Configuring Microsoft Outlook and the Exchange server to enable integration

In order to use Asta Powerproject in conjunction with Microsoft Outlook®, you have to configure Outlook (and if you use Microsoft Exchange, the Exchange server) as described in this topic. Note that the term “user” in this topic refers to Windows® users, not Asta Powerproject users. The way in which Outlook and the Exchange server must be configured depends on the way in which you are going to publish details of permanent resource allocations. The various options are described below.

You cannot publish details of permanent resource allocations to Microsoft Outlook and via SMTP email in Asta Powerproject SaaS.

Publishing directly to users’ Outlook folders

If you want to publish directly to users’ Outlook folders, any users who are to publish details of permanent resource allocations to Outlook – ie project managers – must have permissions set up to enable them to read and write to all other users’ Outlook folders on the Exchange server. This can be set by the target user or by the Administrator of the Exchange server, by editing the properties of the users’ calendars or task lists (depending on whether you are going to publish allocations as appointments or tasks respectively).

Login to the Exchange server as the user to whose Outlook folders the project manager is being given permission.
Launch Outlook.
Within Outlook, right-click Calendar or Tasks in the folder list (depending on the method of publication you are using) and select Properties. The Calendar Properties dialog or the Tasks Properties dialog appears.
Click the Permissions tab.
Click Add. The Add Users dialog appears.
Select the project manager user, click Add to add the user to the list, then click OK to close the dialog and return to the Calendar Properties dialog or the Tasks Properties dialog, where the project manager user appears in the list of users.
Select the project manager user and select Editor in the Permission Level field.
Click OK to close the dialog.

If you are publishing allocations both as tasks and as calendar appointments, you will have to give the project manager user rights over each user’s tasks and calendars.

Publishing to a shared or public folder

If you want to publish allocations as tasks or appointments to a shared or public folder, you must create a shared or public folder on the Exchange server to which any users who are to publish details of permanent resource allocations to Outlook – ie project managers – must have read and write access. If you are publishing allocations both as tasks and as calendar appointments, you must create two public folders: one for tasks and one for calendars.

Login to the Exchange server as Administrator.
Launch Outlook.
Within Outlook, right-click All Public Folders in the folder list and select New Folder. A new folder is created.
Give the new folder an appropriate name, for example Project Calendars or Project Tasks.
Right-click the new folder and select Properties. The folder’s Properties dialog appears.
Click the General tab.
Select Tasks or Appointments (depending on the method of publication you are using) in the When posting to this folder, use field.
Click OK to close the Properties dialog.
Within the new folder, create a new subfolder for each of your permanent resources. Each subfolder must have exactly the same name as the corresponding permanent resource in Asta Powerproject.

You now need to grant permissions to the subfolders. Each permanent resource must have access to their own subfolder and the project manager must have access to all subfolders.
To grant permissions to a subfolder, right-click it and select Properties. The folder’s Properties dialog appears.
Click the Permissions tab.
Click Add. The Add Users dialog appears.
Select the project manager user and click Add to add the user to the list.
Add the permanent resource user to the list, then click OK to close the dialog and return to the Properties dialog, where the two users appear in the list of users.
Select each user in turn and select Editor in the Permission Level field.
Click OK to close the dialog.

Note that if a variety of versions of Outlook are in use, you should clear the Use Cached Exchange Mode option when setting up Exchange accounts in Outlook 2003. Using Cached Exchange Mode in this version of Outlook can delay information that is sent from or to Asta Powerproject, resulting in Outlook 2003 users receiving information on their allocations later than other users. You can turn off Cached Exchange Mode in existing accounts by editing the account and clearing the Use Cached Exchange Mode check box.