Transferring data between Asta Powerproject and Primavera software

You can make your Asta Powerproject projects available to Primavera® software users by exporting projects to Primavera software, and you can open projects that have been created in Primavera software by importing them into Asta Powerproject. This enables you to share project information with colleagues who have access to Primavera software but do not have access to Asta Powerproject.

You can use Asta Powerproject to export projects to and import projects from Primavera software in XML and 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.

You can also use Asta Powerproject to import projects from Primavera SureTrak®; however, you cannot export files into Primavera SureTrak format.

Variations between Asta Powerproject and Primavera-compatible file formats

Due to the limitations of the Primavera-compatible file formats, some of the information from your Asta Powerproject projects may be lost if you export them into these formats. Similarly, some of the information in a Primavera project may be modified or lost when you import it into Asta Powerproject. For this reason, once you have imported a Primavera project into Asta Powerproject, you are advised to save it subsequently in Asta Powerproject's file format - as a PP file - to avoid losing information that is not supported by the original file format.

File format variations when exporting projects into XML and XER format

When exporting an Asta Powerproject file using the XML or XER file format, note the following points.

Allowable length of names

The Primavera file format imposes restrictions on the length of the names that are used within projects. The Asta Powerproject file format allows much longer names to be used. If a project contains any names that are too long for the Primavera file format, these names are truncated during the XML or XER export process, so you can open the project in Primavera software. If name truncation is necessary during the export process, details are given in the export log file.

The table below shows which names may need to be truncated during the export process and the number of characters that is allowed for each type of name in the Primavera file format:

Type of name	Maximum number of characters
Currency name	40
WBS/summary or expanded task name	100
WBS/project short name	40
Code library name	40
Code library entry name	120
Code library entry short name	60
Cost centre name	When used as the cost account name in Primavera software: 100; when used as the cost account short name in Primavera software: 40
Cost allocation name	120
Resource name	100
Resource curve name	60
Task name	120

Task durations

It is only possible to change the global number of hours in a day (or week, or year) within Primavera software itself. XML and XER formats base durations on hours, so correct durations and effort values are always exported. However, if Days is the display unit in Primavera software and the number of hours in a day does not match the duration of the Days time unit in Asta Powerproject, durations in Primavera software can appear to be incorrect. For example, if a ten hour day is used in Asta Powerproject, a five day task may appear as 6.3 eight hour days when viewed in Primavera software.

If you export a project into XML or XER format and reimport it into Asta Powerproject, the duration of partially-complete tasks to which one or more resources are assigned can change slightly. This is due to a rounding error in Primavera software, which uses the number of decimal places specified in Windows Control Panel for its calculations. If you notice this, configuring Windows to use four decimal places rather than the standard two will resolve the issue, as Primavera software will calculate the duration more accurately.

Currency units

Primavera software does not offer the same level of multi-currency support as Asta Powerproject. In particular, all financial quantities are in a single currency. As a result of this, all currency amounts are converted into whichever currency unit you specify during the export. If you are exporting to XML format, you must specify 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.

When you export projects to XML format using Asta Powerproject, currency units are included in the export. When you export projects to XML format using Primavera software, currency units are excluded from the export. This means that if you export an Asta Powerproject project to Primavera software in XML format, edit the project in Primavera software, export the project to XML format and import it back into Asta Powerproject, the project's currency units will be lost.

In Primavera software, resources have an associated default currency. This is set to be the currency unit of the resource's associated cost and income rate in the Asta Powerproject project.

Resources

Primavera software has separate hierarchies of resources and skills (also known as roles). The resource hierarchy in Asta Powerproject is exported as a simple tree hierarchy, and you can choose during the export routine whether you want to export the folders in your permanent resource hierarchy as a hierarchy of roles within Primavera software as well.

Note that due to the separation of resources and roles in Primavera software, each resource can only appear in one folder in the resource hierarchy. If a resource in a project has more than one skill, their first skill is taken to be their parent folder in the resulting resource hierarchy in the exported project. Therefore if Mike Smith is both a Joiner and a Plumber - and therefore appears in both folders in the resource hierarchy - he will only appear in the Joiner folder in the exported project.

