Microsoft Project Version 2002 Inside Out (Inside Out (Microsoft))

Chapter 32

Okay, so you're well-versed in using Microsoft Project to create projects, delegate tasks, set up resources and assignments, work with calendars, customize project fields and global settings, and more. What you might not know yet is how Microsoft Project keeps track of all this information, including where and how it is stored. You also might not know the ways in which you can view or use this information outside of Microsoft Project, like opening the database in Microsoft Access or displaying project details in a Data Access Page. This chapter introduces some key concepts about the project database, including the types of tables they include, the types of data contained in the database, and the different ways you can view data that is stored in the Microsoft Project database.

Microsoft Project data can be found in the following locations:

Microsoft Project database. This database is the primary storage location for Microsoft Project data. It is an integral part of any Microsoft Project file and it contains all of the data associated with a project. Data stored in this database can be accessed by opening any file that Microsoft Project can open (depending on the type of file, it might need to be converted to a Microsoft Project 2002 file), by opening a file from Microsoft Project Server, or by opening the project file in another application that can open the file, for example a Microsoft Project Database file opened in Microsoft Access. If you are using the enterprise features with Microsoft Project Professional, this database also stores enterprise project information.

Microsoft Project Server database. The Microsoft Project Server database stores settings for Microsoft Project Web Access, including security settings, resource views, and enterprise project data. The entire database can be viewed by an authorized Microsoft SQL Server 2000 or Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) 2000 user. Some settings stored in this database can be accessed by authorized users of Microsoft Project Web Access. Data and settings stored in this database can only be accessed by administrators with permission to access the database. Almost every other person who accesses data stored in this database will access it indirectly when using Microsoft Project Web Access, or when checking projects into or out of Microsoft Project Server.

For more information about Microsoft Project Web Access, see Chapter 21, "Managing Your Team Using Project Web Access." For more information about working with the Microsoft Project enterprise setup, see Chapter 24, "Using Enterprise Features to Manage Projects."

OLE DB. Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) is an object-based technology that can be used to share information by providing a uniform approach to how the data is stored and accessed between applications. OLE DB is a set of COM objects that provide database functionality by providing uniform access to data stored in an information container (a Microsoft Project file, for example). OLE DB allows you to access the data in the file (using an OLE DB Provider) much in the same way that you access data in a database. OLE DB provides many of the benefits of a database without requiring the existence of a database to use the data.

In this context, OLE DB is a provider of data, a Microsoft Project file contains the actual data, and Microsoft Access is a tool that you can use to access the data. This chapter is not an attempt to discuss comprehensive OLE DB solutions for Microsoft Project. This chapter is designed to show you one way you can easily access OLE data using Microsoft Access. See Understanding Microsoft Project OLE DB Data later in this chapter for more information about OLE DB and how to create a Data Access Page in Microsoft Access that uses the OLE DB Provider to connect to a Microsoft Project file. Once connected, you can access data in the Microsoft Project file in many of the same ways you can access data in a Microsoft Project database.

There are thousands of other ways you could use OLE technology with a Microsoft Project file. For example, you can use ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) to access specific fields in a Microsoft Project file using an OLE DB Provider.

If you want to know more about OLE DB, see Working With External References. You can also visit http://www.msdn.microsoft.com (for starters, read "What OLE Is Really About"). If you need more information about working with Data Access Pages, see Microsoft Access Help.



Microsoft Project 2002 Inside Out
Microsoft Project Version 2002 Inside Out (Inside Out (Microsoft))
ISBN: 0735611246
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 67

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