Understanding the Project Server Database

The Project Server database is used to store data that helps enable collaboration between project managers and team members , manage Project Web Access administrative settings, manage users and set their security privileges for accessing Project Web Access and Project Server, and store the data used to create project and resource view tables.

You can access information stored in the Project Server database by connecting Project Professional to Project Server or by logging on to Project Web Access.

Cross-References  

For more information, see Chapter 22, "Managing with Project Professional and Project Server."

After Project Server is installed and running, its administration is done mainly through the Admin tab in Project Web Access. The project server administrator can create new users and groups of users, set permissions for users, create views, and manage the default settings for all users of Project Web Access.

Cross-References  

If you want to know more about the individual tables and fields in this database, see pjsvrdb.htm on the Companion CD.

Partitioning Your Database on Separate Servers

 New  Feature     Server scalability and performance are improved in Project Server 2003, through database partitioning. You can partition the Project Server 2003 database across two or three servers, either during Project Server Setup or later using database scripts provided on the Project Server CD. Partitioning the Project Server database uses the linked server capabilities of Microsoft SQL Server 2000.

During setup, the Views database tables can go on one server while the Project database and services can go on one or two other servers. The improved distribution increases the number of users that the database can accommodate by dividing the workload of the Project Server application across a greater number of servers.

Three distinct sets of Project Server database tables are available to be configured as a partition using the linked server capabilities. Each set of tables has a specific role in the Project Server database:

MSP_ .       Tables that begin with MSP_ are the core data tables for most types of project data.

MSP_WEB_ .       Tables that begin with MSP_WEB_ are the core data tables for all types of Project Server data, including Project Server security, administrative settings, data links between Project Server and Windows SharePoint Services, and more.

MSP_VIEW_ .       Tables that begin with MSP_VIEW_ store project data that has been published to the Project Server database from Project Professional. This is the information that is used in Portfolio Analyzer and in Project Center views.

When you partition the database, you have three options:

Implement a 2-way partition during Project Server Setup.       You can partition the database during setup. One server will get the MSP_ and MSP_WEB_ database tables; the other will get the MSP_VIEW_ database tables.

Implement a 2-way partition after Project Server Setup.       You can run a 2-way partition after setup. One server will get the MSP_ database tables plus either the MSP_WEB_ or MSP_VIEW_ database tables. The other server will get the MSP_WEB_ or MSP_VIEW_ database tables (whichever set of tables wasn't included with the MSP_ tables).

Implement a 3-way partition after Project Server Setup.       You can run a 3-way partition after setup. The MSP_, MSP_WEB_, and MSP_VIEW_ database tables will each be placed on their own server.

Caution  

Deciding to partition the Project Server database calls for careful planning and foresight. After you partition the Project Server database and begin publishing projects to the Project Server database, you're committed. Although not impossible , it's very difficult to undo the partition and restore the Project Server database on a single SQL Server 2000 server. In addition, extra steps might be required for your organization's disaster-recovery plan.

Experimenting with Project Server Using the Sample Database

 New  Feature     Project Server 2003 includes a sample database containing a custom set of project, resource, and reporting data. This sample database has been created so that you can play with Project Server features without having to create a set of demonstration data yourself.

The Project Server sample database can help you better understand and plan for various enterprise project management (EPM) features such as the enterprise global template, enterprise resource pool, Portfolio Analyzer, Portfolio Modeler, and Project Server security. With the sample database, you can immediately jump in and begin using these features. In addition, instructions available on the Project Server installation CD walk you through the processes that project managers and resource managers go through while using Project Server.

The Project Server sample database requires special steps to be performed during installation. The sample database is designed to be installed on a single server along with Project Server, Windows SharePoint Services, SQL Server 2000, and Analysis Services. The Project Server sample database requires Windows Server 2003. Microsoft Office Word 2003 is required in order to use the Windows SharePoint Services Documents, Issues, and Risks feature. (Word 2003 is not required to use Project Server 2003 outside the sample database.)

Cross-References  

For more information about setting up and configuring the Project Server sample database, read the files pjsvr.chm and sampledb.htm on the Project Server CD.