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55 Microsoft Project Integration: Overview

This chapter contains the following:

Microsoft Project and Oracle Fusion Projects: How They Work Together

Microsoft Project integration enables project managers to create projects, complete in-depth scheduling using dependencies and constraints, and perform what-if analysis offline, before synchronizing project plan and progress information with Oracle Fusion Projects.

Project executives, project accountants, and billing specialists can use the information exported to Oracle Fusion Projects for financial planning, project costing, billing and revenue accrual, and performance reporting.

Microsoft Project integration enables you to do the following:

Import templates or existing projects from Oracle Fusion Projects to create projects in Microsoft Project.
Export projects from Microsoft Project to create projects in Oracle Fusion Projects.
Synchronize existing projects with Oracle Fusions Projects.
Import resources from the primary planning resource breakdown structure to use for creating task assignments in Microsoft Project.
Plan and schedule projects, assign resources, and track progress.
Import actual quantities and costs into Microsoft Project for progress collection.
Export project plan and progress information to Oracle Fusion Projects.

Importing Projects

You can import a template or an existing project from Oracle Fusion Projects to create a new project file in Microsoft Project. During import, select to import all project information or only planning resources. If you want to subsequently export new task assignments for the project to Oracle Fusion Projects, you must import resources from the primary planning resource breakdown structure.

Restriction

While importing from Oracle Fusion Projects, you cannot select templates whose primary planning resource breakdown structure allows changes at the project level. This restriction does not apply when importing projects.

When importing an existing project, retain the link if you intend to synchronize the project. If you only want to view project details, or intend to export the project to Oracle Fusion Projects as a different project later, then do not retain the project link.

Restriction

You cannot retain the project link if third-party scheduling is disabled for the project.

Exporting Projects

You can export a project from Microsoft Project to create a new project in Oracle Fusion Projects. Exporting links the projects in the two applications. Optionally, set a baseline for the project plan, and simultaneously generate a budget version and create a baseline.

When exporting a project, you must select a source project or template unless you had originally imported a project or template from Oracle Fusion Projects. The source project or template must allow for third-party scheduling and the associated primary planning resource breakdown structure must not allow changes at the project level.

Synchronizing Project Information

Use synchronization rules to transfer information from and to Microsoft Project. Select the required synchronization rule to synchronize all information, or import or export selected information only. For example, you can select to only synchronize schedule updates for the project. Depending on the synchronization rule, select synchronization options to determine how information is transferred.

The following table describes the default direction in which attributes are transferred.

Attributes	Imported into Microsoft Project	Exported from Microsoft Project
Task structure	Yes	Yes
Resources and resource rates	Yes	No
Task attributes	Yes	Yes
Actual quantities and costs	Yes	No
Scheduling and progress	No	Yes

Importing Resources and Rates

You can import all planning resources from the primary planning resource breakdown structure associated with the project in Oracle Fusion Projects or import selected resources only.

Import rates from Oracle Fusion Projects to calculate planned costs in Microsoft Project. The Cost Type synchronization option determines whether raw cost rates or burdened cost rates are imported.

Before import, rates are derived for each resource based on the actual or planning rate schedules specified on the associated project plan type. Any override rates you specify on the project plan in Oracle Fusion Projects are not imported.

Importing Actual Costs and Exporting Progress

You can import actual quantity and costs either from the latest summarized data or from draft progress. The source of actual amounts determines how progress is exported, as described in the following table.

Source of Actual Amounts	Impact on Importing Progress
Latest summarized data	Actual amounts on the draft progress are refreshed from the latest summarized data when you export progress. Also, you specify the progress as-of date in the synchronization options.
Draft progress	Actual amounts on the draft progress are not refreshed and hence, they match the actual amounts previously imported into Microsoft Project.

When you export progress from Microsoft Project, the estimate-to-complete (ETC) method and physical percent complete calculation method are set to Manual. Values for planned, actual, and estimated finish dates and physical percent complete are exported at each level in the task hierarchy and do not roll up in Oracle Fusion Projects. Values for all other attributes are transferred at the task assignment level and roll up in Oracle Fusion Projects.

After export, draft progress is published. A forecast version is generated depending on progress settings defined for the associated project plan type.

Restriction

If burdening is not enabled on the project type, then you can export progress with raw cost. If burdening is enabled, then you must use burdened cost to export progress. That is, set the Cost Type synchronization option to Burdened cost.