Have you leveraged Project Online and the new timeline sync capabilities yet? Try it today. See this for more information: Project Online: In the cloud with Office 365!  

An interesting question came in this week from a couple of different directions – though may have started with the same customer – but I learned something new so thought it worthwhile to share.  The problem was that when the PSI Project Web Service method QueueCreateProject is used with an Enterprise Project Type (EPT) and that EPT is set to use a project plan template, then the create was failing with an EnterpriseProjectTypeInvalidData error.  To be honest I didn’t even realize you could use an EPT with that method – so started researching…  I could certainly see that we have a property you can set in the dataset you pass to that method – ProjectDataSet..::..ProjectRow..::..ENTERPRISE_PROJECT_TYPE_UID Property – but could also envisage that some of the other contents of the dataset migth conflict with the data in the other tables in the dataset – so this might cause the failure. Thanks Bia for coming up with the definitive answer!  You can use the EPT UID (which you find by drilling in to the specific EPT on the Enterprise Project Types page of Server Settings, then looking at the System Identification Data at the foot of the page) BUT you must ensure a couple of things.  You CANNOT have any of the following tables existing in the project dataset – · Task TaskCustomFields ProjectResource ProjectResourceCustomFields Assignment AssignmentCustomFields Dependency In the Project Row of the dataset you must ONLY set the following columns PROJ_UID PROJ_NAME WPROJ_DESCRIPTION PROJ_INFO_START_DATE ProjectOwnerID ENTERPRISE_PROJECT_TYPE_UID PROJ_TYPE PROJ_OPT_CURRENCY_CODE PROJ_OPT_CURRENCY_SYMBOL PROJ_OPT_CURRENCY_DIGITS PROJ_OPT_CURRENCY_POSITION And the error you will get if you don’t follow these rules is: w3wp.exe (0x0604)                           0x0628    SharePoint Foundation             Runtime                           tkau    Unexpected    System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapException: ProjectServerError(s) LastError=EnterpriseProjectTypeInvalidData Instructions: Pass this into PSClientError constructor to access all error information    at System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapHttpClientProtocol.ReadResponse(… Thanks too to Klaudia and Sebastian for raising the issue.

The Project 2013 Preview SDK download is published. The conceptual, how-to, and reference documentation in the download closely matches the Project 2013 developer documentation online content published on MSDN. In addition, the download also contains: Ten complete code solutions, including two task pane apps for Project, six client-side object model (CSOM) solutions, and two solutions for querying the ProjectData service for reporting. DLLs and a license for redistribution of the three Project Server CSOM assemblies, JavaScript files for the CSOM, and the Microsoft.Office.Project.Server.Library assembly. Note: Project CSOM solutions also require the redistributable DLLs for the SharePoint 2013 CSOM, which are at SharePoint Server 2013 Client Components SDK . Intellisense files for the PSI and CSOM, source code for creating a PSI proxy assembly, and instructions on how to update the PSI proxy files. XML schemas for the Project client, AppProvisioning, and the Statusing PSI. The top-level online landing page for the Project SDK is Project for developers ( https://msdn.microsoft.com/project ). For additional Project-related SDK content, see Office for developers ( https://msdn.microsoft.com/office ), SharePoint for developers ( https://msdn.microsoft.com/sharepoint ), and Build apps for Office and SharePoint ( https://msdn.microsoft.com/office/apps/ ). The two articles on Task pane apps for Project are in the Apps for Office and SharePoint SDK , and the JavaScript API for Office reference includes information specific for Project, the ProjectDocument object with eleven methods and three events, and four enumerations for Project. The downloads for those SDKs will be published soon. Want to try it out? Sign up for the Project Online Preview with Project Pro for Office 365 Download Project Professional 2013 Preview & Project Server 2013 Preview

