Page #91 (Integrating Microsoft Project with Other Programs)

Chapter 16

You can exchange data in your project file with other appli-cations. Often, someone you need to send information to does not have access to Microsoft Project but has another compatible application. You might want to move project data to a spreadsheet or database application to manipulate the information in certain ways. By the same token, bringing information into Microsoft Project from another application can save an immense amount of time and effort. Here are some other reasons you might want to exchange project data with other applications:

• To prepare a presentation, using a graphics- oriented application
• To add data from Microsoft Project to a spreadsheet for further calculation
• To put your project information into a comprehensive storage repository
• To enable stakeholders without Microsoft Project to work with the data
• To add project information to a larger database
• To add data from another application into Microsoft Project
• To enable direct connectivity between Microsoft Project and other applications with OLE DB
• To make your project data accessible to any application using XML
• To put project information into a text document
• To map your project data to a database using ODBC

Microsoft Project's views, tables, and reports hold a vast amount of data. There are even more fields of data that are not typically visible to the project manager but that can be exchanged with other applications. Because the Microsoft Project database is so large, you'll want to decide in advance how much of the entire project you need to exchange.

Object Linking and Embedding for Databases (OLE DB)

OLE DB was developed by Microsoft as an open specification that is designed to be an interface to all kinds of data within an organization. It provides low-level connectivity between multiple types of data sources.

For more information about the project database, see Chapter 32, "Working with Microsoft Project Data."

eXtensible Markup Language (XML)

Microsoft Project plans can now be saved as XML (eXtensible Markup Language). XML is a type of meta-language that serves to define other languages and their data. With XML, you can:

• Define the structure of data used.
• Have your data be platform-independent.
• Automatically process data defined by XML.
• Define your own unique markup tags that hold your data elements.

The simple and consistent nature of XML makes it very useful for exchanging data between many types of applications.

It's important to keep in mind that some methods of exchanging data move the data and then freeze it, so the information transferred cannot be altered after the exchange. Other methods move the data into the other application and allow it to be dynamically manipulated.

Open Database Connectivity (ODBC)

ODBC is a protocol used to access data in SQL database servers. With ODBC drivers installed, it is possible to connect a Microsoft Project database to SQL databases.

When referring to the exchange of data between applications, we will use the terms source and destination to mean the originating application and the receiving application, respectively.