Copy Project data to and from other programs

You can copy information out of and paste information into Project. However, because Project information is highly structured, it’s important to note a few points.

When copying data from Project (the source program) into other (destination) programs, you have some options for the results that you get:

• You can copy information (such as task names and dates) from a table in Project (see Figure 19-1) and paste it as structured tabular data in spreadsheet programs such as Excel, or as a table in word-processing programs that support tables, such as Microsoft Word (see Figure 19-2).

  

  

  In most cases, the table’s column headings for the data you copied are also pasted, and the summary/subtask hierarchy is indicated by the indentation of the subtasks.

• You can copy text from a table in Project and paste it as tab-delimited text in text editor programs that don’t support tables, such as WordPad and Notepad.

• When pasting information from Project into an email program such as Microsoft Outlook, you probably will get tabular results if your email program supports the HTML format.

• You can create a graphic image snapshot of the active view and paste the image into any program that supports graphic images. Chapter 7, “Format and share your plan,” covers the Copy Picture feature (on the Task tab).

These techniques are useful for selecting tabular data in Project:

• To select a range, select the upper-left corner of the range, hold the Shift key, and then select the value in the lower-right corner of the range you want to select.

• Select the Select All button in the upper-left corner of a table. Project selects the entire table, although only cells that contain values are copied.

Pasting rich tabular data from Project does not work the same way in all programs. If you paste Project data into Notepad, for example, the result is tab-delimited data with no column headings. Feel free to experiment with this.

You also have options when pasting data from other source programs into Project:

• You can paste a graphic image from another program into a graphical portion of a Gantt chart view. You can also paste a graphic into a task, resource, or assignment note into a form view, such as the Task or Resource Form views, or into a report.

• You can paste text (such as a list of task or resource names) into a table in Project. For example, you can paste a range of cells from Excel or a group of paragraphs from Word into Project. Additionally, you can paste a series of task names that are organized in a vertical column from Excel or Word into the Task Name column in Project.

Pasting text as multiple columns into Project requires some planning. First, make sure that the order of the information in the source program matches the order of the columns in the Project table. You can either rearrange the data in the source program to match the column order in the Project table or vice versa. Second, make sure that the columns in the source program support the same types of data (for example, text, numbers, and dates) as do the columns in Project.

If you need to paste a set of task or resource names into Project, you can work with partial data. For example, if you paste only a set of task names into Project, Project gives them an estimated 1-day duration and schedules them to start on the plan’s start date. You can then update the new tasks’ schedule details as needed.

To copy tabular data from Project to another program

1. In Project, organize the data you want to copy (for example, switch to the table that contains the fields you want).

2. Select the range of data you want. Then, on the Task tab, in the Clipboard group, select Copy. Project copies the selected range to the clipboard.

3. Switch to the destination program and paste the data. If the destination program supports it, you can experiment with pasting formatted or plain text.

To paste tabular data from another program into Project

1. In the source program, select and copy the data you want to paste into Project. If you need to copy multiple columns, make sure that the tabular data is organized into the correct field order you need in Project.

2. Switch to Project and select the cell in the table that you want to contain the first value of the first row of the data to be pasted. If you need to paste multiple columns, make sure that the field order you have in the Project table corresponds to how the copied data is organized.

3. To paste the copied data, on the Task tab, in the Clipboard group, select Paste. Project pastes the data into the table.

To paste a graphic image from another program into Project

1. In the source program, copy the image you want to paste into Project.

2. Do any of the following:

   • To paste the copied image into the chart portion of a Gantt chart view, select the chart portion and then, on the Task tab, in the Clipboard group, select Paste. Project pastes the image. You can then reposition or resize the image.

   • To paste the copied image into a task or resource note, open or create the note. Select in the Notes field and press Ctrl+V.

   • To paste the copied image into a report, open the report. Select an empty area of the report to make sure none of the report’s elements are selected, and then press Ctrl+V or, on the Task tab, in the Clipboard group, select Paste.

Open files in other formats in Project

Information that you need to incorporate into a plan in Project can come from a variety of sources. Two examples are a task list from a spreadsheet and a resource list from a database. You might want to use the unique features of Project to analyze data that originates from another program. For example, many people keep to-do lists and simple task lists in Excel; however, accounting for basic scheduling issues, such as distinguishing between working and nonworking time, is impractical in Excel. You might find that simply copying data from other source programs and pasting it into Project is fine for one-time data sharing. On the other hand, if you need to frequently share the same type of data, or if its structure is too complex for copying and pasting, sharing via a data file might be a better option.

When saving data to or opening data from files in other formats, Project uses maps (also called import/export maps or data maps) that specify the exact data to import or export and determine how to structure it. You use data maps to specify how you want individual fields in the source program’s file to correspond to individual fields in the destination program’s file. After you set up an import/export map, you can use it as often as you want.

Project uses a feature called the Import Wizard, displayed in Figure 19-3, to guide you through creating the correct data map for the data you want to import.

The Import Wizard uses maps to organize how structured data in another file format is imported into Project. When you import a task list from Excel, for example, the Import Wizard shows you what the imported task list will contain. See Figure 19-4 for the Task Mapping dialog of the Import Wizard.

When you import the data, it’s ready for more detailed work, such as setting up task relationships. See Figure 19-5 for an illustration of imported data.

To open a file that’s in another format

1. Select the File tab to display the Backstage view, and then select Open.

2. Select Browse and navigate to the location of the file you want to open.

3. In the file type box (which is initially labeled Projects (*.mpp)), in the dropdown list, select the file format you want.

   Tip

   You can scroll through the file type box to see the file formats that Project can import data from. If you work with programs that can save data in any of these file formats, you can import their data into Project.