When: Tuesday, August 14, 2012 at 9:00 AM – Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at 5:00 PM (GMT) Where: 1 Shottery Brook Office Park Timothy’s Bridge Road CV37 9NR Stratford Upon Avon United Kingdom Hosted By: Technology Associates Technology Associates is one of the leading IT solutions companies specialising in Microsoft Project and Enterprise Project Management Solutions. Since 1990, Technology Associates have provided deployment, consultancy, development and training services to more than 500 organisations including some of the world’s leading companies, and we have an international presence in countries in EMEA, USA, and APAC.     Technology Associates have deployed hundreds of EPM solutions and deployed more than 2,000 Microsoft Project solutions. The company holds Microsoft Gold Competencies in Project & Portfolio Management, Application Integration and as an ISV, along with eight other silver competencies. With such a stong technical tour-de-force we have built a solid reputation for delivering high quality services and solutions, and providing exceptional value for money. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, with Offices in New York, San Francisco, India and Barcelona, and a strategic partner network covering AsiaPac, Middle East and ROW, we work internationally in delivering IT solutions to our customer base in over 39 countries. Find out more at www.techassoc.com Follow us on Twitter – https://www.twitter.com /TechAssoc   Register for this event now at: https://taps2010admin140812-rss.eventbrite.com Event Details: Course Description: This course is designed to cover all the features and aspects of Project Server 2010 Administration. Attendance on the Introductory Project Professional 2010 course is an essential pre-requisite. Attendance on an advanced course with at least two to six weeks as a consolidation period is highly desirable . A ttendees ideally will have some experi ence of SQL Server, IIS, and SharePoint Server . Knowledge of network permissions, active directory and security models would be an advantage. Who Should Attend: Users who have a good knowledge of Microsoft Project 2010 and will be responsible for managing, maintaining and updating the Project 2010 Server database and user information. Course Content:   Upon completion of the course, delegates will be able to: Understand EPM 2010 Administration Concepts & Setup ·          Understand the different areas of the PWA Home page and links from it. ·          Understand authentication – types and logins. ·          Understand how to set up e-mail notifications for users and their teams. ·          Demonstrate how to save Microsoft Project information offline. ·          Demonstrate how to view, edit, and update projects & tasks ·          Understand how to reject, create, and delegate task assignments. ·          Understand how to link documents , issues, risks and documents to tasks. ·          Describe the Outlook integration. ·          Show how to view projects in the Project Center & how to create and maintain the views. ·          Show how to view resources in the Resource Center & how to create the views. ·          Demonstrate how to view resource and assignment data related to one or more projects. ·          Understand how to edit enterprise resource information. ·          Describe how to revi ew an archive of object data. ·          View and update task changes to a Microsoft Project plan. ·          View and update calend ar changes. ·          Set up rules to automatically update projects. ·          View a historical archive of task updates. ·          Understand Check In/Check Out of Projects and resources. ·          Understand Outlook integration. ·          Understand Categories/Groups/Permissions & Security Templates and how to use these to configure the system. Essential for analyzing the business and how EPM can be adopted. ·          Understand how d ata is stored in Project Server Databases and in SharePoint.   Project 2010 Server Administration ·          Understand the different Administration options. ·          Understand the communication and messaging process. ·          Understand the Task Views, Time Periods, Fiscal Periods and options. ·          Describe the provisioning process for creating workspaces. ·          Understand how to view and upload documents for projects and public documents. ·          Demonstrate searching of documents in the document libraries. ·          Understand how to create and edit an issue or risk. ·          Understand how to customize Issue and risk fields and views. ·          Describe what Microsoft Project Server is and what it is used for. ·          Demonstrate connecting Microsoft Project to Microsoft Project Server. ·          Understand the functionality of Microsoft Project Server. ·          Understand the different user types and the how they interact with Microsoft Project Server and the functionality of each, as well as how to modify permissions. ·          Understand the responsibilities of a Microsoft Project Server Administrator and adopt best practices. ·          Discuss the various views available, their purpose and how to customize them. ·          Understand the integration of SharePoint fr om the Microsoft administration perspective. ·          Understand the Databases in Project Server and how they interact. ·          Understand Reporting and Business Intelligence capabilities in EPM 2010. ·          Understand the Dashboard capability. ·          Understand customization of the Microsoft Project Web Access Client. ·          Describe license manag ement within Project Server 2010 ·          Discuss maintenance of clean data in the Microsoft Project Server database. ·          Understand how security works within Microsoft Project Server. ·          Demonstrate the process for setting permissions. ·          Under stand the process for time track ing and progressing updates. ·          Understand and edit the Resource Breakdown Structure. ·          Understand the Administration options in Project Server and how to use them. ·          Demonstrate and understand the significance of Outline code fields at Project, Task and Resource level. ·          Understand and apply the Portfolio capabilities and administer the settings in Project Server. ·          Understand ULS, Messaging logs, and the Queue services in Project Server. ·          Describe, understand and be able to apply Multi-value fields. ·          Recognise what the Active Cache is and how it works . ·          Understand the concept of web parts and SharePoint as a platform for Project Server.