The content of each resource's Name field in Asta Powerproject is exported to the resource’s Resource name field in Primavera software and the content of each resource's Short single name field in Asta Powerproject is exported to the resource’s Resource ID field in Primavera software (if the Short single name field is empty, a resource ID is created using the contents of the Name field. As resources in Primavera software are uniquely identified using their short name, a numeric suffix is appended to the short name if necessary during the export to guarantee uniqueness.

Resource curves

Unlike resource curves in Asta Powerproject, all resource curves in Primavera software have 20 points. If you export a project that includes one or more resources curves, the export process amends the curves where necessary so that they have 20 points, and the point values are redistributed to retain the shape and distribution of the resource curve. If you were to then re-import the project into Asta Powerproject, the resource curve would be imported with 20 points - unless the resource curve has the same name as a resource curve that exists in the template that you specify during the import, in which case the template resource curve is kept as it is and any changes that have been made to the curve with the same name in Primavera software are lost.

Units of measurement

Primavera software maintains a table of units of measurement. The export creates whatever units of measurement are required to support the consumable resources that are being exported and places them in the units of measurement table.

Projects and project groups

Primavera software has a structure that allows projects within the database to be structured. It allows more than one project to be exported, but it does not allow a hierarchy of projects to be defined (unlike Asta Powerproject, in which expanded tasks and summary tasks can be defined as projects and project groups).

During the export, Asta Powerproject project groups are not exported unless they contain some content which is not itself a project. For example, if the programme chart shows as a project group and simply contains other charts, the programme chart itself would not be exported; only the charts that it contains would be exported. This is illustrated below:


Here, the programme chart itself would not be exported, as it only contains other projects	Here, the programme chart would be exported, as it is the project for chart C4

When you import an XML or XER file into Primavera software, the Import Wizard reads the file and presents you with a list of projects. You can then choose to import them all, or just a selection of them.

Each project's data date is taken from the date that has been entered into the Straighten progress line to period field on the Reschedule dialog.

Summary groups, charts and work breakdown structures

Primavera software has a very similar work breakdown structure to Asta Powerproject; however, in Primavera software there is no distinction between charts and summary groups.

The Primavera WBS name and short name are derived from the names of expanded tasks and summary tasks in Asta Powerproject.

Bars

Primavera software does not support the use of subheadings - bars with a name but with no tasks - so these are discarded during the export process.

Primavera software only supports one task per bar, so where a bar has more than one task in Asta Powerproject it is divided into separate bars during the export, with a single task appearing on each; the tasks on these bars will be linked.

Links

Where tasks that have different calendars are joined by a link that has lead/lag, the lead/lag at the start of the link is set using the predecessor task calendar and the lead/lag at the end of the link is set using the successor task calendar in Asta Powerproject. In Primavera software there is a global setting that defines whether lead/lag is set using the predecessor task calendar, the successor task calendar, or a 24 hour, elapsed time calendar. You must find out how this setting is configured in Primavera software before exporting a project, so that you can specify the correct calendar during the export process. Selecting the wrong calendar may result in the project rescheduling incorrectly once it has been exported.

Unlike Primavera software, Asta Powerproject supports elapsed time lag on links. This is converted to the correct working time - with respect to the chosen calendar - upon export.

Percentage lead/lag is not supported by Primavera software; this is converted into the appropriate lead/lag amount in hours upon export.

How lead/lag is handled when you export to another project management application

Links that start or finish at summary tasks

Primavera software does not support links that start or finish at summary tasks; Asta Powerproject supports links that start or finish at the start of summary tasks, and links that start at the finish of summary tasks.

Well-constructed summary groups should contain a single 'start' task with links that flow through to a single 'finish' task. For such well-constructed summary groups, any links that start or finish at the start of summary tasks are amended upon export so that they start or finish at the start of the 'start' task within the summary group, and any links that start at the finish of summary tasks are amended so that they start at the 'finish' task within the summary group. This is illustrated below:


A well-constructed summary group, prior to export	Post-export: the summary's links have been transferred to the 'start' and 'finish' tasks within the summary group

Less well-constructed summary groups may not have obvious 'start' or 'finish' tasks to which a summary's links can be transferred. If this is the case, additional milestones are added to the start or finish of summary groups as required upon export, to act as 'start' and 'finish' tasks to which the links can be moved. This is illustrated below:


A summary group without obvious 'start' or 'finish' tasks, prior to export	Post-export: additional milestones have been added to act as 'start' and 'finish' tasks, to which the links have been moved

Note that in projects that contain links that both start and finish at a summary task, this creation of additional milestones can result in one milestone being linked directly to another. This is not optimal practice, and Primavera software will warn of an 'invalid relationship type' in its schedule report if this occurs. The way to avoid this is to structure summary groups well prior to export.

