Baseline/What If Manager dialog
You use the Baseline/What If Manager dialog to manage the baselines in your project. The dialog displays the baselines that are currently defined in the project in the grid. You can create and delete baselines, merge new and changed data into existing baselines, revert the active project to an earlier baseline and change the appearance of baseline bars. You can also import projects as baselines, import baselines back into their projects, import XER files as baselines, open baselines as separate projects and export copies of embedded baselines to separate files. You can sort the baselines in the grid according to different criteria by clicking the column headings. For example, click the Name column to sort the baselines by the name in alphabetical order. If you have created baseline-level user-defined fields, you can access a dialog in which you can enter user-defined field information against baselines from this dialog.
How to access the Baseline/What If Manager dialog
To access the Baseline/What If Manager dialog, on the Project tab, in the Properties group, click Baseline Manager.
Explanation of the fields and buttons on the dialog
| Field/Button | Description |
|---|---|
| Search | Enter text in this field to search for baselines that match the text that you enter. This makes it easier to find specific baselines in this dialog in projects that have a large number of baselines. |
| Baseline grid |
This grid displays a row for each baseline in the project. Click a baseline in the grid to select it.
Use the check box in the Active column to specify whether each baseline is "active". It is good practice to make only those baselines that you are currently using "active". If you choose to premount projects and baselines, inactive baselines are not premounted, which improves project performance. Data from inactive baselines is excluded from the user interface, except from the Baseline/What If Manager dialog itself.
A graphical indicator -
If you are working with an Asta Vision programme, a graphical indicator -
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| Pathname | The path and file name of the selected baseline. This field will display nothing for embedded baselines and baselines in Asta Enterprise projects. |
| Description | Enter descriptive text relating to the selected baseline. |
| Appearance | Select the foreground colour, background colour and pattern to use to colour the baseline's tasks when the selected baseline is displayed in the bar chart. |
| Restore deleted objects | Click this radio button to revert to the selected baseline only for objects that have been deleted from the live data since the baseline was last updated. |
| Restore deleted and changed objects | Click this radio button to revert to the selected baseline only for objects that have been deleted from, or edited within, the live data since the baseline was last updated. |
| Restore selected objects | Click this radio button to revert to the selected baseline only for those objects that are currently selected in the bar chart. |
| Overwrite | Click this radio button to revert all of the live data to the selected baseline, ie to overwrite all of the live data with data from the baseline. |
| New |
Click this button to create a new baseline using the Baseline Wizard.
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| Merge |
Click this button to merge new, changed and deleted data into the selected baseline, ie to update the baseline with changes that have been made in the live data since the baseline was last updated.
Note that if you have associated different baselines with individual projects within a portfolio, - these are known as 'project baselines' - and you wish to update a project baseline, you should access the Baseline Wizard from the project's Chart/Project Properties dialog rather than from the Baseline/What If Manager dialog. Accessing the Baseline Wizard in this way automatically limits the scope of the baseline merge to data that is contained within the selected project - and within any subprojects that have the same project baseline or that do not have a project baseline specified.
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| Delete |
Click this button to delete the selected baseline.
If you are working with an Asta Vision programme and you have configured a programme or baseline revision to be imported automatically each time the current programme is checked out or downloaded, you can stop this automatic import from happening by selecting the baseline - it will have a
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| Set As Current |
Click this button to make the selected baseline the current baseline. Only one baseline can be set as the current baseline at any one time. You can reference the current baseline using annotation fields. This is a useful way of displaying information from the current baseline on the bar chart, without having to display the baseline itself.
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| Revert To |
Click this button to revert the live data to the data in the selected baseline, ie to replace the live data with data from the baseline, reverting it to the state it was in when the baseline was last updated. You can specify which live data is replaced with data from the baseline using the Revert options radio buttons.
Reverting to a baseline is a useful way of experimenting with 'What If?' scenarios - you can make changes to a project, then abandon them if you do not like them by reverting to a previous baseline.