When: Tuesday, September 25, 2012 at 9:00 AM – Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at 5:00 PM (GMT) Where: 1 Shottery Brook Office Park Timothy’s Bridge Road CV37 9NR Stratford Upon Avon United Kingdom Hosted By: Technology Associates Technology Associates is one of the leading IT solutions companies specialising in Microsoft Project and Enterprise Project Management Solutions. Since 1990, Technology Associates have provided deployment, consultancy, development and training services to more than 500 organisations including some of the world’s leading companies, and we have an international presence in countries in EMEA, USA, and APAC.     Technology Associates have deployed hundreds of EPM solutions and deployed more than 2,000 Microsoft Project solutions. The company holds Microsoft Gold Competencies in Project & Portfolio Management, Application Integration and as an ISV, along with eight other silver competencies. With such a stong technical tour-de-force we have built a solid reputation for delivering high quality services and solutions, and providing exceptional value for money. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, with Offices in New York, San Francisco, India and Barcelona, and a strategic partner network covering AsiaPac, Middle East and ROW, we work internationally in delivering IT solutions to our customer base in over 39 countries. Find out more at www.techassoc.com Follow us on Twitter – https://www.twitter.com /TechAssoc   Register for this event now at: https://taps2010admin250912-rss.eventbrite.com Event Details: Course Description: This course is designed to cover all the features and aspects of Project Server 2010 Administration. Attendance on the Introductory Project Professional 2010 course is an essential pre-requisite. Attendance on an advanced course with at least two to six weeks as a consolidation period is highly desirable . A ttendees ideally will have some experi ence of SQL Server, IIS, and SharePoint Server . Knowledge of network permissions, active directory and security models would be an advantage. Who Should Attend: Users who have a good knowledge of Microsoft Project 2010 and will be responsible for managing, maintaining and updating the Project 2010 Server database and user information. Course Content:   Upon completion of the course, delegates will be able to: Understand EPM 2010 Administration Concepts & Setup ·          Understand the different areas of the PWA Home page and links from it. ·          Understand authentication – types and logins. ·          Understand how to set up e-mail notifications for users and their teams. ·          Demonstrate how to save Microsoft Project information offline. ·          Demonstrate how to view, edit, and update projects & tasks ·          Understand how to reject, create, and delegate task assignments. ·          Understand how to link documents , issues, risks and documents to tasks. ·          Describe the Outlook integration. ·          Show how to view projects in the Project Center & how to create and maintain the views. ·          Show how to view resources in the Resource Center & how to create the views. ·          Demonstrate how to view resource and assignment data related to one or more projects. ·          Understand how to edit enterprise resource information. ·          Describe how to revi ew an archive of object data. ·          View and update task changes to a Microsoft Project plan. ·          View and update calend ar changes. ·          Set up rules to automatically update projects. ·          View a historical archive of task updates. ·          Understand Check In/Check Out of Projects and resources. ·          Understand Outlook integration. ·          Understand Categories/Groups/Permissions & Security Templates and how to use these to configure the system. Essential for analyzing the business and how EPM can be adopted. ·          Understand how d ata is stored in Project Server Databases and in SharePoint.   Project 2010 Server Administration ·          Understand the different Administration options. ·          Understand the communication and messaging process. ·          Understand the Task Views, Time Periods, Fiscal Periods and options. ·          Describe the provisioning process for creating workspaces. ·          Understand how to view and upload documents for projects and public documents. ·          Demonstrate searching of documents in the document libraries. ·          Understand how to create and edit an issue or risk. ·          Understand how to customize Issue and risk fields and views. ·          Describe what Microsoft Project Server is and what it is used for. ·          Demonstrate connecting Microsoft Project to Microsoft Project Server. ·          Understand the functionality of Microsoft Project Server. ·          Understand the different user types and the how they interact with Microsoft Project Server and the functionality of each, as well as how to modify permissions. ·          Understand the responsibilities of a Microsoft Project Server Administrator and adopt best practices. ·          Discuss the various views available, their purpose and how to customize them. ·          Understand the integration of SharePoint fr om the Microsoft administration perspective. ·          Understand the Databases in Project Server and how they interact. ·          Understand Reporting and Business Intelligence capabilities in EPM 2010. ·          Understand the Dashboard capability. ·          Understand customization of the Microsoft Project Web Access Client. ·          Describe license manag ement within Project Server 2010 ·          Discuss maintenance of clean data in the Microsoft Project Server database. ·          Understand how security works within Microsoft Project Server. ·          Demonstrate the process for setting permissions. ·          Under stand the process for time track ing and progressing updates. ·          Understand and edit the Resource Breakdown Structure. ·          Understand the Administration options in Project Server and how to use them. ·          Demonstrate and understand the significance of Outline code fields at Project, Task and Resource level. ·          Understand and apply the Portfolio capabilities and administer the settings in Project Server. ·          Understand ULS, Messaging logs, and the Queue services in Project Server. ·          Describe, understand and be able to apply Multi-value fields. ·          Recognise what the Active Cache is and how it works . ·          Understand the concept of web parts and SharePoint as a platform for Project Server.