Tasks

Primavera software does not support Deadline constraints. Deadline constraint flags are exported as Finish On or Before constraint flags.

Tasks in Primavera software have a Priority field that is used to control resource levelling. This is set to 'Top' if a task's levelling priority is more than zero in Asta Powerproject, and 'normal' otherwise.

The Activity type of tasks in Primavera software is set as follows:

Asta Powerproject	Primavera software
Start milestone	Start milestone
Finish milestone	Finish milestone
No resource allocations, or all resource allocations use the calendar of the task	Task dependent
One or more allocations, using the calendar of the resource	Resource dependent
Hammock	Level of Effort tasks

In Asta Powerproject, resource allocations have a Calculated parameter field that defines what is calculated when duration, effort or allocation changes. In Primavera software, there is a Duration type field on each task that defines the calculation type for all of the task's resource allocations. On export, this field is derived from the Calculated parameter of the first allocation on each task.

Each task's Asta Powerproject unique task ID is applied as the task's Code field in Primavera software. As this field is required in Primavera software but optional in Asta Powerproject, a unique task ID is created automatically during the export for all tasks that do not have one.

Each task's name is derived from the Asta Powerproject bar and task names: if bar and task names differ in Asta Powerproject (and the task name is non-blank), the name is exported as '<bar name>.<task name>'.

Primavera software does not support elapsed time, so tasks that have elapsed durations in Asta Powerproject are assigned the ELAPSED_TIME calendar in Primavera software, in which working time is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Asta Powerproject task notes are exported into the MEMOTYPE table in Primavera software and given a category of 'Notes'.

You can specify whether tasks that do not have any incoming links are given a start flag during the export process.

Buffer tasks and interruptible tasks are not supported by Primavera software, so these are exported as regular tasks, using the current rather than the original duration.

To ensure that Asta Powerproject and Primavera software display the same values in the Original duration field - and in the Original duration percent complete field - for parent tasks, clear the Rolled up values parameter against these fields on the Table Definition Properties dialog.

Asta Powerproject 's jagged progress line is not supported in Primavera software, and neither are tasks with multiple completed sections. Therefore, tasks that are currently in progress are exported with the resume date set to the progress date and with the actual start calculated as the resume date minus the actual duration. Although this does mean that task dates differ, the actual duration and duration percent complete figures are preserved.

Task activities

Asta Powerproject's task activities correspond to Primavera's activity steps. If a project includes tasks with task activities, these are converted into activity steps during the export, along with all the task activity data, for example weighting and progress.

Milestones

Both Asta Powerproject and Primavera software support start and finish milestones. However, Primavera software does not allow start flags to be placed on finish milestones or finish flags to be placed on start milestones. If any such flags are encountered on milestones during the export, the milestones are converted from start milestones to finish milestones, or vice versa.

Primavera software does not allow links to start at finish milestones. If any finish milestones with links starting at them are encountered during the export, the finish milestones are converted from finish milestones to start milestones.

Hammocks

Primavera software (except Primavera P3) does not support hammock tasks. However, it does have a task type called 'Level of Effort' and the export routine uses this type of task to emulate hammocks. Links are added from the start of each hammock to the start of each of its tasks, and from the end of each hammock's tasks to the end of the hammock.

Calendars

Calendars in Primavera software are significantly less sophisticated than they are in Asta Powerproject. For each calendar in Asta Powerproject, the dominant work pattern's working week and the calendar's holiday exceptions are exported.

As mentioned above, a calendar called ELAPSED_TIME is created during the import, in which working time is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This calendar is applied to tasks that have elapsed durations in Asta Powerproject - as elapsed durations are not supported by Primavera software.

Primavera software allows working periods to be defined with hour or half hour boundaries only. Asta Powerproject calendars that have work periods that start between these boundaries have their start and finish dates rounded down during the export. For example, the following work pattern in Asta Powerproject:

09:00 to 12:45 and 13:45 to 17:30

is exported to Primavera software as follows:

09:00 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 17:30

Primavera software applies exported calendars to all projects in its database unless you specify that the calendars in the project that you are exporting are specific to that project during the export process. Exporting calendars as global rather than project-specific calendars can cause problems if you export a number of projects that each contain calendars with the same name. 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.

