A SQL Server database. The database holds all data exported from
Microsoft Project for reporting purposes and all Risk, Action,
Issue, Decision and Change Control data saved from the weekly
Excel spreadsheet. ProjectReporter runs well on Microsoft's SQL
Server Express (the free version of SQL Server).
A VBA macro or Add-in for Project Standard or Professional. This
provides a number of macros: exporting to the database, importing
central Resources, inter-project links and more.
Excel Workbooks. There is an Excel workbook for each project
that shows milestones, current tasks, Risks, Actions, Issues,
Decisions and Change requests for a project. All data is saved in
the database as well.
An Excel Spreadsheet for the ProjectReporter Admin person to
manage resources and their availability and rates.
An Excel Spreadsheet for the Who Does What When report.
Click the following headings
to read more information on each component.
Installation is simply a matter of running a .SQL script and
filling in the blanks for a ProjectReporter.ini file to be saved
in a folder on your server, wherever all project managers have
read access to. The .ini file holds the connection string for
the ProjectReporter database. Once users have browed to this
shared location once, it is used from then on to get the latest
connection data. An change to the Server or database name or
other security information and all your administrator has to do
is update the ProjectReporter.ini file and all users will use
the new database information from then on.
The Tables (Project, Tasks, Resources, Timephased etc.) have
fields that exactly match the names of columns in Project. The
code reads the names of each field to determine which columns
should be read for each Project, Task etc. In fact if want
another field (or custom field) added to the ProjectReporter
database, such as Task Text2, then add an extra field to the
Task Table and Text2 will now be automatically populated once
the Project is next published.
If you want your reports to hold different names, then create a
View in SQL Server that uses field aliases to rename the fields.
The Excel Templates have examples of doing this and the
ProjectReporter database comes pre-populated with some Views for
the Excel templates.
A Menu or Ribbon provides access to the following commands:
Publish all data to SQL Server for reporting
purposes. NOTE: all project data remainins in its .mpp file.
The published data is purely for reporting purposes only.
Add ProjectReporter Resources macro that
imports a Resource and all rates and calendar data for it.
Update Calendars macro to update all
calendars in the active project with the latest calendar
exceptions stored in SQL Server and enetered via the Admin
Excel Workbook.
Update Resource Rates macro to update
resource rates from SQL Server.
Add a Deliverable macro to select a milestone
from another project already published to SQL Server and
update the selected milestone with its dates. This avoids all
risk of file corruption when using links the normal way using
copy and paste-link.
Update deliverables macro to refresh
milestones in the active project that are setup as
deliverables from the Add a Deliverable macro. This means that
any date changes published to SQL Server in other projects are
refleected via the deliverable in the active project.
Create Summary Report macro creates a new
project into which there is one new task for each project in
SQL Server. This is a great way to review multi-project
progress in one report.
Who Does What When report macro that exports
all Resource data from the active project and creates a pivot
table report in Excel to show Who Does What When. Low cost,
low tech, but high added value!
By using SQL Server and VBA macros in Proejct and Excel,
ProjectReporter provides a high value, low cost solution that
neatly collects easy to deliver business solutions. Call us to
find out more.
ProjectReporter ribbon in Project 2010
ProjectReporter menu in Project 2007
There are three Excel Templates:
ProjectReporter Admin -
Enables Administrators (who should be the only people with
access to this template) to add Calendar exceptions for any
Base or Resource Calendar. Most common use for this is for
Annual Leave. Also enables Administrators to enter latest
Resource rates and effective dates.
All information is stored in the ProjectReporter database
ready for project managers to update their projects.
ProjectReporter Weekly Report
- Enables Project Managers to create a weekly report using
data published in the ProjectReporter database.
This template also has worksheets for Risks, Actions, Issues,
Decisions and Change Control requests. Data entered in these
worksheets is copied to the ProjectReporter database at the
click of a button.
Any project in the ProjectReporter database can be selected
and reported on.
ProjectReporter Who Does What
When Report - The Who Does What When report shows the
same information as the Resource Usage View in Project, but
for all selected projects in the database. The report can also
be run from the ProjectReporter ribbon just for the active
project.
All users not familiar with Microsoft Project find this report
easy and extremely useful for viewing Resource workloads.
With a goal to deliver a low cost, low tech and high added value
solution, there is no web front end. If you do want a web front end
for your project reporting and updates, then we recommend you look
at Project Online, Microsoft's hosted Project Server solution. Call
me for advice on implementing Project Online and automating your
project reporting.