Following a week of staged announcements (and in case you missed it), we have disclosed the next version of your beloved project portfolio management (PPM) solution during the past week, a must read: The new Microsoft Project . It’s exciting to finally be able to talk about what we have been working on in Redmond for the past little while. It’s hard to contain my excitement and put in words what I think about this upcoming release! I have worked with Project Server since the 2002 version (shortly after Project Central) and the next Project and in particular Project Online is a LANDMARK release that will change the course of history, it’s a magical moment for all of us… Project Portfolio Management will never be the same. Regardless of your industry, your location, your role or your PPM maturity, this upcoming release (it’s a Preview) brings massive innovation to your day to day PPM activities. Demand management, portfolio analysis, ALM, apps, social, anywhere access on any device, resource management, multi-tenant SaaS, agile to name a few random key innovations… The breath and scale at which we will deliver multi-tenant PPM capabilities into a secure and reliable SaaS (Software as a Service) in unmatched in the industry! The new Project Pro for Office 365 service will change the project management world! I’ll stop talking and will provide you a few key links to help you get started and learn about the Preview. The journey just started last week and expect a lot more content in the coming weeks/months! The Project Online train is leaving the station, please don’t miss it! Sites Videos Project Preview Product Site Project Blog (please note the new URL) Get started with Project Online (please read) Register to Project Ignite training ! (see you in Sydney, Reston or Warsaw) TechNet: Project Server 2013 for IT Pros MSDN: Project For Developers Questions? Check out the Project Forums Get Started with Project Online (Overview) Get Started with Project Online (Demo) What’s new in Project Server 2013 for IT pros (overview) What’s new in Project 2013 for IT Professionals What’s new in Project 2013 for developers (Overview) Project Professional 2013 training for developers Project Server 2013 training for developers  

Thought it worth explaining some of the intricacies of the June 2012 Cumulative Update packages, especially for those of you waiting for the fix for the Exchange Sync issue where you see duplicated tasks in Outlook, or are having problems with editing categories in PWA if you have renamed projects in your archive.  Maicco e-mailed asking about the Exchange fix – and thanks for bringing this to my attention.  These two fixes were delivered in the June Cumulative Update cycle, but were not in the ‘default’ Project Server only package https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2598375 , but had their own hotfix – https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2598376 . Issues that this hotfix package fixes Consider the following scenario: You create a user account in Project Web Access (PWA), and you enable Exchange Synchronization for the user account. You create a new plan that contains many tasks in Project 2010. You assign the user account to all the tasks. You save and then publish the plan in Project Server 2010. You log on to the mailbox of the user account that you created to see whether the task list is synchronized. In this scenario, duplicate tasks are created in the task list in Microsoft Outlook. You cannot edit security categories that contain more than 1000 projects when one or more projects in the security categories are archived and then renamed. Just to add to the confusion this hotfix doesn’t explicitly say that it includes the 2598375 fixes – but it does.  The reason for the split is that these two fixes needed some globalization changes – which you can see from the full description (Description of the Project Server 2010 hotfix package (Pjsrvwfe-x-none.msp, Pjsrvmui-x-none.msp): June 26, 2012) where MUI is Multilingual User Interface.  The file list also lists all of the language files. The complete Project Server 2010 June 2012 Cumulative Update package – https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2598355 – does include everything, and the KB does list both of the KB’s mentioned above.  This hopefully clarifies things and explains what the two KBs listed in the full package article are all about. Thanks again Maicco, and in future I’ll keep my eye out for these split CU packages and we will add more details to the notification mail (and I’ll also add an update to the current posting).

