Managing the Enterprise Global Template

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Previous versions of Microsoft Project, as well as the Standard edition of Microsoft Project 2002 and 2003, use a file called GLOBAL.MPT to store, manage, and share data items such as custom fields, views, filters, groups, reports , and calendars on a single computer. This section describes how Project 2003 extends the notion of a Global template for the enterprise and how to manage this new Enterprise Global template.

Understanding GLOBAL.MPT , the Enterprise Global Template, and the Enterprise Cache

When you start the Standard edition, GLOBAL.MPT loads into memory, along with any project file(s) that you are loading. When you exit the Standard edition, all changes made to GLOBAL.MPT data are saved with the project file only. This means that any changes made to a view, for example, are available to you only within that project file; they are not directly available to other project files. If you use the Organizer to save that view to GLOBAL.MPT , the changes are available across all projects that are tied to that GLOBAL.MPT file.

For details on the Organizer, see "Working with the Organizer and Global File," p. 107 .


Project 2003 extends the availability of standardized project data to the enterprise by using three different global files:

  • The traditional GLOBAL.MPT that is located in the user's profile folder. For example, a Windows 2000 user will find the GLOBAL.MPT file in the folder c:\documents and settings\username\application data\microsoft\ms project\1033 ( 1033 is the folder that is used if the user's language is set to American English).

  • The Enterprise Global template is stored on the Project Server. The Enterprise Global template contains all the standardized data defined for the enterprise. This standardized data includes all the data items contained in the traditional GLOBAL.MPT file, plus new enterprise data items such as enterprise outline codes and custom fields.

  • A cached global file that also resides in the user's profile folder.

When a user starts Project Professional but doesn't connect to a Project Server, Project uses the GLOBAL.MPT from the user's profile folder.

Each time a user starts Project Professional and there is an active connection to the Project Server, a fresh copy of the Enterprise Global template is transmitted to the user's computer, merged with the settings in the user's GLOBAL.MPT file, and stored in the global cache. Project Professional then uses this global cache file, which is also stored in the user's profile folder.

The automatic migration of data items stored in the Enterprise Global template to each user's local GLOBAL.MPT file each time a user loads Project Professional enables and facilitates the management of consistent enterprisewide data. For example, if an administrator wants to make a new macro, view, calendar, or report available to users, he or she simply puts the new data item into the Enterprise Global template, where it becomes available the next time each user loads Project Professional.

If the administrator later decides that the macro, view, or report needs to be updated or deleted, he or she can update the Enterprise Global template, and the enterprise data item is updated or removed the next time each user loads Project Professional.

The following examples illustrate how the Enterprise Global template affects a user's active session with Project Professional:

  • Example 1 ” If a user starts Project Professional by selecting My Computer and Work Offline from the Microsoft Project Server Accounts dialog box, the GLOBAL.MPT file on the user's local computer is loaded, and Enterprise Global template data (for example, enterprise outline codes, custom fields) is not available to the user for that session.

  • Example 2 ” If a user starts Project Professional by selecting a Project Server connection and Work Offline from the Microsoft Project Server Accounts dialog box (so there is no active connection to a Project server), the GLOBAL.MPT file on the user's computer is merged with the current global cache, if a global cache exists. This gives the user access to previously active Enterprise Global template data stored in the user's global cache, but that data might be outdated if changes have been made to the Enterprise Global template since the user last connected to the Project Server.

    In the Organizer, this mode is referred to as + Cached Enterprise.

  • Example 3 ” If a user starts Project Professional by selecting a Project Server connection and clicking the Connect button from the Microsoft Project Server Accounts dialog box, or if the user opens a project plan from within Project Web Access, the global cache settings are compared to the Enterprise Global template content and updated as needed from the Project Server repository, and the updated global cache is merged with the local GLOBAL.MPT file to create a new global cache. This gives the user a refreshed version of the Enterprise Global template settings in his or her global cache.

    In the Organizer, this mode is referred to as + Non-cached Enterprise.

Each data item in the Enterprise Global template is prefixed with the word Enterprise, to distinguish it from data items stored in a user's GLOBAL.MPT file.

So what happens if data items from the Enterprise Global template and GLOBAL.MPT have the same name ? If duplicates are found, the user is prompted to replace the local item, replace all items, rename the local item, or not open Project Professional.

TIP

You should let users know not to start the names of the data items in their GLOBAL.MPT files with the word Enterprise if they want to avoid these conflicts.


Modifying the Enterprise Global Template

There are two ways to change data in the Enterprise Global template:

  • Edit the Enterprise Global template directly ” If you have administrator privileges when you start Microsoft Project Professional and you're connected to an active Project Server repository, you can select Tools, Enterprise Options, Open Enterprise Global to open the Enterprise Global template and edit the data items as needed.

    For details on editing enterprise outline codes in the Enterprise Global template, see "Using Enterprise Outline Codes and Custom Fields, " p. 1010 in this chapter.


    NOTE

    A user will not see changes made to the Enterprise Global template data items until the Enterprise Global template is closed, and Project Professional is restarted on the user's computer.


  • Use the Organizer ” Depending on your user privileges, you may be able to make certain edits to your cached enterprise file. For example, you can use the Copy button to transfer data items between the active project plan and the cached or noncached enterprise file.

    Be aware that some actions, such as delete, are not permitted on Enterprise Global template data items. If you attempt to delete an Enterprise Global template data item from the cached enterprise file, Microsoft Project gives you an error message and prevents you from taking the delete action.

Working Offline with Enterprise Global Template Data

Enterprise Global template data items are loaded into your schedule only on demand (that is, when you actually use them). However, if there is a need to work offline with the Enterprise Global template data items available, there are three ways you can copy Enterprise Global template items into the local GLOBAL.MPT file:

  • You can use the Organizer to move the desired data items from the Enterprise Global template to the local GLOBAL.MPT file.

  • You can use Project Professional's File, Save As command to save a schedule loaded from an active Project Server session to an .MPT file.

  • You can use Project Professional's File, Save Offline command to save a schedule loaded from an active Project Server session.

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Special Edition Using Microsoft Office Project 2003
Special Edition Using Microsoft Office Project 2003
ISBN: 0789730723
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 283
Authors: Tim Pyron

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