Cost centres

Primavera software supports cost centres (called 'cost accounts') in a similar way to Asta Powerproject. Cost account names must be unique in Primavera software, so numbers are appended to the names of Asta Powerproject cost centres if required to ensure that this is the case.

Code libraries

Unlike Asta Powerproject, Primavera software allows only a single code from a code library to be assigned to a task. Tasks with multiple code assignments from the same library in Asta Powerproject have all codes removed, except the code with the lowest ID, and a warning is given in this situation.

Primavera software does not support the assignment of codes at bar level, so codes that are assigned to bars in the Asta Powerproject project are assigned to the tasks rather than to the bars in the exported project. Note that as Primavera software allows only a single code from each code library to be assigned to a task, in situations in which the same code has been assigned to both the bar and the task in Asta Powerproject, the bar code is not exported; a warning is not given in this situation.

Primavera software applies exported code library entries to all projects in its database unless you specify that the code library entries in the project that you are exporting are specific to that project during the export process. Exporting code library entries as global rather than project-specific code library entries can cause problems if you export a number of projects that each contain code library entries with the same name.

As it is not possible to colour the bar chart in Primavera software using colours and patterns that have been assigned to code library entries, code library appearance data is not exported.

Fixed costs

Costs in Primavera software have an additional field that does not exist in Asta Powerproject, representing the expenses category. As this is not supported by Asta Powerproject, a dummy expenses category called 'Imported' is created in the project and used for all costs in an imported project.

Fixed costs have an accrual type in Primavera software. Point spends in Asta Powerproject are marked as accrued at the start if they appear before the midpoint of a task and accrued at the end if they appear after the midpoint of a task. Costs with a duration are marked as being uniformly accrued.

Resource costs

In Primavera software, each resource may have up to five cost rates defined and each allocation of a resource may use any one - and only one - of these five cost rates. This contrasts with Asta Powerproject, where there may be an indefinite number of cost rates for allocations of the same resource.

If more than one cost rate is applied to an allocation, only the first is exported. If all of the allocations of a resource between them have more than five different cost rates assigned, it will not be possible to export the cost rates for all of the allocations and a warning will be given. For example, if a resource has six allocations with cost rates of £10ph, £20ph, £30ph, £40ph, £50ph and £60ph, the resource costs for one of these allocations will not be exported.

If any consumable resources have a cost per use defined, this information is lost upon export. If any permanent resources have a first use cost defined, this information is lost upon export: the cost is converted into a cost that is spread over the duration of the associated task.

Resource allocations

If you choose to export resource roles during the export process, the role is set on each exported resource allocation. If you choose to export demand allocations as well as roles, they are exported as allocations of a role rather than of a resource.

Primavera software does not support work-based resource modelling information, so this information is lost upon export. Such allocations are exported as simple effort-based allocations.

Budgeted costs

Resource and cost allocation information from the Budgeted cost field in Asta Powerproject is exported into the Budgeted cost field in Primavera software.

Negative costs and income

Asta Powerproject supports positive and negative costs, and positive and negative income. Primavera software supports positive and negative costs, but has no concept of income. Any positive income and negative costs in Asta Powerproject are exported as negative costs. Any negative income in Asta Powerproject is exported as positive cost.

User-defined fields

Primavera software does not support boolean user-defined fields, so these are exported as string-type user-defined fields containing either 'Y' or 'N'. URL-type user-defined fields are also exported as string-type user-defined fields.

Primavera software does not support duration user-defined fields, so these are exported as floating-point fields and converted into the number of hours represented by the duration.

Object types in Primavera software sometimes correspond with more than one type of object in Asta Powerproject, and this can affect the way in which user-defined fields are applied to objects. Resources in an exported project, for example, will have the user-defined fields that have been defined for both consumable and permanent resources.

Variable dates

Primavera software does not support the concept of variable dates, so any variable dates within a project are converted into fixed dates during export, based on the date to which the variable date corresponds on the day of export. For example, if you export a project on 23/11/2019, a variable date of 'Today' is converted into the fixed date of 23/11/2019.

