for Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0, and then add the Microsoft Project Central site to the list of trusted sites. Select the Trusted Sites icon, click Sites, and then add the Site in the Trusted Sites dialog box. Clear the Require server verification for all sites in this zone check box. If you are using Microsoft Internet 4.01, select Trusted Internet zone in the zone box of the Security tab, click Add Sites, and then add the Web site in the Trusted Sites Zone dialog box. Clear the Require server verification for all sites in this zone check box.

In addition, you need to make the following changes to the Microsoft Project Central virtual directory:

  1. Using the Internet Service Manager, expand the Default Web Site folder (which is the default server root) right-click the Microsoft Project Central virtual directory, and then click Properties.

  2. Click the Directory Security tab, and then under Anonymous Access and Authentication Control, click Edit.

  3. Select the Anonymous Access check box, and then click Edit for Account used for Anonymous Access.

  4. Make sure the user name is IUSR_[machine name]. However, if you want to use Microsoft Project Central views to access data in project files stored on a network share, then you need to set the account used for anonymous access to a domain account that has access to that network share.

  5. If you are using Microsoft Internet Information Server 5.0, make sure that the Allow IIS To Control Password check box is selected. (If you are using Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0, this check box is labeled Enable Automatic Password Synchronization.)

If you are prompted to change settings for certain files so they inherit the settings you've made above, select only pjdbcomm.dll, and then click OK.

Microsoft Project Central views can be seen across the Internet. However, projects can only be updated from within the intranet. These projects must be saved on a UNC server or database within the intranet that the server has access to.

If your organization has an extranet that allows external users access to some or all parts of your network, Microsoft Project Central will work in this environment. 

If you want to use the Internet or extranet, it is best to select Microsoft Project Central Authentication when setting up your authentication method. However, you can use Windows NT Authentication provided Windows user accounts are first created locally on the server in the form server name\user name. Then, when users log on, they would select the Log on using your Microsoft Windows user account link from the Logon page. They would then get the basic authentication dialog box where they enter their authentication credentials in the form server name\user name.

Warning If users log on by selecting the "Log on using your Microsoft Windows user account" link, their Microsoft Windows user accounts are passed using basic authentication, which does not use strong encryption.

A project manager cannot use a Windows user account while communicating with a Microsoft Project Central Server over the Internet. Using Windows user accounts from within Microsoft Project requires that the project manager's current network logon belong to the domain that the Microsoft Project Central Server is a part of so that the account can be recognized and validated by the Microsoft Project Central Server.

Installing another language version   To install another language version of Microsoft Project Central, do not use the Microsoft Project Central Setup program. If you attempt to run the Setup program twice, you will not be able to install a second copy of Microsoft Project Central. Use the Microsoft Project Central Language Packs to install different language versions of Microsoft Project Central. The Microsoft Project Central Language Packs are available from the Microsoft Project Resource Kit Toolbox.

Using Secured Sockets Layer   Secured Sockets Layer (SSL) cannot be used with Microsoft Project Central Server.

Domain password no longer works   When setting up Microsoft Project Central views to display information from shared files on a network, you need to set the account Internet Information Server uses for anonymous access to a domain account. If this account has an expiring password, make sure that you change the password manually in the Internet Services Manager every time your domain password changes. Otherwise, Microsoft Project Central views may not work.

Getting Invalid Object Name errors   After logging on to a Microsoft Project Central site, you can encounter Microsoft OLE DB provider errors referencing an invalid object name if the Microsoft Project Central database has not been set up properly. To avoid these errors, be sure you read "Installing Microsoft Project Central" in this article before installing.

Even if the Microsoft Project Central database has been created correctly, you may not have run specific script files against the databases to create tables in the database and to insert default records (required if you are doing a custom installation; if you do a typical installation, Setup will automatically do this for you). See "Installing Microsoft Project Central" in this article for more information on running these script files.

Views not working correctly  There are a few reasons why views are not functioning correctly:

The IIS settings may not be correct. You must set anonymous access correctly for the Microsoft Project Central virtual directory in order for Microsoft Project Central views to display information from project files. To learn more about setting up views, see "Setting Up Views in Microsoft Project Central" in this article.

