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Refresh a Previously Imported Project

 



"Refresh" refers to updating symbols' dates, column text, and column values in Milestones Project Companion or Milestones Professional with the latest information in the Microsoft Office Project file that was used to create the Milestones schedule. Optionally, new tasks in the Microsoft Office Project file are added to the end of the Milestones schedule.

NOTE: Not all schedules can be refreshed.


 
How the refresh process works
When an Microsoft Office Project file is imported into Milestones, start and end symbols are tagged with a Unique ID number from Microsoft Project and the word "Start" or "Finish." Other symbols, column headings, and various schedule areas are similarly tagged.

To view a symbol's tag, click the symbol on the schedule the toolbar change to the Current Object Symbol select the Symbol Links tab in the Incoming Link and Automation Tag section view the Automation Tag box.

During the refresh process, tagged items in Milestones are matched to their counterparts in the selected Microsoft Project file. All tagged items are replaced with the latest data from the Microsoft Office Project file.

Thus, if a start date changes in the Microsoft Office Project file, refresh will update that same start date in the Milestones schedule.


 
How to refresh a Milestones schedule's data with new Microsoft Project data
  1. Open the Milestones Project Companion or Milestones Professional schedule that was created by importing an Microsoft Office Project schedule.

  2. Choose the Connections tab in the Microsoft Office Project section choose Refresh Previously imported Project.

  3. Browse to find the Microsoft Project schedule that generated this Milestones schedule.

  4. Click once on the Microsoft Project file and choose Open. This dialog box below appears:

  • Refresh Using: If, when the Milestones schedule was created, symbols were tagged with a Microsoft Office Project field other than UniqueID, it's possible to select that field and use it to refresh the schedule.

  • Highlight obsolete milestones: Symbols in the Milestones schedule which are no longer in the Microsoft Project file will change to a question mark symbol

  • Append Tasks: Choose to add tasks to the presentation chart.  Note that if a number of tasks have been added, re-importing is usually best.

  • Adjust Date Range: Check this if the date range (start/end dates) of the Milestones chart should be changed to reflect the changes made during the refresh process. 

  • Refresh Symbol Text: updates text/values attached to symbols with the source field's text/values

  • Refresh All Columns: updates column text/values with the source field's text/values

  • Refresh Percent Complete: updates each status symbol, according to the latest percent complete values. The status symbol controls the fill-to-status for connectors and symbols


 
Refresh example
Import an Microsoft Project schedule into Milestones...   ...to generate a presentation-ready Milestones chart from the Microsoft Project data:
 
 
In Milestones, Task 1's start symbol is tagged as "24,Start" because the matching task in Microsoft Project has the unique ID number 24. If Microsoft Project Task 1's start date changes, and the refresh feature is applied in Milestones, then the Task 1 start date will change to match the change in Microsoft Project.

    
Why won't all schedules refresh?
Some schedules are not able to be refreshed with the latest data from the Microsoft Project source file. The initial import wizard path determines if the schedule can or cannot be refreshed.
 
When refresh is not allowed, re-importing the Microsoft Project file is recommended.
 
The reasons for preventing refresh of selected schedules include: in some cases, refresh would not respect the initial import of selected tasks; refreshing the schedule would take significantly longer that re-importing.
 

IMPORTANT NOTES:
  • Time-scaled values found in ValueSets, among other schedule areas, will not be updated.

  • Microsoft Project files that have significantly changed after the initial import into Milestones, should be re-imported for the latest Project data.

  • Refreshing does not change the format of the Milestones schedule.

  • Symbols in Milestones can be extensively rearranged (moved to various task lines). Their location is not important, as the Unique ID tag identifies each symbol in Milestones.

  • Symbols can be tagged manually by entering the Microsoft Project tasks' unique ID numbers, along with "Start" or "Finish" in the Automation Tag field, as shown above. The tag is case sensitive.

  • Manipulating the Microsoft Project file: Sorting a resource or task list does not change the Unique ID numbers in Microsoft Project. However, cutting and pasting task rows does change the Unique ID numbers, as Microsoft Project sees that as creating new task rows. Those same tasks in Milestones would, therefore, not be identified correctly when the Refresh is applied.

  • Milestones schedules should be saved before refreshing.


Learn more
Using Milestones Professional with Microsoft Office Project
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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