Work breakdown structure

Primavera supports a work breakdown structure for each subproject, with a single root item for each subproject. The individual hierarchies underneath the work breakdown structure root item in an Asta Powerproject project are therefore exported, unless there is only a single project in the file, in which case the root WBS item is renamed to match that of the project. During the export process, you can specify whether to determine the structure of the exported project using the WBS structure, or using the natural order hierarchy of charts and summary groups. Due to the differences between the WBS structure and that of the natural order hierarchy, exported projects can look quite different depending on which export option you choose.

Regardless of whether you structure the exported project using the WBS structure or the natural order hierarchy of charts and summary groups, the export routine does not create a task in the exported project for each summary and expanded task, except in the following circumstances:

If one or more cost or resource allocations have been assigned to a summary or expanded task.
If one or more codes have been assigned to a summary or expanded task, or to the bar on which the task is located.

If you do not wish the export routine to create tasks in the exported project for your summary or expanded tasks, ensure that your summary and expanded tasks have no cost or resource allocations, and that no codes are assigned to the summary or expanded tasks, or to the bars on which they are created.

During the export, the WBS entries that have been assigned to expanded and summary tasks that have been identified as projects are flagged as representing projects. Additional data relating to those projects is taken from the corresponding expanded and summary tasks.

Baselines

If you export a project using XML format, you can specify which baselines you want to include in the export. If you export using XER format, baselines are excluded from the export.

File format variations when importing projects from XML and XER format

When you import an XML or XER file into Asta Powerproject, note the following points.

Organisational breakdown structure

Asta Powerproject reads the OBS table if one is present in the XER file and uses this to fill in the Project manager field on expanded tasks and summary tasks.

Currency units

If you are importing an XER file, the base currency unit that is defined in the XER file is used to set up the base currency in Asta Powerproject. All monetary values in the XER file are defined as being in the base currency.

It is good practice to apply a template when importing a Primavera XML file with a base currency that matches the base currency in the Primavera project. If the base currency in the file you are importing differs from the base currency in the template, financial values may appear in the wrong currency. If you do not apply a template when importing a Primavera XML file, the import routine infers the base currency by searching for a currency with an exchange rate of 1.0000.

Cost centres

The 'cost account' object in Primavera software is the equivalent of Asta Powerproject cost centres. Upon import, the first cost centre in the XER file is used to set up the default cost centre in Asta Powerproject. A different appearance colour is generated for each cost centre (each one a different shade of green).

Code libraries

The activity types in Primavera software are converted into Asta Powerproject code libraries, and the activity codes are converted into code library entries, which are given the default code library entry colour. The first activity type in the imported file is used to set up the default code library in Asta Powerproject.

The sort order that applies to activity codes within Primavera software is maintained during the import, with appropriate entries being entered into the Sort order field on the Code Library Entry Properties dialog for each code library.

If you apply a template to the project you are importing and the template contains one or more code libraries with the same name as a code library in the project you are importing, you can specify whether the code libraries should be combined or kept separate in the resulting project, using the Match existing code libraries check box on the Primavera XML & XER Import Options dialog. Select this check box to combine any code libraries with the same name in the template and project into a single code library in the resulting project. Clear this check box to import the project without combining identically-named code libraries in the project and template, meaning that the resulting project will contain two code libraries with the same name.

For example, if both the template and the project contained a code library called 'Location', selecting this check box would result in a project containing a single 'Location' code library, containing both the codes from the template and the codes from the project. Clearing this check box would result in a project containing two 'Location' code libraries - one containing the codes from the template and the other containing the codes from the project you were importing.

Calendars

Calendars in Primavera software are significantly less sophisticated than they are in Asta Powerproject. They consist of a single work pattern for seven days, with holiday exceptions of one or more days.

If all the tasks in a summary group use the same calendar, this calendar is applied to the summary task when you import the project from Primavera software, which means that the duration of the summary task in Asta Powerproject will match the duration it had in Primavera software. If the tasks use different calendars, the default calendar is applied to the summary task.

Resource costs

Primavera software supports resource costs that are tied to a defined time period. This is not supported by Asta Powerproject. Permanent resource costs are imported as cost and income rates in Asta Powerproject; the name of each rate is derived from its amount, for example '£20/hour'.

Resources

'Labor' and 'Nonlabor' resources are imported as permanent resources, and materials as consumable resources. The Primavera software resource hierarchy is replicated in Asta Powerproject - with roles, or skills, used to structure the permanent resource hierarchy. A different appearance is generated for each resource. Default costs are taken from the first of the five cost rates for the resource.