4. Select the file you want, and select Open to start the Import Wizard. The wizard guides you through the steps required to import structured data from a different format into Project.

5. Complete the steps in the Import Wizard and select Finish. Project imports the data.

To change your legacy file format setting for opening files in other formats

1. In Project, select the File tab to display the Backstage view; then select Options to open the Project Options dialog.

2. Select Trust Center.

   Important

   If you need to edit your legacy file format setting, do so only when you need to work with legacy file formats that you know come from a trusted source. Your capability to edit your legacy file format setting in the Trust Center (as described here) might be blocked by a setting within your organization.

3. Select Trust Center Settings to open the Trust Center dialog, as shown in Figure 19-6.

   

4. Select Legacy Formats.

5. Under Legacy Formats, select the option you want.

6. Select OK to close the Trust Center dialog; then select OK again to close the Project Options dialog.

Save to other file formats from Project

Earlier, we described how to paste Project data into other programs. This technique might suffice for one-time or infrequent needs, but it might not work as well if you must export a large volume of data from Project. In this case, you can save Project data in different file formats. You can accomplish this as follows:

• You can save the entire project in Extensible Markup Language (XML) format for structured data exchange with other programs that support XML.

• You can save only the data you specify in a different format. The supported formats include Excel workbooks and tab- or comma-delimited text. When saving to these formats, you choose the format in which you want to save, choose a built-in export map (or create your own), and export the data.

When you need to export Project data to another file format, the current view displayed in Project is irrelevant; the current view doesn’t affect what data can or cannot be exported.

You begin on the Export page in the Backstage view, as shown in Figure 19-7. Here you can see the major categories of file types that Project supports.

The following are the supported file types:

• The current Project file format, which spans Project 2010 through Project Online desktop client

• The Project 2007 file format

• Project templates for both groups of Project formats

• Excel workbook format

• XML format

• Other file types, such as text (tab-delimited) or comma-separated value (CSV) formats

If you select any of the Project formats or the XML format, Project immediately exports the plan’s data. The other file formats require data maps, as Figure 19-8 shows, to control how individual fields from the active plan are organized when exported.

When you begin the export process for a format that requires a data map, you work through the Export Wizard. In this wizard, you either define a new data map, use one of the built-in data maps in Project, or use a data map you’ve created previously.

As you progress, the Export Wizard shows you the detailed field mapping to be applied for the export, as Figure 19-9 shows.

The built-in data maps in Project are extensive, but if they don’t meet your needs, you can build your own. Data map–based exporting is especially useful when you must repeatedly export large volumes of Project data to feed into other programs or systems.

To save data in another file format

1. Select the File tab to display the Backstage view, and then select Export.

2. Select Save Project as File. In the Save Project as File area, you can see some of the supported file types.

3. In the Save Project as File area, select the format that you want and then select Save As.

   Important

   Depending on the file format you select and your legacy file format setting in the Trust Center, a confirmation message box might appear.

   If the file type you selected does not require a data map, Project generates the exported file.

4. If the file type you selected requires a data map, the Export Wizard starts. This wizard guides you through the steps required to export structured data from Project into a different format. Complete the steps in the Export Wizard, and then select Finish. Project exports the data.

Generate reports with Excel and Visio

Project can generate data visualizations that focus on sharing schedule details with other programs. Specifically, you can use the Visual Reports feature to export data from Project to either Excel or Visio; when the data is there, you can then visually represent schedule details in compelling formats.

A visual report can include task, resource, or assignment details. As Figure 19-10 shows, you can see all available visual reports listed in the Visual Reports dialog.

The Visual Reports dialog groups visual reports in multiple ways: all reports; only Excel or only Visio reports; and task, resource, or assignment details (divided into summary and usage reports). The dialog includes a simplified preview of the type of graphic (chart or diagram) associated with each visual report.

When you select a visual report in Project, the Visual Reports feature generates a highly structured database, called an Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) cube, from your plan. Project then starts either Excel or Visio (depending on the visual report you selected), loads and organizes the data used by that program, and generates a graphical representation of that data (an Excel chart or a Visio diagram).

The specific results you obtain depend on the type of visual report you choose:

• Excel visual reports use the PivotChart and PivotTable features in Excel (see Figure 19-11). You can format the chart and modify the details in the PivotTable report from which the chart is derived. PivotTable reports are well suited for analyzing and summarizing the large volumes of data that plans can contain.

  

• Visio visual reports use the PivotDiagrams feature in Visio. You can see in Figure 19-12 that PivotDiagrams are well suited for presenting hierarchical data and can complement the Project summary/subtask outlines. Not only can you customize the visual report as a Visio diagram, but you can also filter and rearrange the data from which the diagram is derived.

  

Project includes several Excel and Visio visual report templates. You can also create your own visual reports from scratch or modify one of the supplied templates. Visual reports can be beneficial to any Project user. If you’re already familiar with Excel PivotTables or are a Visio power user, and you need to analyze and present Project data, you’ll find visual reports especially interesting.

To generate a visual report (requires Excel or Visio)

1. On the Report tab, in the Export group, select Visual Reports to open the Visual Reports dialog.

2. Next to Show report templates created in, select the checkbox or boxes for the supported visual reports you want to see: Excel, Visio, or both.

3. Select the tab of the report type you want.

4. Select the specific report you want, and then select View. Project generates the data required by this report, starts Excel or Visio, and creates the report.

Skills review

In this chapter, you learned how to

• Copy Project data to and from other programs

• Open files in other formats in Project

• Save to other file formats from Project

• Generate reports with Excel and Visio

Practice tasks

The practice files for these tasks, ShareInformation and SampleTaskList (an Excel file), are located in the ProjectDesktopSBSCh19 folder. For practice file download instructions, see the introduction to this book.