Update of Project 2010 SDK–Online and Download

The Project 2010 SDK download and the MSDN online release are both updated. The updates have the same URLs as previous releases: SDK Online : https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms512767(office.14).aspx SDK Download : https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=46007f25-b44e-4aa6-80ff-9c0e75835ad9&displaylang=en When you install the download, it adds links in the Start menu, under Microsoft SDKsProject 2010 SDK . Project Developer Center : https://msdn.microsoft.com/project New conceptual / how-to topic: How to: Use the QueueSystem Service (Rewrite of the Project 2007 SDK article, including a new code example.) · Topic updates for MSDN online , since the last update on March 7, 2011: 20 conceptual and how-to topics have updates. Most changes are relatively minor; the Change History table at the bottom of each topic shows significant changes. Assn Element ChangeList Elements ChangeList Schema Reference Developing Project Server Workflows How to: Create a Project Server Event Handler and Log an Event How to: Create a Proxy Assembly for WCF Services (SP1 note) How to: Modify the Ribbon in PWA Introduction to the ChangeList Schema and Statusing ChangeXML Introduction to the SetAssignmentWorkData Schema Prerequisites for ASMX-Based Code Samples (SP1 note) Prerequisites for WCF-Based Code Samples (SP1 note) Project 2010 SDK Documentation (overview of the Project 2010 SDK) Project Server 2010 Programming Tasks Project Server Error Codes SetAssignmentWorkData Elements SetAssignmentWorkData Schema Reference Supported Project Fields and Field Information for Statusing ChangeXML (updated the valid change types for the Actual Overtime Work and Remaining Overtime Work fields) Tables of VBA Object Model Changes Walkthrough: Developing PSI Applications Using WCF What’s New for Developers in Project 2010 (programmability changes for SP1) 600 managed code types (classes that include new descriptions for one or more properties, methods, and events) are updated. There are new code samples for the following PSI methods: QueueDeleteProjects ReadResource UpdateStatus ReadProjectStatus SubmitStatusForResource ReadStatusForResource ReadEventHandlerAssociationsForEvent UpdateEventHandlerAssociations CreateEventHandlerAssociations New / updated items in the Project 2010 SDK download , which was last updated March 7: Project2010SDK.chm is an HTML Help file that includes the same updated content that is online. In the managed code reference section, 99.8% of the types and members now have descriptions (26,530 out of a total 26,576 topics). That is up from 77.7% at RTM. WINPROJ.DEV.hxs remains unchanged from the March update of VBA Help. There are instructions for replacing the local VBA Help file that was shipped with the Project RTM release. IntelliSense files are updated for the PSI proxy assembly and the Project Server assemblies, to show descriptions of classes and members while programming in Visual Studio. The type and member descriptions have the same updates as in the HTML Help file (and in MSDN online). The Microsoft.Office.Project.Server.Library.dll assembly is updated for distribution with third-party solutions for SP1. Event handler solution: TestProjectEventHandlers . Test application for the Queue System : UsingQueueSystem shows an example of when to wait for the queue, and when you don’t need to wait. ProjTool has a minor update, so the functionality of the Project Details dialog matches the description in Using the ProjTool Test Application . New PSI code samples include complete WCF-based solutions for the following events: ProjectEventReceiver: OnCreating, OnCreated, OnSaved . Other new solutions show the use of the following PSI methods: QueueDeleteProjects , CreateEventHandlerAssociations , UpdateEventHandlerAssociations , ReadEventHandlerAssociationsForEvent , using the ReadResources and ReadResource methods to get the RBS custom field, creating a changeXml parameter for a different resource with the UpdateStatus method, and using SubmitStatusForResource and ReadStatusForResource .

Download Microsoft Project Server 2010 SP1 and June 2011 Cumulative Update

As announced yesterday on the main Project blog: Announcing The Release Of Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Microsoft Project and Project Server 2010 , two major product updates were launched this week: Service Pack (SP1) for Project Standard, Project Professional, and Project Server 2010 (alongside Office 2010 and SharePoint SP1) June 2011 Cumulative Update (CU) for Project Standard, Project Professional, and Project Server 2010 (alongside Office 2010 and SharePoint SP1) Plenty of guidance in the post above (including links to TechNet documentation on how to deploy these updates), my 2 cents is not to forget to run PSCONFIG after installing the binaries to ensure your server/farm is actually updated. I’ve just applied the June 2011 CU (had applied SP1 back in May as shown below) in my favorite PPM demo virtual machine and please find below version numbers from the PUBLISHED database (SELECT * FROM VERSIONS): Service Pack 1 – 14.0.6027.1000 June 2011 CU –  14.0.6105.5000 Please note that DLL will have slightly different version number as documented in each KB (knowledge base) articles. I also recommend you attend this upcoming webcast from Brian Smith and Andrian Jenkins next week on July 6th, 2011 at 8:00 am Pacific Time to get an overview of SP1 and the June CU (which will be recorded for later viewing): TechNet Webcast: Information about Project 2010 and Project Server 2010 Service Pack 1 (Level 200) PS: Exciting Office 365 launch yesterday as well, see this related topic: Microsoft Project Professional 2010 and SharePoint Online in Office 365

