Import and Export Basics

Importing moves data into Project from another application. Exporting saves Project data so it can be used in another application. In this section we’ll review the file formats supported by Project 2002, and learn how to use Project’s import tools to determine which data gets imported. We will then show you how to apply the tools to specific file formats: for example, how to import a file from Excel or Access.

Tip 

If you’re importing data into an existing Project file, it’s a good idea to make a copy of the file first. If you accidentally import data incorrectly, you can discard the botched file and use the copy.

Understanding File Formats

Every application has one or more default formats that define the way files are structured. The three-character file extension indicates each file’s format. For example, Word documents have the file extension DOC. The application you use to create a file is the file’s native application. There are four file formats that are native to Project. The default file format, MPP (stands for Microsoft Project Project, which isn’t quite as redundant as it sounds), contains all of the Project data. Project 2002 also supports three other native file formats: Microsoft Project Template (MPT), Microsoft Project Database (MPD), and Microsoft Project Workspace (MPW). In addition, Project can open files created in other applications, and can save in external or non-native formats (formats other than Project, Project Template, or Project Database). This is extremely useful when sharing Project information throughout your organization when the other users might not have Project, or when they are unfamiliar with how to use Project.

Tip 

Most newer versions of Windows do not display file extensions by default. To display file extensions in Windows XP, select Start Ø Control PanelØ Folder Options to display the Folder Options dialog box. Select the View tab, scroll down the Advanced Settings list, and uncheck the Hide Extensions for Known File Types option.

File Formats Supported by Project 2002

Table 18.1 details all the native and external file formats supported by Microsoft Project 2002, as well as their extensions and whether the file type can be imported or exported.

Warning 

Project 2002 does not let you save data in the MPX (Microsoft Project Exchange) format used before Project 98 (meaning versions 4.x and before). You can open MPX files with Project 2002 because all the fields defined in MPX are also in MPP; however, there will be “holes” in the data because the MPX file format doesn’t support features added in Project 98 and subsequent versions. See “Importing from Previous Versions of Project” later in this chapter for more information on the limitations of the MPX file format.

Table 18.1: File Formats Supported in Project 2002

Extension	Name	Can Import?	Can Export?	Details
MPP	Project	Yes	Yes	Default file format for Project 2002. Contains all project data including fields, formatting, filters, andembedded objects.
MPT	Project Template	Yes	Yes	Used to create new Project documents using boilerplate data set up by users. The global file (global.mpt) is a master template file that can contain formatting information for all projects, but can’t store tasks, resources, and assignments.
MPD	Project Database	Yes	Yes	Microsoft Project Database format is based on the same as Microsoft Access 2000/2002 file format, and can be processed in Project or Access just like an MDB database file.* Can contain multiple projects in a single file.
MPW	Project Workspace	Yes	No	Contains workspace settings for all the open files during a Project session, so all these same files can be opened by simply opening the project workspace.
MPX	Project Exchange	Yes	No	Projects created in Project 4.x and earlier used this ASCII format to exchange data between other appli-cations and other versions of Project. Although the MPX format doesn’t include new Project fields and functions, you can open projects saved in this format. See the “Exporting Data from Project” section later in this chapter for warnings on saving in this format.
MDB	Project 4.x Database	Yes	No	Projects created using Project 4.x and earlier used this Access-format database structure.*
MDB	Access 2000/2002 Database	Yes	Yes	Data saved using this format can be processed by an application that recognizes MDB format as a standard relational database.* Queries, reports, and forms canbe generated from this type of file. Can contain multiple projects in a single file.
XLS	Excel 97/ 2000/2002 Workbook	Yes	No	Using the Import data maps, Project is able to read in all versions of Excel spreadsheets; however, when Project data is saved in XLS format, an Excel 5.0/95 workbook is created.
XLS	Excel 5.0 & 95 Workbook	Yes	Yes	All versions of Excel from version 5.0 can open and analyze data exported from Project. Any spreadsheet program that recognizes the XLS format can use thisdata.
XLS	Excel PivotTable	No	Yes	Use this format to generate data used in an Excel pivot table. See the PivotTable Export data map for details.
TXT	Text Files	Yes	Yes	The tab-delimited text file is most useful in exchanging data between platforms and widely disparate applications. Can do only one table at a timetasks, resources, or assignments.
CSV	Comma Separated Values	Yes	Yes	This file is also useful in exchanging data between platforms and widely disparate applications. Rather than a comma, this format actually uses the default systems list separator. Can do only one table at a timetasks, resources, or assignments.
HTM, HTML	Web Pages	No	Yes	Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format is used by browser programs. You can export field data to this format, but not an entire project.
XML	Web Pages using eXtensible Markup Language	Yes	Yes	eXtensible Markup Language (XML) is a web-based file format for delivering structure data in a consistent manner. (XML describes the content of a document where HTML describes the document’s appearance.) XML compatibility is new for Project 2002.
Various	ODBC DSNs	Yes	Yes	Can contain multiple projects in a single file.