For views to work correctly, the projects they are accessing must be copied to a network share that the Microsoft Project Central Server has access to, or they must be saved to a database that the Microsoft Project Central Server knows about. For projects saved to a network share, the project manager must use a UNC path, for example \\servername\sharename, and not a drive letter. For projects saved to a database, the Microsoft Project Central administrator needs to create the corresponding DSN on the Microsoft Project Server and specify the DSN and password in the Data Sources for Views page in Microsoft Project Central. For more information, see "Views" in this article.

In addition, the project manager needs to update the Microsoft Project Central Server with information about his or her project by opening it in Microsoft Project, clicking the Tools menu, pointing to Workgroup, and then clicking Update Project to Web Server for projects saved to a network share.

 The account used by IIS for anonymous must have access to the network share. If this account is a domain account with an expiring password, make sure you change the password manually in ISM every time the password changes.

Some project names appear multiple times in the Portfolio view and Timesheet. If different project managers are using the same project file to send workgroup messages or do an Update to the Web Server, then you will see multiple instances of the project name in resources' timesheets and the Portfolio view for each project manager. The only way to avoid this is to have project managers use Microsoft Project Central Server authentication. Then, in Microsoft Project 2000, they should set a standard name (on the General tab of the Options dialog box, Tools menu).

Workgroup messages can't be sent  There may be a number of reason why workgroup messages can be sent from Microsoft Project to Microsoft Project Central server. Try one of the following solutions:

  • First, check the Microsoft Project Central spooler for error messages. The description includes the type of error that occurred, the resource the message was being sent to, the project file the message was sent from, and the server associated with the workgroup message.

  • Security permissions for some files may not be set correctly. The file Pjdbcomm.dll in the ISAPI directory under Microsoft Project Central must have IIS security permissions set to allow anonymous access. To learn more about these security settings, see "Setting Up Views in Microsoft Project Central" in this article.

  • Incorrect RDS settings in Windows 2000

Runtime errors on Microsoft Project Central pages

Remote Data Services applications may be disabled on the server. You can change this setting in Internet Services Manager. Right-click on the MSADC virtual directory to show its properties.

Views

 Cc766842.spacer(en-us,TechNet.10).gif Cc766842.spacer(en-us,TechNet.10).gif

Views allow team members to see only certain areas of projects, based on fields and filters. The following are types of project information team members can view:

  • A collection of projects (called a portfolio) within Microsoft Project Central. Project team members can view detailed information about the projects in their portfolios.

  • Assignment information contained within Microsoft Project Central for other peoples' assignments that the team member has permission to see.

Views allow team members to see more than just the tasks they are working on and allow managers to communicate critical information about their projects throughout the organization.

The Microsoft Project Central administrator designates the views that workgroup members can use to see project information and defines exactly what information users can see. The project manager may need to coordinate with the system administrator to be sure all users can view the information they need.

The following topics describe setting up and customizing views in Microsoft Project Central.

Setting Up Views in Microsoft Project Central

After you have installed Microsoft Project Central Server, users can start using most features without further configuration. However, to display Microsoft Project Central views, which are accessed from the Views menu, you may need to set user permissions, and specify the categories of users who can see those views.

About views

Views allow project team members to see more than just the tasks they are working on. They allow managers to communicate critical information about their projects throughout the organization by using fields and filters. They allow team members to see information about a collection of projects, the details of an individual project, or look at assignments made through Microsoft Project Central. Views also make it possible for executives to see high-level information.

Microsoft Project Central can display views of three kinds of information:

  • A portfolio of projects   Users choose View Your Portfolio from the View menu to see the portfolio of projects that they have access to. A project portfolio view displays high-level summary information about the projects in Microsoft Project Central. The administrator specifies the projects in each user's portfolio. A user can see only those projects that the administrator has given him or her access to.

    Project managers can publish information about their projects to the Microsoft Project Central Server by clicking the Tools menu within Microsoft Project, pointing to Workgroup, and then clicking Update Project to Web Server. Updated information about the project summary task will be sent to the Microsoft Project Central Server database, so that it becomes visible through a project portfolio view. Information about the individual tasks and resources in a project is not stored in the Microsoft Project Central Server database and is not visible through a portfolio view; this information remains in the project file or in the project database and can be accessed through a project view as described below.

  • An individual project   Users see more detailed information about a specific project when they click a project name from a project portfolio view. Because this information resides in the file or database where the project is stored, the Microsoft Project Central Server must have access to this file or database in order to display the project view.

