Exporting projects to Primavera software

You can export the current project into XML or XER format, so that it can be opened in Primavera® software.

Exporting a project into XML or XER format enables you to share project information with colleagues who have access to Primavera software but do not have access to Asta Powerproject. However, note that due to the limitations of these file formats, some of the information from your Asta Powerproject project may be lost as not all data cannot be exported to XML or XER format.

There are advantages and disadvantages of using XML and XER format to transfer data between Asta Powerproject and Primavera software. A key advantage of using XML format is that any baselines are included in the import or export; they are not included if you use XER format to transfer data. Another advantage of using XML format is that Unicode character information can be included, which is useful if you use text in a variety of languages in your projects. A key advantage of using XER format is that XER files define the project's currency unit in their header; there is no way of specifying this in XML format, so you have to assume that the base currency in the Primavera database is the same as the default currency unit in the project you are importing or exporting.

If you want to export a project so that it can be opened in Primavera Cloud - which uses a different data format to Primavera P6 - you must export the project in XML format and select the Oracle Primavera Cloud check box when exporting.

To export the current project to Primavera software:

Click the File tab, click Import/Export, then click Export to Primavera. The Primavera XML & XER Export Options dialog appears.
Specify details of the exported project file either by typing a file location, name and extension directly into the File field, or by clicking Browse to specify a file. The XML or XER radio button is selected automatically, based on the file extension of the export file you specify.
If you want to export the project so that it can be opened in Primavera Cloud - which uses a different data format to Primavera P6 - export the project in XML format and select the Oracle Primavera Cloud check box.
If you are exporting to XER format, specify a version of XER in the XER version field if you need to export using an earlier version of XER; in most cases, you can leave this field set to the default version number. Other than the XER version number in the header of the resulting XER file, there is no difference in the exported data.
If you are exporting to XML format, select the baselines that you want to include in the export in the Select baselines field. Any baselines you select will be available when you open the XML file in Primavera software.
Click the appropriate WBS radio button to specify whether you want to create a work breakdown structure in the exported project based on the natural order hierarchy of charts and summary groups, or based on the WBS itself.
Click the appropriate Export scope radio button to specify whether you want to export the whole of the current project, or just the current branch.
Click the appropriate Calendar for link radio button to specify which calendar to apply to link lags in the exported project. Although this is configurable on a link-by-link basis in Asta Powerproject, it is a global setting in Primavera software, so the same setting must be applied to each link during the export.
Primavera software has separate hierarchies of resources and skills (also known as roles). Select the Resource roles check box to export the folders in your permanent resource hierarchy as a hierarchy of roles in the exported project, or clear the check box if you want to export only the resources in the project, with no reference to skills or roles.

Click the appropriate Demand allocations radio button to specify which resource allocations you want to export: select the All demands radio button if you want to export all demand resource allocations, select the Pending only radio button if you want to export only those demand resource allocations that do not have a corresponding scheduled resource allocation, or select the None radio button if you want to export scheduled resource allocations only.

Note that choosing to export demand resource allocations that have been satisfied may give you unexpected results, as a separate allocation will be created in the exported project for both the demand and the scheduled allocation - resulting in two separate and unassociated allocations - so choosing to export only pending demand resource allocations will make more sense in most cases.
Select the currency unit into which all amounts will be converted in the exported project in the Currency unit for export field. If you are exporting to XML format, you must select the base currency of the Primavera database; if you are exporting to XER format, the short name of the currency is encoded in the XER file header.
Select the Export calendars as project calendars check box to export this project's calendars as project-specific rather than global calendars. You should do this if you have identically-named calendars in different projects to prevent Primavera software from confusing them. Note that even if you choose to export calendars as project-specific, all calendars that are assigned to a resource will be exported as global calendars as resources are global in Primavera software, and the elapsed calendar is always exported as a global calendar.
Select the Export code libraries as project activity codes check box if you want to export this project's code library entries as project-specific rather than global activity codes. You should do this if you have identically-named code library entries in different projects to prevent Primavera software from confusing them.
Select the Add constraint flags to tasks with no incoming links check box if you want to add a start constraint flag to all tasks with no incoming links in the exported project. You may want to do this in order to prevent Primavera software from automatically moving such tasks to the start date of the project.
Click OK.

When you export a project to Primavera software in XML or XER format, it can be necessary for Asta Powerproject to make changes to the project due to the file format differences. If changes need to be made to a project when you export it to Primavera software, a log file that details any changes that have been made to the project is produced and saved in the same location as the output file - with the same name as the output file. If a log file is produced, a popup appears to inform you. If no changes need to be made to a project during the export, no log file is produced.