*MPD and MDB are handled through ODBC, even though Project does not prompt you for an ODBC data source.

Predefined Data Maps

Anytime you want to import data with an external file format rather than an entire file created in an earlier version of Project, you must map the data in your external file to the appropriate tables and fields in Project. This ensures that the data in the imported file is correctly recognized in Project.

This is also true when you export part of a Project file to a non-native format. The three tables available for import and export mapping are:

• Task Table

• Resource Table

• Assignment Table

Combinations of fields in one or more of these tables are collected to form a data map. Data maps list the fields, filters, relationships, sources, and destinations of separate files. Although several of the predefined data maps were developed with a particular application in mind, maps are interchangeable. The main constraint is that some text-based file formats can map only to one table per file, whereas most file formats can map to multiple Project tables.

Import/export maps are saved in the global.mpt file. This global template is shared by all Project files, so an import/export map that you create in one project can be used in another project. You can edit the global template directly in Project, but take care when you’re making global changes. Before creating a custom data map, check Table 18.2 to see whether Project has a map that includes the list of fields you want to export.

Table 18.2: Predefined Import/Export Data Maps

Map Name	Table(s)	Fields	Used For
“Who Does What” Report	Resource	Resource Name, Start Date, Finish Date, Total Work	Resource scheduling and tracking; create to-do lists for team members.
Compare to Baseline	Task	ID, Task Name, Duration, Start Date, Finish Date, Total Work, Total Cost, Baseline Duration, Baseline Start, Baseline Finish, Baseline Work, Baseline Cost, Duration Variance, Work Variance, Cost Variance	Evaluate how the work done to date varies from the baseline set when the project was created.
Cost Data by Task	Task	ID, Task Name, Fixed Cost, Baseline Cost, Cost Variance, Actual Cost, Remaining Cost	Financial analysis of the costs associated with each task; budgeting.
Default Task Information	Task	ID, Task Name, Duration, Start Date, Finish Date, Predecessors, Resource Names	Standard data needed to create a task; Predecessors and Resource Name fields contain multiple entries separated by commas.
Earned Value Information	Task	ID, Task Name, BCWS, BCWP, ACWP, SV, CV, EAC, BAC, VAC	To compare how much of your budget you should have spent at a certain period in time compared to how much you actually spent. The snapshot is based on the view applied to the project tasks.
Export to HTML Using Standard Template	Task	ID, Task Name, Duration, Start Date, Finish Date, Resource Names, % Complete	Publishing project data on an intranet or the World Wide Web; sharing project data with people using non-Windows operating systems.
	Resource	ID, Name, Group, Max Units, PeakUnits
	Assignment	Task ID, Task Name, Resource Name, Total Work, Start Date, Finish Date, % Work Complete
Resource Export Table Map	Resource	ID, Unique ID, Resource Name, Initials, Max Units, Standard Rate, Overtime Rate, Cost per Use, Accrue At, Total Cost, Baseline Cost, Actual Cost, Scheduled Work, Baseline Work, Actual Work, Overtime Work, Group Name, Code, Text1 - Text 5, E-mail Address	Detailed reporting and analysis of Resource information.
Task Export Table Map	Task	ID, Unique ID, Task name, Duration, Duration Type, Out-line Level, Baseline Duration, Predecessors, Start Date, Finish Date, Early Start Date, Early FinishDate, Late Start Date, LateFinish Date, Free Slack, Total Slack, Leveling Delay, Percent Complete, Actual Start Date, Actual Finish Date, Baseline StartDate, Baseline Finish Date, Constraint Type, Constraint Date, Stop, Resume, Created, Scheduled Work, Baseline Work, Actual Work, Cost, Fixed Cost, Baseline Cost, Actual Cost, Remaining Cost, WBS, Priority, Milestone, Summary, Rollup, Text 1 - 10, Cost 1 - 3, Duration 1 - 3, Flag 1 - 10, Marked Number 1 - 5, Subproject file	Even more exhaustive reporting and analysis of task-related information.
Task and Resource PivotTable	Task	Resource Group, Resource Names, Task Name, Start Date, Finish Date, Cost	Create an Excel pivot table toshow Task and Resource relationships. For more inform-ation, see “Exporting Data for an Excel Pivot Table,” later in this chapter.
	Resource	Resource Group, Resource Name, Work, Cost
Task List with Embedded AssignmentRows	Task	ID, Task Name, Work, Duration, Start Date, Finish Date, % Work Complete	Scheduling, status reports, benchmarking, charts, and graphs.
Top Level Tasks List	Task	Task Name, Duration, Start Date,Finish Date, % Complete, Cost, Work,	Executive summaries; PowerPoint presentations.*

*Filtered for top-level tasks only.