The content of each resource's Resource name field in Primavera software is imported into the resource's Name field in Asta Powerproject and the content of each resource's Resource ID field in Primavera software is imported into the resource's Short single name field in Asta Powerproject.

Resource curves

If you import a project that includes one or more resource curves, the import process imports all resource curves except any that have the same name as a resource curve that exists in the template that you specify during the import.

Projects

The first project in the imported file is used to set up the Asta Powerproject project summary, including the fiscal year start, the report date and the imposed start and finish dates. Any work breakdown structure items that correspond to projects are imported as expanded tasks that are flagged as being projects in Asta Powerproject.

Tasks

All tasks are imported into Asta Powerproject as either tasks, hammocks or milestones.

Tasks in progress and completed tasks are represented straightforwardly in Asta Powerproject. However, note that a task can be marked as 'started' in Primavera software but have no actuals. Such tasks are not counted as being started in Asta Powerproject.

Tasks in XML or XER files may have one or more notes attached and these notes may be in HTML format. During import the notes are concatenated and any HTML tags are removed. <BR> and <P> tags are replaced by one and two blank lines respectively. HTML special characters are imported as follows:

HTML character	Becomes
	Space
&	&
<	<
>	>

Activity steps

Primavera's activity steps correspond to Asta Powerproject's task activities. If a project includes tasks with activity steps, these are converted into task activities during the import. You can record notes against each activity step in Primavera software. These notes are not supported by Asta Powerproject, so this information is lost during the import.

Before importing a Primavera project into Asta Powerproject, ensure that you have used the Primavera Schedule feature to update progress on those tasks that have activity steps. If you import a project into Asta Powerproject without first doing this, the resulting task activities may have progress marked against them that differs from the progress on the tasks themselves.

Work breakdown structure

The work breakdown structure in an XML or XER file is imported as a set of summary tasks. In version 5 of the XER format there is a 'WBS Summary' type of task, which allows allocations onto the WBS hierarchy. These are tasks which are separate from the WBS items, but which are kept in step with them with the Primavera software Schedule command. On import, the 'WBS Summary' type tasks are merged with the summaries that are created from the WBS items.

Empty WBS items are imported as empty summary tasks, which are drawn at the report date. Note that this may cause the summary tasks that enclose them to have different start and finish dates in Asta Powerproject.

Links

You can specify as part of the import process whether any amount of lag on links is attached to the start or to the end of links.

Primavera software uses links to indicate membership of hammocks. These links are used to identify that tasks are members of hammocks during the import.

Resource allocations

'Labor' resource allocations that are only allocations of a role (and therefore not allocations of actual resources) are imported as demand allocations. Otherwise, the appropriate skill of allocations is determined from the role, or from the parent resource in the hierarchy if no role is assigned.

For permanent allocations, the cost rate corresponding to the Primavera cost is located and assigned. For consumable allocations, the cost per unit is inserted into the Asta Powerproject allocation.

Cost allocations

Any cost allocations that do not have a cost centre ('cost account') assigned to them will be assigned an 'anonymous' cost centre, which is created during the import.

If the cost accrual type is 'uniform', a cost allocation matching the task is created; otherwise cost allocations are converted into point spend cost allocations attached to the start or end of a task.

Budgeted costs

Resource and cost allocation information from the Budgeted cost field in Primavera software is imported into the Budgeted cost field in Asta Powerproject. You can view and edit this field against resource and cost allocations in Asta Powerproject; the value is calculated for tasks and bars by summing the budgeted cost of the tasks' and bars' allocations. You can choose to calculate the following earned value fields using the budget cost of allocations rather than using a value from a baseline:

Budget at completion (BAC).
Cost performance index (CPI).
Earned value (EV).
Estimate at completion (EAC).
Estimated actual cost.
Planned value (PV).
Total cost variance.
Total cost variance percent.

Negative costs and income

Asta Powerproject supports positive and negative costs, and positive and negative income. Primavera software supports positive and negative costs, but has no concept of income.

User-defined fields

User-defined fields are created according to the following table:

Primavera software type	Asta Powerproject type
Resources	Resources (permanent and consumable)
WBS	Expanded tasks
Activities	Tasks and milestones
Activity resources	Allocations (permanent and consumable)

Note that user-defined field definitions are created for all Asta Powerproject object types that correspond to a Primavera software object type. For example, if a user-defined field exists for resources in Primavera software, a corresponding user-defined file is created for both permanent and consumable resources in Asta Powerproject 4D.