  • Assignments   Users see assignments when they choose View Assignments from the Views menu. An assignment view displays information about the assignments made through Microsoft Project Central. By default, a user can only see his or her own assignments; however, as an administrator you can specify additional resources' assignments that a particular user can see. For example, you can specify that the team managers can see the assignments of all team members reporting to them.

Creating a view

Views allow your team members to see only selected project information, based on fields and filters. Microsoft Project Central includes predefined views that allow you to see different aspects of project information. You can also create and define your own views to see a portfolio of projects, to view details about an individual project, or to look at Microsoft Project Central assignment information. You can perform the following procedure only if you are logged on as administrator.

  1. On the menu bar, point to Admin, and then click Manage Views.

  2. In the Actions pane on the left, click Specify Views.

  3. Click New View above the table of views, and then follow the instructions to define the type of view. You can also modify the predefined views supplied with Microsoft Project Central.

You can also add ASP pages (active server pages), data access pages, and HTML files to specific folders on the Microsoft Project Central Server to make them available to Microsoft Project Central as additional views. On the server, add these files to the appropriate folders: \views\portfolio\, \views\project\, or \views\assignment\ where \views is a subdirectory under the ProjCentral virtual directory. To make these files available when setting up views and permissions, add these files to the table of views by clicking Get Additional Views on the Specify Views page. To make these new views available to users, select the view in the Specify Views page, click Modify View, and then scroll down the page to specify a category or categories of users who can see the view.

To learn how to create views using data access pages, see "Creating Additional Views in Microsoft Project Central" in this article.

Note HTML files should be added to the \views\portfolio\ folder.

Specifying categories to allow users to see specific views

To specify which views a team member can see, you assign the views to a category. A category is a mapping of users to projects and views where they can see project information. There are four predefined categories: Team Member, Project Manager, Resource Manager, and Executive. By default, all users defined as resources in Microsoft Project Central belong to the Team Member category, and users defined as project managers belong to the Project Manager category. By default, users in these categories can see high-level information in a portfolio view for all projects they are working on. The Project Manager and Team Member categories cannot be deleted. The Resource Manager and Executive categories do not contain any users by default. You can add users to these categories manually either in the Specify Categories page or in the User Permissions for Views page.

Before you specify categories, you must set permissions to control which assignments users in a specific category can see. Until you set permissions, users can see only their own assignment data in Microsoft Project Central assignment views.

To set permissions 

  1. On the menu bar, point to Admin, and then click Manage Views.

  2. In the Actions pane on the left, click User Permissions for Views.

  3. Select the team member whose permissions you want to set, and then click Modify Permissions.

  4. Follow the instructions on the page to specify the category or categories that the team member belongs to, and to specify the other team members whose task information this user is allowed to see.

To specify categories 

  1. On the menu bar, point to Admin on the menu bar, and then click Manage Views.

  2. In the Actions pane on the left, click Specify Categories.

  3. Select a category in the table, and then click Modify Category.

  4. Follow the instructions to assign users, views, and projects to the category.

Note   You can also create new categories by clicking New Category, and then assigning users to the category and specifying the types of views that users in this category can use.

Examples
  • Examples of working with categories:

    The resource managers in your company want to view resource assignments across projects. Assign them to the Resource Manager category in the Specify Categories page, and then specify which resources' assignments they can see in the User Permissions for Views page.

    Users who are in the Team Member and Project Manager categories can by default see only those projects they are working on. If there are some high visibility projects that you want all project managers to see, then you can add these specific projects to the Project Manager category.

    Your company has contracted with some external vendors who need to view certain project information. Create a new category for these vendors, allow them to see only certain projects, and specify the views with which they can see the information in these projects. You may want to make sure that these views do not expose sensitive information like costs.

  • Examples of working with views and portfolios:

    In your company there may be a special view that executives will want to use to see top level information across all projects. Create a new portfolio view to display this information and add it to the Executive category.

    Microsoft Project includes the predefined project view, Tasks Summary, but you want it to show cost information. Modify this view to include cost fields, such as Actual Cost or Baseline Cost.

  • Examples of setting up permissions:

    Sarah joins your company as a new resource manager. You want to assign her to the Resource Manager category and allow her to view resource assignments for all resources whom she supervises. You can do this is in the User Permissions for Views page.

