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Importing Schedules From Microsoft Project

When you have finished fine-tuning your schedule in MS Project or if you want to add or delete tasks and availability, you can import the schedule from MS Project into APM. If you have imported multiple schedules as master and sub-projects, you can select whether to import only the current schedule or the current schedule and its descendants.

When you import the schedule, you can clear the link between the APM schedule and the MS Project file; the restrictions on scheduling functions in APM are then removed.

Schedule Information Imported from Microsoft Project

On the imported schedule, the following information is updated with the MS Project values:

•	Schedule — the schedule start date, end date, and duration

•	Schedule entry (tasks) — the task’s start date, scheduled duration, and priority. Tasks that are moved between schedules are updated in the APM schedules during import.

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Schedule entry assignments — new schedule entry assignments are created for new assignments added in MS Project. Existing schedule entry assignments are deleted if the assignment was removed in MS Project. Existing schedule entry assignments are updated with the assigned trade, employee, and duration from MS Project.

•	Schedule availability — the schedule’s availability is updated with the scheduled hours from the revised assignments.

Note: When you import a schedule back into APM from Microsoft Project, the Long tasks are automatically split option will be turned off. This means that the Project’s dates and times are accepted without creating new split entries.

Schedule Information Not Imported from Microsoft Project

The following information is not updated on the imported APM schedule (the information remains available in MS Project):

•	New tasks added to the MS Project file — a new entry is not added to the APM schedule, nor is a work order and task created in APM. New work orders and schedule entries must be added in APM and exported to MS Project.

•	Tasks deleted in MS Project — an entry that is deleted in MS Project is not deleted from the APM schedule when the schedule is imported. Schedule entries must be deleted in APM to be reflected in APM.

•	Task description changes (such as work order number, task number, asset number, asset description) are not reflected on the APM schedule.

•	New trades or employees added to the MS Project resources — new schedule availability is not created. New availability must be added in APM and the schedule re-exported to project.

•	Trades or employees deleted from the MS Project list of resources — the availability is not deleted from the APM schedule. The availability must be updated in APM.

Note: APM sorts the schedule hierarchy by the end date of each schedule. For this reason, when you import from a Project file APM may re-sort the child schedules in your hierarchy to reflect the changes in the end dates of each schedule. For example, if you added tasks to a child schedule that extends the duration of the schedule, APM may move the schedule to a different spot in the hierarchy.

To Import a Schedule From Microsoft Project

1.	Open the schedule.

2.	Make sure that editing is enabled.

3.	From the Tools menu, select MS Project, and then select Import. The Import from MS Project dialog appears.

4.	Enter the following information:

Setting Name

Description

Project File

The name of the MS Project file currently linked to the schedule. The name of the file to which the schedule was previously exported is defaulted. You can change it, for example, if the file has been renamed or moved. If you are importing data from a MS Project file, enter file that will be imported. If you identify a Microsoft Project file that did not originate from the schedule, the file contents are bypassed. Only tasks that were created by an export function of this schedule are processed by the import.

Import Sub-projects

This option is only available if a master/sub-project structure was created when the schedules were exported. If you select this option, the current schedule's descendants are also imported from the MS Project files.

Yes, I have finished working with the Project file

You can select this box to clear the link between the exported APM schedule and the MS Project file — the restrictions on scheduling functions in APM are removed.

5.	Click OK. When the import function is complete you can continue working on your schedule in APM.