Best Practices

Portfolio Analyzer and Portfolio Modeler functions provide a wide variety of data display functions so that you can understand project and resource data such as work, cost, and so forth. Consider the following recommendations:

• Make sure that the business processes guide people to create project and resource data that contains consistent levels of detail. Portfolio Analyzer and Portfolio Modeler data may be flawed if the data is not similar across the spectrum of projects and resources.

• Some Portfolio Analyzer Measures fields contain data about resource assignments. That data is derived from the task assignment details within the Project Professional Usage views. The associated Dimensions for resource assignment Measures comes from the single-value Enterprise Global Resource Outline Codes that may be related to multivalue paired codes. Consider assigning generic resources to project tasks before replacing those generic resources with named resources. The single-value Enterprise Global Resource Outline Code settings from the generic resources are retained when those resources are replaced by named resources.

• Develop a simple view-naming scheme when you create Portfolio Analyzer and Portfolio Modeler views. Choose view names that clearly depict the intent of the data displayed within those views so that end users can select the views they need.

• Portfolio Analyzer customized formulas are processed on the end user desktop machine; therefore, these formulas can directly impact the overall end user CPU performance. Consider using the OLAP cube extension techniques to embed customized formula results within the OLAP cube data so that end users can see the results without have to wait for the computer to process customized formulas.

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• If you grant end users permission to use the Portfolio Analyzer Show Toolbar or Show Field List functions, those users can temporarily manipulate data columns to meet their needs. End users can use the Save Link function to name a personal link that contains the conditions they set.

• Some Portfolio Analyzer views can display data that may not have clear meaning to end users. You should preview the range of display functions for each view to determine the value and logic of the data displayed within each view.

• Consider using color format controls as you create each Portfolio Analyzer view. Background color on Totals rows and columns can provide easy visual aids to people using those views.