PLANTA project and Microsoft Project

 Information

• In the following topic you will find information on the data exchange between PLANTA project and Microsoft Project.

 In order to use the Microsoft Project interface, you have to license the PLANTA MSP link add-on. If you have any questions, please contact your PLANTA consultant.

Information

• Using the Microsoft Project export functionality, you can make PLANTA project projects available for Microsoft Project.
• With the Microsoft Project import functionality, you can
  • import projects from Microsoft Project to PLANTA project (initial import), or
  • import projects from Microsoft Project to PLANTA project which have already been exported from PLANTA Project to Microsoft Project (reimport).
• Microsoft Project 2010, 2013, and 2016 versions are supported.
• You can only import xml files.
  • In Microsoft Project, you can convert a project to an .xml file via the Save as menu item.

Note

• A user may only export/import if he/she has modification rights for the project.
• The project and its tasks will be exported/imported with respect to their dates. Resources cannot be exported/imported.
• The export of entire project structures (i.e. of projects with their subprojects) is not supported: each main or subproject of a project structure can be exported individually.

See also: Further integration of PLANTA project

Export to Microsoft Project

Preparation

Procedure

• Start PLANTA project.
• Define a default working week under PM Administration → Master Data → Calendar.
  • Only the deviations in the calendar for the defined standard work days are exported in order for the file size to be as small as possible.
• Calculate the schedule of the project which is to be exported to Microsoft Project, in the Schedule module via the

  

  button in the toolbar.

Execution

Procedure

• Activate the Microsoft Project module in the project panel of the required project.
• Click on the Export to Microsoft Project button.
• The export procedure starts and the information window informs about the progress of the export procedure.
  • You can display details of the export procedure via the Details arrow.
• If the export procedure is finished, a saving dialog for the generated MS Project XML file is displayed.
• Save the file in the required directory.
• Close the information window by clicking on the OK button.

Log Messages

If particular settings have not been made correctly, the following messages will be listed in the log:

• The export of entire project structures (i.e. of projects with their subprojects) is not supported: each main or subproject of a project structure can be exported individually.

Import the Generated XML File in Microsoft Project

Procedure

• Open the generated XML file in Microsoft Project.
• When you open the file, the import assistant is opened.
  • Import As a new project..
• The import to Microsoft Project is completed and it can be edited.

Import from Microsoft Project

Information

• If the project to be imported has initially been exported from PLANTA project, a reimport is carried out (regardless of whether you have imported to the original or to another project), otherwise, an initial import is carried out.

Please note:

• The import is additive, i.e., if the same project is imported twice, all tasks will exist twice as well.
• During the initial import, the data from Microsoft Project is imported directly to PLANTA project tables (DT461 Project, DT463 Task, DT465 Link).
• When reimporting, the data from Microsoft Project is imported to the comparison table (DT805 MSPITask and DT807 MSPIAOB). The PLANTA project data is not overwritten.

The meta data of the XML includes information on whether the project originally stems from PLANTA.

• If you want to import a project, which has already been exported from PLANTA, as a new project anyway (i.e. carry out an initial import), please proceed as follows:
  • Display the following three PLANTA Project columns in Microsoft Project:
    • PLANTA MSPID
    • PLANTA TaskHash
    • PLANTA TaskID
  • Delete the contents from the three columns via Cut.
  • Save as an xml file.
  • Open the xml file with an editor.

  • Remove the content between

    CODE

    <ExtendedAttributes>

    and

    CODE

    </ExtendedAttributes>

  • Save.
  • Import to PLANTA

Preparation

Prepare initial import

• In Microsoft Project, save the project that you want to import in PLANTA project as an .xml file.
• Create a new project in PLANTA project and open the Microsoft Project module.

Prepare reimport

• Save the project exported from PLANTA project (and imported to MSP) as an .xml file in Microsoft Project.
• Open the project that you have exported to Microsoft Project in PLANTA project and open the Microsoft Project module.

Execution

Execution

• Select the Import from Microsoft Project button in the Microsoft Project module.
• Select the required .xml file and click on the Open button in the dialog window.
• The import procedure starts and the information window informs about the progress of the export procedure.
  • You can display details of the export procedure by clicking on the Details arrow.
• If the import is finished, close the information window via the OK button.
• Open the PLANTA project vs. Microsoft Project module:
  • If an initial import is carried out, the imported project is displayed in the left window of the module.
  • If a reimport is carried out, the imported project is displayed in the right window and the initial one in the left window of the module.

Particularities