ANNOUNCING: Announcing The Release Of Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Microsoft Project and Project Server 2010

Please find below the SP1 and June CU announcement published on the main Project blog: https://blogs.msdn.com/b/project/archive/2011/06/28/announcing-the-release-of-service-pack-1-sp1-for-microsoft-project-and-project-server-2010.aspx Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Microsoft Project Standard 2010, Microsoft Project Professional 2010 and Microsoft Project Server 2010 has been released to the Microsoft Download Center. SP1 contains a number of products updates based on customer feedback, as described in this announcement last May: Announcing Service Pack 1 for Microsoft Project & Project Server 2010 . Before you install SP1 it is essential that you understand its content described in the links below, and thoroughly read the guidance documented on TechNet and test out SP1 in a separate environment prior to a production rollout. Description of Project 2010 SP1 https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2460052 Description of Project Server 2010 SP1 https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2460047 The following TechNet article provides information on how to deploy Microsoft Project and Project Server 2010 SP1: Deploy Service Pack 1 for Project Server 2010 . We strongly recommend that you deploy the June 2011 Cumulative Update for Microsoft Project and Project Server 2010 when you install SP1. You can download the June 2011 Cumulative Update from the KB Articles from the links below: Description of the Project 2010 hotfix package (project-x-none.msp): June 28, 2011 https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2536590 Description of the SharePoint Server 2010 and Project Server 2010 Cumulative Update Server Hotfix Package (MOSS server-package, Project server-package): June 28, 2011 https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2536600 The following TechNet article provides information on how to deploy Project Server Cumulative Updates: Updates for Project Server 2010 There will be a webcast on July 6th, 2011 at 8:00 am Pacific Time to give an overview of this Service Pack (which will be recorded for later viewing): TechNet Webcast: Information about Project 2010 and Project Server 2010 Service Pack 1 (Level 200) . Please check out these posts for additional SP1 production information: Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 Service Pack 1 Availability and Service Pack 1 for SharePoint 2010 Products is Now Available for Download . Finally, our Microsoft Support Team is available to assist should you run into any problems installing these updates; feel free to follow your internal support guidelines to use Premier Support or open up a case directly at https://support.microsoft.com .

Microsoft Project Gets Highest Rating In Gartner 2011 MarketScope

It’s now official as announced by Arpan Shah on the main Project blog on Monday: Microsoft is Rated in the Gartner Project and Portfolio Applications MarketScope . Following many years of leadership in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for IT Project and Portfolio Management (since at least 2007 which was the earliest report I could find on my computer), we are now excelling as well in the newly created MarketScope with our 2010 offering (Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Project and Portfolio Management has been discontinued this year). It’s interesting to see that none of last year’s “leaders”: CA, Planview, HP, Compuware, Oracle,  got a “strong positive” rating this year except for Microsoft (last year’s MQ is here: Microsoft a Leader in Gartner 2010 Magic Quadrant for IT Project and Portfolio Management (IT PPM) ). Highlights from Gartner’s write-up about Microsoft PPM offering: Microsoft Project Server 2010 is a landmark release The inclusion of SharePoint 2010 as part of Project Server 2010, more seamless integration with the portfolio management capabilities of the product, the cost-competitive pricing, and advancements in native project creation capabilities independent from Project Professional earn Microsoft a Strong Positive rating. See for yourself: https://www.gartner.com/technology/media-products/reprints/microsoft/vol14/article21/article21.html I respect everyone’s opinion and choice when it comes to choosing a Project and Portfolio Application but before choosing an alternative solution please take a look at our stack, and if you still have questions send me an email via my blog! 2010 Magic Quadrant for IT Project and Portfolio Management 2011 MarketScope for Project and Portfolio Management Applications