For each user-defined field, the Primavera UDF label is used to create a valid user-defined field name in Asta Powerproject. This means that if you add the user-defined fields to the spreadsheet in the imported file, the correct names are applied to the column headings.

Baselines

If you import a project using XML format, it may include one or more baselines. Baselines are always excluded when using XER format to transfer information.

File format variations when importing projects from Primavera SureTrak

When you import a Primavera SureTrak file into Asta Powerproject, note the following points.

Project overview fields

The contents of the fields on the Project Overview dialog in Primavera SureTrak are imported into the corresponding fields on the Properties dialog - accessible by clicking Advanced Properties on the Properties tab of the Backstage view - and the Project Properties dialog - accessible by right-clicking the Programme chart in the project view.

Note that it is not always easy to reconcile the % complete and % expended fields on the Primavera SureTrak Project Overview dialog with Asta Powerproject's progress fields. Note also that the Number of tasks field on the Properties tab of the Properties dialog in Asta Powerproject includes all of the types of task in the imported project, including summary tasks, the programme itself and the displaced items folder.

Code libraries

The activity codes in Primavera SureTrak are converted into Asta Powerproject code library entries. The activity IDs that are assigned to tasks are imported as the tasks' unique task IDs in Asta Powerproject. Note that while it is possible to format activity IDs in Primavera SureTrak, this is not possible in Asta Powerproject, so any formatting information is not imported.

Work breakdown structure

The work breakdown structure in Primavera SureTrak is imported as the work breakdown structure in Asta Powerproject and appropriate WBS codes are assigned to the tasks in the project. Only one top-level item is allowed in the Asta Powerproject work breakdown structure, whereas more than one is allowed in Primavera SureTrak. If a Primavera SureTrak work breakdown structure has more than one top-level item, a 'dummy' top-level item is created in the work breakdown structure during the import process.

Resources

Resources in Primavera SureTrak are not categorised as 'permanent', 'consumable' or 'cost', so you need to specify which units of measurement are used for permanent resources and costs to enable Asta Powerproject to divide the resources appropriately during the import process (any resources that use a unit of measurement that you do not specify are imported as consumable resources). You must specify all of the units of measurement that are in use by permanent resources and costs in the Primavera SureTrak project - including any variations such as ‘foot’, ‘feet’, ‘ft’ and ‘ft.’ - to ensure that Asta Powerproject is able to categorise all resources correctly.

Resources in Primavera SureTrak have a set of availability limits, while Asta Powerproject supports only one availability figure. The greatest of the availability limits in Primavera SureTrak is used to set the resource's availability in Asta Powerproject.

Links

Links in Primavera SureTrak have a single lag value, which is always calculated according to the calendar of the activity at the start of the link. This value is imported as the start lag of each link in Asta Powerproject.

Tasks

Activities in Primavera SureTrak are organised as an indented hierarchy with an outline level. The activities in the outline level are called 'topic' activities. This hierarchy is imported into Asta Powerproject as a hierarchy of summary tasks.

Any 'WBS'-type activities in Primavera SureTrak are imported as hammocks; the tasks that are summarised by 'WBS'-type activities are imported as the hammock contents.

Primavera SureTrak distinguishes between 'Task', 'Meeting' and 'Independent'-type activities, which control the way in which multiple resources on an activity are scheduled. During the import process, the Use task calendar field is selected for any resource allocations on 'Task' or 'Meeting'-type tasks; aside from this, the differentiation between 'Task', 'Meeting' and 'Independent'-type activities is lost during import.

Activities in Primavera SureTrak may have text associated with them, stored in up to ten Log text fields. During the import process, these text within these fields is joined together and stored in the Notes field for each task. This concatenated text corresponds to the Log record field in Primavera SureTrak.

Scheduling

In Primavera SureTrak, activities with no successor (known as 'open ends') can be defined to be critical or non-critical. In Asta Powerproject, tasks with no successor are always considered to be non-critical. The results of rescheduling in Asta Powerproject will be the same as in Primavera SureTrak, provided that you configure Primavera SureTrak to treat 'open ends' as non-critical.