When: Thursday, August 2, 2012 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (GMT) Where: 1 Shottery Brook Office Park Timothy’s Bridge Road CV37 9NR Stratford Upon Avon United Kingdom Hosted By: Technology Associates Technology Associates is one of the leading IT solutions companies specialising in Microsoft Project and Enterprise Project Management Solutions. Since 1990, Technology Associates have provided deployment, consultancy, development and training services to more than 500 organisations including some of the world’s leading companies, and we have an international presence in countries in EMEA, USA, and APAC.     Technology Associates have deployed hundreds of EPM solutions and deployed more than 2,000 Microsoft Project solutions. The company holds Microsoft Gold Competencies in Project & Portfolio Management, Application Integration and as an ISV, along with eight other silver competencies. With such a stong technical tour-de-force we have built a solid reputation for delivering high quality services and solutions, and providing exceptional value for money. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, with Offices in New York, San Francisco, India and Barcelona, and a strategic partner network covering AsiaPac, Middle East and ROW, we work internationally in delivering IT solutions to our customer base in over 39 countries. Find out more at www.techassoc.com Follow us on Twitter – https://www.twitter.com /TechAssoc   Register for this event now at: https://tapcoadmin020812-rss.eventbrite.com Event Details: Course Content: Understand Project Connect 2010 Administration Concepts & Setup   ·          Understand the different areas of the PWA Home page. ·          Understand how to set up e-mail notifications for users and their teams. ·          Demonstrate how to save Microsoft Project information offline. ·          Demonstrate how to view, edit, and update projects & tasks ·          Understand how to create, and delegate task assignments. ·          Understand how to create and link documents, issues, risks and documents to tasks. ·          Show how to view projects in the Project Center & how to create and maintain the views. ·          Show how to view resources in the Resource Center & how to create the views. ·          Demonstrate how to view resource and assignment data related to one or more projects. ·          Understand how to edit enterprise resource information. ·          View and update task changes to a Microsoft Project plan. ·          View and update calendar changes. ·          Understand Check In/Check Out of Projects, resources and documents. ·          Understand Outlook integration. ·          Understand User Types and what permissions each has. ·          Understand how data is stored in Project Server Databases and in SharePoint. Project Connect 2010 Administration   ·          Understand the different Administration options. ·          Understand the communication and notifications process. ·          Understand the Task Views, Time Periods, Fiscal Periods and options. ·          Describe the provisioning process for creating worksites. ·          Understand how to view and upload documents for projects. ·          Demonstrate searching of documents in the document libraries. ·          Understand how to create and edit an issue or risk. ·          Understand the functionality of Microsoft Project Server (specifically within the Project Connect solution). Describe the differences between Project Connect and the full EPM solution. ·          Understand the responsibilities of an Administrator and adopt best practices. ·          Discuss the various views available, their purpose and how to customize them. ·          Understand the process for time tracking and progressing updates. ·          Demonstrate and understand the significance of Enterprise Custom Fields and Outline code fields at Project, Task and Resource level. ·          Understand the Messaging and the Queue services in Project Server. ·          Describe, understand and be able to apply Multi-value fields. ·          Recognise what the Active Cache is and how it works.

If you haven’t already of course… Some early warning here to allow you to plan for any August 2012 or post August 2012 Cumulative Updates.  For SharePoint Server 2010, and Project Server 2010 and the rest of the Office 2010 family you will need to have loaded Service Pack 1 (SP1) before you can install the Cumulative Update.  This means really loading SP1 – not just relying on the fact that ‘almost all’ of SP1 has been included in patches since June 2011.  If you remember we went through a similar stage with 2007 – and one of the most notable things is that the patch will shrink down to a much smaller size (The June 2012 roll-up patch was over 1.2GB!).  I haven’t had a chance to try it out – but I suspect the error message if you haven’t loaded SP1 will be something along the lines of “There are no products affected by this package installed on this system” or “ The expected version of the product was not found on the system” – I’ll update once I get a chance to test. The reason behind this change is to do with our product support lifecycle (see Microsoft Support Lifecycle ) and the fact that we have reached what we term the end-of-life (or service pack support end date) for the original release of the 2010 Office family – which is around one year after release of Service Pack 1.  For most customers you could see this first with the August 2012 Cumulative update – which will be something like build 14.0.6124.5000 – or potentially before if there are any special releases before that release (and after the June CU)  – which would be something like 14.0.6123.5003.  Other customers who do not necessarily load all cumulative updates may run into this much later, as it will be the ongoing requirement for future Cumulative Updates until the next service pack support end date – approximately one year after SP2 (and no – I do not know when SP2 will be coming along – before you ask!). Excellent references for Service Pack 1 can be found at the new-look Project blog –  Announcing Service Pack 1 for Microsoft Project & Project Server 2010 , for the initial announcement,   Announcing The Release Of Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Microsoft Project and Project Server 2010 for the release notification and particularly the TechNet article at https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh272536.aspx – Deploy Service Pack 1 for Project Server 2010.  And finally – to find out if you already have SP1 installed I’d suggest going to Control Panel, Programs, Programs and Features, Installed Updates – and you should see it listed there – Microsoft SharePoint and Project Server 2010 Service Pack 1 (SP1) https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2460047 .

The Project blog has moved! If you’d like to stay informed on the latest Microsoft Project news and announcements, head over to the new Project blog . We also have a new RSS feed so you can stay up-to-date. You’ll still be able to access previous posts here, but as of today, no new posts will appear. Special thanks to all our readers for tuning in and hope hear from you on our new blog at https://blogs.office.com/b/project/ .