Microsoft is Rated in the Gartner Project and Portfolio Applications MarketScope

It’s my pleasure to announce that Microsoft received the highest rating possible in the recently released Gartner Project and Portfolio Applications MarketScope. This report is an evolution of the 2010 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Project and Portfolio Management (PPM). Specifically, Microsoft received a “Strong Positive” rating . You can see the full rating table at the bottom of this blog post and download the report at https://www.gartner.com/technology/media-products/reprints/microsoft/vol14/article21/article21.html . We listened closely to customer and partner feedback and built a high quality PPM stack with Microsoft Project Professional 2010, SharePoint 2010 and Project Server 2010. It’s been one year since we launched our latest software, and it’s great to see this report recognize us! I urge you to take a look at the full Gartner report linked above. Microsoft is committed to being a leader in the PPM market through continuous innovation. So if you’re looking to deploy a PPM solution, look no further! I highly recommend learning more about our Microsoft Project & Portfolio Management solution at https://www.microsoft.com/project/en/us/solutions.aspx . There you’ll find pointers to product guides, demos and evaluation software. Sincerely, Arpan Shah Director, Microsoft Project https://blogs.msdn.com/arpans Twitter @arpanshah The MarketScope is copyrighted 2011 by Gartner, Inc. and is reused with permission. The MarketScope is an evaluation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner’s analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the MarketScope, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest rating. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. This MarketScope graphic was published by Gartner, Inc. as part of a larger research note and should be evaluated in the context of the entire report. The Gartner report is available upon request from Microsoft.

This Week in BPOS News 6/17

This week in BPOS news is a recurring segment on the Microsoft Online Services Team Blog that covers news from all sectors of Cloud Computing and the Microsoft Online Services business suite known as the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). You can read all past This Week in BPOS News segments here. For this week in BPOS news we look at a household brand making the move to BPOS, and we take a step-by-step look at setting up your very own Cloud. 1.       Coca-Cola Amatil turns Microsoft, won’t look back 15,000 Coca-Cola Amatil employees are BPOS users. CIO, Barry Simpson, understands the need for better collaboration and has invested heavily in Microsoft’s BPOS productivity tools. Barry touches on the cost saving advantages of moving to Microsoft BPOS. “’When companies run their own e-mail infrastructure, you tend to have large capital spikes and it’s very hard to keep current with the releases that the software companies are bringing out.'” The ability for staff to work from any location, easy integration of mobile devices, constant updates and increased cloud capacity has enabled Coca-Cola to be on the leading edge of their field. Coca-Cola Amatil upgraded their Cloud solution from Lotus to BPOS and was able to see results: 300MB to 5GB of storage 69 servers relieved of hosting Mobile device integration We are glad to have Coca-Cola Amatil in the Cloud with us! Are you in the Cloud with Microsoft? Tell us your story in the comments below. 2.      The Big Build – Parts 1 through 4 Are you a BPOS user that is looking to migrate to Office 365? Then our first BPOS story may be for you. Jorge R. Diaz , Senior Microsoft Engineer at Planet Technologies and Office 365 Grid member , writes four posts about his experience with deploying a client to Office 365. The four part blog post features fantastic images and step by step instructions on how to deploy Office 365. The four parts can be broken down: Part 1 – Review the overall configuration of the migration Part 2 – Configure the CAS/HUB array to allow Exchange delegation Part 3 – Public folder Free/Busy configuration Part 4 – Deploy the sign-in assistant Do you have a migration story? Was this walkthrough useful to you? Leave your comments below. What are your thoughts about the stories we shared with you this week? Did you see a story you want to share with us? Let us know what other topics you’d like to see. You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox . Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook   page.

This Week in BPOS News 6/10

This week in BPOS news is a recurring segment on the Microsoft Online Services Team Blog that covers news from all sectors of Cloud Computing and the Microsoft Online Services business suite known as the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). You can read all past This Week in BPOS News segments here. For this week in BPOS news we look into a great conversation with the President of Microsoft’s Business Division, and we learn a new Office 365 trick. 1.     Q&A | Microsoft’s Kurt DelBene: On a roll with Office 2010; looking ahead to cloud  Mark Harrison / The Seattle Times Microsoft has announced its intentions to go “all in” to the cloud. Microsoft is committed to the cloud, and has already made some large impacts in Cloud Computing and people are following Microsoft into the Cloud. Microsoft’s business division has also made its way to the Cloud and Kurt DelBene, President of Microsoft Business division, sits down with The Seattle Times to discuss where Microsoft and the Cloud are heading. Seattle Times author Sharon Pian Chan asks Kurt DelBene about what BPOS and Office 365 hold for users. There are some great conversations based on how much small business could save with Office 365, and discussions around the new Lync communications service. This is a great article from The Seattle Times that should be read by anyone interested in some internal perspectives of BPOS, Office 365 and the Cloud. What are your thoughts on the direction of BPOS, Office 365 and the Cloud? Leave your comments below. 2.     Recreating the Default SharePoint Online Team Site in Office 365 This Week in BPOS News should be focusing on all things BPOS, but it is hard to resist some good Office 365 content. Office 365 is the next generation of BPOS and the video below illustrates a great product that comes with Office 365, SharePoint Online. The video below shows you how to recreate the default SharePoint Online Team Site. Be sure to check out all the great Office 365 videos here . (Please visit the site to view this video) What videos would you like to see? Leave your suggestions below. What are your thoughts about the stories we shared with you this week? Did you see a story you want to share with us? Let us know what other topics you’d like to see. You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox . Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