    Bob gets promoted to an executive level, but he currently belongs to the Project Manager category. Modify his permissions in the Users Permissions for Views page and add him to the Executive category as well.

Configuring the Microsoft Project Central Server to display project information

Using project views, the Microsoft Project Central server can display information from projects stored in a shared file or in a database; however, the following conditions must apply:

For projects stored in files

The project file must be stored on a network share. While saving the project to a network share, the project manager must use a UNC path, for example \\servername\sharename, and not a drive letter. The project manager must then update the Microsoft Project Central Server by clicking the Tools menu within Microsoft Project, pointing to Workgroup, and then clicking Update Project to Web Server. The Microsoft Project Central Server must be able to access the project file on the network share. 

To make project files available to Microsoft Project Central you must first set the Anonymous account for Internet Information Server to be a domain account that has access to the network share, using the following procedure:

  1. Using the Internet Service Manager, right-click the Default Web Site folder, which is the default server root, and then click Properties.

  2. Click the Directory Security tab, and then under Anonymous Access and Authentication Control, click Edit.

  3. Select the Anonymous Access check box, and then click Edit for Account used for Anonymous Access.

  4. Specify a password and domain account in the form domain\username.

If you are using Microsoft Internet Information Server 5.0, make sure that the Allow IIS To Control Password check box is not selected. (If you are using Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0, this check box is labeled Enable Automatic Password Synchronization.) 

NotesIf you specify an account with an expiring password, make sure you change the password manually every time your domain password changes. The domain account you specify above should have access to the network share where the project file is stored.

In addition to the Default Web Site, you must set anonymous access for the Microsoft Project Central virtual directory, using the following procedure:

  1. In the Default Web Site folder, right-click ProjectCentral, and then click Properties.

  2. Click the Directory Security tab, and then click Edit for Anonymous Access and Authentication Control.

  3. Select the Anonymous Access check box.

    The account used for Anonymous Access should automatically inherit from the domain account specified above when you set the anonymous account for the Internet Information Server.

When you change the ProjectCentral virtual directory to allow anonymous access, you may get a dialog box asking if you want to override the security permissions for the files Isapi\Pjdbcomm.dll and Logon\Basicauth.asp. Do not select any of these files in the dialog box, and then click OK.

Finally, after you have changed the ProjectCentral virtual directory to allow anonymous access, you need to change the security permissions on the Default.asp file for Windows NT Authentication to work.

  1. Click ProjectCentral (the virtual directory).

  2. In the right pane, right-click Default.asp, and then click Properties.

  3. Click the File Security tab, and then click Edit for Anonymous Access and Authentication Control.

  4. Clear the Anonymous Access check box, and then click OK.

For projects stored in a database

If your organization's projects are stored in a SQL Server, Microsoft Access, MSDE, or Oracle database, you can allow users to look at information through Microsoft Project Central views without allowing access to the database itself.

  1. Ensure that project managers store their projects to the database in a standard way. They should all use either the same system data source name (DSN) with the same database logon ID and password, or they should use different DSN names.

  2. After storing their projects in the database, project managers need to update the Microsoft Project Central server by clicking the Tools menu in Microsoft Project, pointing to Workgroup, and then clicking Update Project to Web Server.

  3. Log on to Microsoft Project Central as an administrator.

  4. On the menu bar, point to Admin, click Manage Views, and then click Data Sources for Views in the Actions pane on the left. The Data Sources for Views page lists all the DSNs that project managers use to store their projects.

  5. For each DSN, specify a user ID and password: Select the DSN, and then click Modify Data Source. Below the table, type a user ID and password. This user ID should have access to the projects stored in the database using that DSN name.

  6. For each DSN that is used to store projects, you must create the same-named DSN on the Microsoft Project Central server, pointing to the same database using the appropriate user ID and password. You can create DSNs using the ODBC Data Sources Administrator program in Control Panel on the server.

Example of configuring a database DSN

Your company stores all projects in a central database. You need to make sure that all the DSNs that project managers are using to save to this database also exist on Microsoft Project Central Server. On the Data Sources for Views page, you must specify a user ID and password for each DSN. This user ID must have access to the projects saved using the DSN. This allows users to use Microsoft Project Central views to see the information you have given them access to even though they may not have direct access to the database.

