Saving and Opening with Different File Formats

A file format is an arrangement of data in a file that specifies the file type and defines the file in a way that allows any application that can open the file to open it correctly. When you create and save a regular project file, it's saved as an MPP file with the .mpp extension. The .mpp extension indicates that this is indeed a regular project file.

However, you can save project files in other file formats. You can also open files with other file formats in Microsoft Project. Table 29-1 details the file formats supported by Microsoft Project for saving, opening, or both.

Table 29-1: Supported File Formats

File Format	Extension	Notes
Microsoft Project Plan	.mpp	Saves the file as a Microsoft Project Plan file, which is the default file type for projects being saved or opened.
Microsoft Project template	.mpt	Saves the file as a Microsoft Project template file. The template can then be used as a basis for new projects. When you open a file based on a template, you can change and save those changes to the template file.
Microsoft Project workspace	.mpw	Saves open project files as a Microsoft Project workspace file. When you open an MPW file, all associated projects are opened in a single step.
Microsoft Project Exchange	.mpx	Opens a file created in a version of Microsoft Project earlier than Microsoft Project 98. This is a record-based ASCII text file format that Microsoft Project 2003 can read, allowing early Microsoft Project files to be converted to Microsoft Project 2003 files.
Microsoft Project database	.mpd	Saves the project file as a Microsoft Project database. This file type can be opened in Microsoft Access or any other application that can open the MPD file format. This format replaces the older MPX file format as the standard interchange format for Microsoft Project data.
Web page	.html	Saves the current view as a Web page. The file can then be published to an Internet or intranet Web site.
Microsoft Project 98	.mpp	Saves the Microsoft Project 2003 file so that it can be opened by Microsoft Project 98. Any feature in Microsoft Project 2003 that is not in Microsoft Project 98 (for example, enterprise fields and additional baselines) is not saved in this format.
Microsoft Access database	.mdb	Saves the file as a Microsoft Access database. The file can then be opened in Microsoft Access. You can also open Access files in Microsoft Project. To save a Microsoft Project file in an ODBC format, click the ODBC button in the Save dialog box and follow the instructions in the Select Data Source dialog box.
Microsoft Excel workbook or PivotTable	.xls	Saves the file as a Microsoft Excel workbook or as a Microsoft Excel PivotTable. The file can then be opened in Microsoft Excel. A PivotTable is a table that combines and compares large amounts of data, and in which you can rotate columns and rows to modify the source data to create different views. You can also open an Excel file in Microsoft Project.
Text (Tab delimited)	.txt	Saves the file as a text file using tabs to separate the data. This is ideal for using the project information in a third-party application or on another operating system. You can also open a text file in Microsoft Project.
Text (comma delimited)	.csv	Saves the file as a text file that uses commas to separate the data. This is ideal for using the project information in a third-party application or on another operating system. You can also open a CSV file in Microsoft Project.
eXtensible Markup Language	.xml	Saves the file as XML data. When Microsoft Project saves data as XML, the structure is determined by the Microsoft Project XML schema. You can also open an XML file in Microsoft Project. An XML file must conform to the Microsoft Project XML schema for Microsoft Project to understand and open it. For more information about the Microsoft Project XML Schema, see Projxml.htm on the Microsoft Project 2003 installation CD.

Note  

Opening a file from a different file format in Microsoft Project can be referred to as importing the file. Likewise, saving a project file with a different file format can be referred to as exporting the file. There's often more to the import and export process than simply opening or saving the file. Sometimes you need to create an import/export map.

Cross-References  

For more information about importing and exporting, see "Importing and Exporting Information".