This Week in BPOS News 6/3

This week in BPOS news is a recurring segment on the Microsoft Online Services Team Blog that covers news from all sectors of Cloud Computing and the Microsoft Online Services business suite known as the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). You can read all past This Week in BPOS News segments here. For this week in BPOS news we look at why governments are choosing Microsoft, and we learn what the future holds for Microsoft’s data centers. 1.      Why Governments Buy Microsoft Online Services   Remember all of the posts about government sectors looking to the cloud ? Governments have not only been looking to the cloud, but have started moving. Our first story for this week reflects on why many government sectors are choosing Microsoft over the competition when it comes to trusting their data in the cloud. The Why Microsoft blog has a fantastic article that takes an in depth look at “ Why governments buy Microsoft Online Services .” Why Microsoft author, Tony Tai, looks at case studies and examples to figure out why government sectors are choosing Microsoft Online Services. Tony breaks down the government cloud requirements in the following categories: Saving Money while Delivering Valued Services Using Resources Optimally Compatibility and User Acceptance Data Security and Data Archival There are some great examples under each category above. I recommend anyone interested in the cloud race across government sectors to check out this Why Microsoft article . 2.      Microsoft: The Cloud is the ‘Utility of the Future   Our second story for This Week in BPOS News, touches on some interesting “big picture concepts.” Christian Belady of Microsoft is tasked to look at how data and energy are related.   “Data is really a processed form of electricity,” Belady says. “We’re part of this ecosystem: an energy pipeline. If you started from scratch, what with that whole pipeline look like? How does that change infrastructure? How can we deploy the cloud?” Christian also looks at where there can be innovations for the future.  Some innovations that are discussed in the article are temperature and humidity ranges, on-site power and geography and site location. Check out this story from Data Center Knowledge to learn more about what Microsoft is doing around their data centers. What are your thoughts about the stories we shared with you this week? Did you see a story you want to share with us? Let us know what other topics you’d like to see. You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox . Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

Announcing the EPM Content Pivot Viewer

It is with great pleasure that I announce today’s launch of the EPM Content Pivot Viewer app on TechNet which can be accessed at: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/projectserver/hh240184.aspx (once there I highly suggest clicking on for a better experience) The idea behind developing the EPM Content Pivot Viewer was to help provide you the customer with an easy to use interface that allows you to view, sort, and search through our extensive content library. We’ve provided logical pivot points to help you find content for your area of the deployment lifecycle from planning through operations and technical reference, as well as pivot content by Project Server solution areas so you can pinpoint TechNet articles, training, and white papers that will be most helpful to what you are looking to do. If you find the EPM Content Pivot Viewer useful, please email EPMDocFeedback@microsoft with any comments or questions as your feedback is very valuable to us. Thanks, -Rob

This Week in BPOS News 5/27

This week in BPOS news is a recurring segment on the Microsoft Online Services Team Blog that covers news from all sectors of Cloud Computing and the Microsoft Online Services business suite known as the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). You can read all past This Week in BPOS News segments here. For this week in BPOS news we feature a video that will help customers prepare for the Cloud productivity evolution, and we learn about the newest city that went to the Cloud with Microsoft. 1.      What Do Existing BPOS Customers Need to Do to Prepare for Microsoft Office 365?    Our first BPOS story comes to us in video form from Channel 9 . The video embedded below dives into what Office 365 will offer BPOS users and how customers can prepare for the evolution in Cloud productivity software.  What are your thoughts about the video? Are you ready for Office 365? Leave your comments below. 2.      Why Winston-Salem Chose Exchange Online Our second BPOS story focuses on the competition in the Cloud and why the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina has chosen to move to the Cloud with Microsoft. Author Shane O’Neill, from CIO.com , writes a great article about Winston-Salem’s recent decision and notes some very interesting reasons for their move to the cloud. The first reason that is mentioned from the article is costs. Shane states that “with tighter budgets than most corporations, government agencies have been the first wave of cloud adopters.” The Cloud is seen as a way to cut costs for governments versus constantly updating and maintaining local machines. Winston-Salem is deploying 2,700 seats. Most users will have fully functional desktops, and the Cloud allows for 600 “deskless” workers that don’t need the full capacity of tools. The Cloud allows Winston-Salem to maximize their dollars and cents. It’s an exciting time for the government sector and the Cloud. San Francisco also joined Winston-Salem in the Cloud with Microsoft. What do you think of local governments moving to the cloud? What benefits do you see from cities moving to the Cloud with Microsoft? We would love to hear your thoughts below. What are your thoughts about the stories we shared with you this week? Did you see a story you want to share with us? Let us know what other topics you’d like to see. You can comment on this blog post or send an email to our community mailbox . Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.