NotesIf you are concerned about security, you should perform steps 4 and 5 on the server machine itself to ensure that the user IDs and passwords are not transmitted unencrypted over a network connection. Because the passwords you specify for the DSNs in step 6 above are stored unencrypted in the Microsoft Project Central database, you may want to restrict access to this database. By default, users of Microsoft Project Central do not have access to this database unless you give them the user ID and password you used while setting up the Microsoft Project Central database (while installing Microsoft Project Central). If your organization stores projects in both files and in databases, the Microsoft Project Central server can display project views for projects stored in both locations as long as all of the steps to allow access to projects stored in a database as well as projects stored in files have been followed.

Using a single DSN and database user ID to see projects belonging to different table owners

For project views to display information from projects stored in a database, all project managers must save their projects to the database in a consistent manner. There are three ways to do this.

  • They can all use the same DSN name, and the same database user ID and password. An administrator will need to create this DSN on the Microsoft Project Central server, pointing to the same database and with the same DSN name. From the Data Sources for Views page in Microsoft Project Central, the administrator will need to specify the database User ID and password for this DSN.

  • Alternately, each project manager can use a uniquely named DSN, possibly with a unique database user ID and password, or with the same database user ID. In this case, the administrator will have to create each unique DSN on the Microsoft Project Central Server, and specify the database user ID and password for each DSN in the Data Sources for Views page.

  • However, there is a third possibility if an organization wants all project managers to use unique database user IDs so that their projects are stored in different sets of database tables, but the organization wants all project managers to use the same DSN names. For this situation to work, a database administrator will need to do additional configuration on the database:

    1. Create a new database user ID and password.

    2. To see all projects in tables belonging to different table owners, a view must be created for each project table (for example, MSP_PROJECTS or MSP_TASKS) which performs a UNION ALL of all owners' instances of the table. To allow Microsoft Project to differentiate between projects in different table owners' tables that have identical project IDs, the project IDs across all owners' tables must be unique. In the following example, the value of the column PROJ_ID in user2's table MSP_TEXT_FIELDS is incremented by 1000. By incrementing the value of PROJ_ID in all of user2's tables, Microsoft Project will see the projects in user2's tables as different projects. Project information retrieved through these views cannot be updated.

    create view MSP_TEXT_FIELDS as select PROJ_ID, TEXT_CATEGORY, TEXT_REF_UID, TEXT_FIELD_ID, TEXT_VALUE from user1.MSP_TEXT_FIELDS union all select PROJ_ID + 1000, TEXT_CATEGORY, EXT_REF_UID, TEXT_FIELD_ID, TEXT_VALUE from user2.MSP_TEXT_FIELDS

    If a third owner's tables were added to the view, the project IDs in his or her tables could be incremented by 2000. Project IDs in all 21 tables belonging to each table owner must be made unique in the same way.
    
    **Toolbox**   A sample script that does the process above is available in the [Microsoft Project Resource Kit Toolbox](https://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/project/project2000/reskit/toolbox/projtool.mspx). Check the Toolbox for more information.
    
    1. Give the database user ID created in Step 1 access to all the views created in Step 2.

The Microsoft Project Central administrator must now create a DSN with the same name on the Microsoft Project Central Server that project managers are using to save their projects. Then in the Data Sources for Views page, the administrator should specify the database user ID and password created in Step 1 above for this DSN to allow Microsoft Project Central to access projects belonging to different table owners in the database using a single DSN and a single database user ID.

Creating Additional Views in Microsoft Project Central

Creating a view by using data access pages

You can use data access pages as additional views to use within Microsoft Project Central. You will need Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 or later and Microsoft Access 2000. On the server, add these files to the \datapage folder under \views\project\ where \views is a subdirectory under the ProjCentral virtual directory. For more information on creating data access page reports using data from Microsoft Project, see the file OLE_DB.htm on the Microsoft Project CD in the folder \Pfiles\Msoffice\Office\1033\. (This folder, 1033, contains the files for the English version. Files for other languages are contained in the folder that corresponds to the locale ID [LCID] for that language.)

To make data access pages available for viewing in Microsoft Project Central, you must change the HTML page to include specific lines of HTML code, as described in the following procedure.

Note   To use views based upon data access pages for projects stored in a database, you need to use the password for the DSN that the project manager used to save the project. Users will be prompted for the password when they attempt to view the data page. The password is not strongly encrypted; therefore, if there are security concerns within your organization, you should not use data access pages against projects stored in a database.

