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Importing Information from MS Access Using ODBC

  

ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) is a standard interface for accessing information stored in database management systems. Most current releases of major applications support ODBC, including Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, Oracle, FoxPro, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Visual Basic, and Milestones Professional.  

Using ODBC with Milestones Professional, you can retrieve schedule information from external database files. The information is then "mapped" to Milestones Professional columns and dates to produce a schedule like the one below:
This technical brief will take you step-by-step through the process of building a schedule using information imported from an MS Access database using ODBC.

In this example, a Microsoft Access Database named "odbcexample" contains several tables. A table is a collection of information in a specific format. One table, the "Project Information" table is below:

Figure 1 – The Project Information table.  This table is stored in a Microsoft Access database.
 

Several steps are involved in importing information using ODBC.
   
Step 1 – Set up a schedule to receive the information in the Access table.  We've made it easy.  This step is accomplished by using our pre-designed template.
   
Step 2 – Set up the ODBC Data Source. In ODBC, the "data source" is an identifier for the database you need to access. It includes all the required information to connect to the database.
   
Step 3 – Map the fields in the Access table to the appropriate fields in Milestones Professional.

It’s possible to build even a complex schedule using data imported and mapped. Several start and end date combinations and several independent milestones can be imported. Outline level, WBS number and up to 20 columns of text information can also be mapped and imported.

    

Step 1 - Set up the Milestones Professional Schedule
  

Before importing your data, you should configure your new Milestones Professional file to receive the schedule information from the Microsoft Access table. This involves setting up the columns with appropriate column headings, setting up any special symbols and saving the format in a template.

When importing, Milestones Professional will automatically use the first toolbox symbol for the start date, and the second for the end date. The symbols in the third row will be used for the Milestone symbols. In the ODBC example, the first symbol (green triangle) is used for the task 1 start date and the second symbol (red inverted triangle) is used for the end date. Customize your toolbox to your own symbology to assure your symbols will represent the appropriate item.

The format of the example schedule includes a WBS SmartColumn, a text column named "Task", another text column name "Site" and a date range from January 2037 to December 2038.  The Date Headings reflect the year and the Quarter of the year.

Figure 3 – The schedule format, ready for data.
  

Step 2 - Set up the Data Source
  
In ODBC, the "data source" is an identifier for the database you need to access. It includes all the required information to connect to the database. Depending on the type of database the user wants to access, the data source will refer to either a single database file, or a directory where a collection of files is stored.  In the case of Microsoft Access, the data source will refer to the database.

To set up the data source, DO THIS:

    
1 Click Import Data from the Milestones Professional File menu.
2 Next, click ODBC.
3 Click the "Machine Data Source" tab.
4 Click once on "MS Access Database".
5 Click OK to continue.
6 Locate the the Access database you downloaded before starting this exercise. (odbcexample.mdb).
7 Click OK to continue.
8 Select the table you want to import. (MS Access databases can have many sets of information, or tables.)
In this example, select the "Project Information" table.

Step 3 - Map the data
  
The following dialog box is where you will map the fields in the input file to the fields on your Milestones Professional schedule. Before beginning the mapping, click the Clear Settings button.
For each field in the following table, DO THIS
  1. Click the input file field name (on the left)
  2. Click the Milestones Professional field name (on the right).
A line is drawn to indicate the mapping. To undo, double-click the Milestones Professional field name (on the right).
 
Field # Mapped To:
1 Column 10 - closest to the schedule on the left side
2 WBS Number
3 Column 11 - closest to the schedule on the right side
4 Task 1 Start Date
5 Task 1 End Date
6 Milestone 1
7 Milestone 2
8 Milestone 3
9 Milestone 4

After you have finished mapping the fields, DO THIS:

  1. Enter the name odbcexample in the Current Filter Name area at the top of the dialog box.

  2. Click Save Settings

  3. Click Continue Import Using Current Filter. 

The Microsoft Access data from the Project Information table will now be drawn on the Milestones Professional schedule and should look like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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