  1. In Microsoft Access 2000, open the data access page you want to change, and view it in Design View.

  2. In the Data Link Properties dialog box, make sure the Persist Security Info property is set to False.

  3. On the Edit menu, click Select Page.

  4. On the View menu, click Properties, and then click the Data tab.

  5. In the UseRemoteProvider box, click True, and then click Close.

  6. Save the file and close Microsoft Access. Note   The page may not work as a standalone page after this change has been made. You may want to make a copy of the original page for use as a standalone page.

  7. Using a text editor such as Microsoft Notepad, open the data access page file.

  8. Save the file as an ASP page, replacing the .htm (or .html) extension with .asp.

Then

  1. Before any other text on the page, type the following line:

  2. Find the first occurrence of the <OBJECT> tag (this tag is followed by other text, which varies), and immediately before this tag, add the following HTML code block:

<% // // Begin Project Central section // %> <!-- #include file="../../../Includes/build.inc" --> <!-- #include file="../../../Library/Constants.asp" --> <!-- #include file="../../../Library/datetime.asp" --> <!-- #include file="../../../Library/PJQuery.asp" --> <!-- #include file="../../../Library/Application.asp" --> <!-- #include file="../../../Library/LocalizedStrings.asp"--> <!-- #include file="../../../Library/PJSession.asp" --> <!-- #include file="../../../Library/User.asp" --> <% var oPJSession = new PJSession(); var oUser = new User; oUser.Authenticate(true); if (typeof(oPJSession.oUser.nUserID) == "undefined" oPJSession.oUser.nUserID == null)   Response.Redirect(const_sHomePage); var nProjectID = Request.QueryString("_projectID").Item; if (typeof(nProjectID) == "undefined")   Response.Redirect("..\..\PortfolioView.asp"); var oPJQuery = new PJQuery; oPJQuery.Connect(); var sProjectName = ""; var sDataSource = "&amp;quot;&amp;quot;"; var sUserID = "&amp;quot;&amp;quot;"; var sPassword = "&amp;quot;&amp;quot;"; var rsProject = oPJQuery.OpenRecordset (const_PjQuery_GetNamePathFromFileID,nProjectID); if (!rsProject.EOF()) {    if (rsProject.GetColumn(const_dbWDSN_ID) > 0) {       sProjectName = rsProject.GetColumn(const_dbPROJ_NAME);       sDataSource = rsProject.GetColumn(const_dbWDSN_NAME);       sUserID = rsProject.GetColumn(const_dbWDSN_LOGIN_ID);    }    else {       sProjectName = rsProject.GetColumn(const_dbWPATH);    } } rsProject.Close(); if (sProjectName == "" sProjectName == null)    Response.Redirect("..\..\PortfolioView.asp"); %> <% // // End Project Central section // %>

**Note**   To copy this code into your HTML editor without retyping it, copy and then paste the code into a text editor. Then copy and paste the code again from your text editor into your HTML editor at the point where you want the code to appear.
  1. Find the first occurrence of ConnectionString. Change the connection string according to the following example:

<a:ConnectionString>Provider=Microsoft.Project.OLEDB.9.0; User ID=<%=sUserID%> ;Data Source=<%=sDataSource%>;Project Name=<%=sProjectName%> ;Initial Catalog=<%=sProjectName%>; Persist Security Info=False</a:ConnectionString>

  1. Save the .asp file and copy it to the Microsoft Project Central Server in the \datapage folder under \views\project\.

  2. Log on to Microsoft Project Central as Administrator.

  3. Point to Admin, and then click Manage Views.

  4. In the Action Pane on the left, click Specify Views.

  5. On the Specify Views page, click Get Additional Views.

  6. To make these new views available to users, select the view in the Specify Views page, click Modify View, and then scroll down the page to specify a category of users who can see the view. You can also rename the view to a more friendly name.

Team members will now be able to view the data access page as a project view by pointing to Views on the menu bar, clicking View Your Portfolio, selecting the project the data access page points to, and then selecting this view.

Toolbox   Sample data access pages that bind to Microsoft Project data are available in the Microsoft Project Resource Kit Toolbox.Cc766842.spacer(en-us,TechNet.10).gif