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| Import |
Click this button to import a standalone project or XER file for use as a baseline. The project or file you choose must be a copy of the project that has been taken at some point: you cannot import a completely different project for use as a baseline.
If you are using Asta Enterprise, an arrow appears to the right of this button. Click the arrow and select Local or Enterprise, depending on whether you want to import a local project or baseline, or one that is located on an Enterprise server.
If you are working on an Asta Vision programme, you cannot import XER files for use as a baseline.
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| Export |
Click this button to export a copy of the selected baseline to a separate file. You may want to do this to make a baseline available to someone else without providing them with the project itself, or to save a copy of a baseline for reference purposes before deleting it from a project. Once you have exported a baseline to a separate file, you can open the baseline in Asta Powerproject in the same way as you open other projects.
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| Vision |
Click this button when working with an Asta Vision programme to download and import a baseline, or a different revision of a programme, from Asta Vision, which is then treated as a baseline. This may be useful if you have checked out, downloaded, or started collaborating on a programme without a baseline.
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How do I...
... create a new baseline?
- Click New. You see the first screen of the Baseline Wizard.
- Follow the instructions in the Baseline Wizard to create your new baseline. Once you have created it, is appears in the grid. You can enter a description of the baseline by selecting it in the grid and entering text in the Description field.
... merge new and changed data into an existing baseline?
- Select the baseline into which you want to merge new and changed data in the grid.
- Click Merge. You see the first screen of the Baseline Wizard.
- Follow the instructions in the Baseline Wizard to merge new and changed data into the baseline.
... specify whether a baseline is active?
- Select the baseline in the grid.
- Select the Active check box to specify that the baseline is active, or clear the check box to specify that the baseline is inactive.
- Click Close or Apply.
... delete a baseline?
- Select the baseline that you want to delete in the grid.
- Click Delete.
- Click Close or Apply.
... specify the current baseline?
- Select the baseline that you want to specify as the current baseline in the grid.
- Click Set As Current.
... revert the current project to the state it was in when it was baselined?
- Select the baseline to which you want to revert in the grid.
- Click Revert To.
- Use the radio buttons in the Revert To group to specify the extent to which you want to revert to the selected baseline.
- Click Close or Apply. The baseline is retained so that you can revert back to it again if need be.
... import a project or XER file for use as a baseline, or import a baseline back into its project?
- Click Import; if you are using Asta Enterprise, click the arrow to the right of the Import button and select Local or Enterprise, depending on whether you want to import a local project or baseline, or one that is located on an Enterprise server. A dialog appears.
- Select the file that you want to import as a baseline and click Open or OK. A dialog appears in which you specify the way in which you want to import the file.
- Click OK. The file is imported as a baseline and appears in the grid.
... export a copy of a baseline as a separate file?
- Select the baseline that you want to export in the grid.
- Click Export. The Save As dialog appears.
- Specify a location and file name to apply to the exported baseline file and click Save. A copy of the selected baseline is saved as a separate file.
... open a baseline as a separate project?
Right-click the baseline that you want to open as a separate project and select Open As Project from the menu that appears. The baseline appears in a new view, in its own tab.
If a baseline is currently displayed in a view, you see a "Baseline already open as baseline" error when you try to open the baseline as a project. If you see this error, identify the view in which the baseline is displayed, access the Baselines tab of the Format Bar Chart dialog and clear the check box to the left of the baseline so that it is no longer displayed in the view. You will then be able to open the baseline as a project.
... download and import an Asta Vision baseline, or a different revision of an Asta Vision programme?
- Click Vision. The Import from Asta Vision dialog appears.
- Select the programme or baseline revision that you want to import and click Import. The selected programme or baseline revision is imported from Asta Vision and is treated as a baseline.
... stop a programme or baseline revision from being imported automatically as a baseline each time the current Asta Vision programme is checked out or downloaded?
- Select the baseline that you want to stop from being imported automatically from Asta Vision in the grid. It will have a
icon to the left of it. - Click Delete.
- Click Close or Apply.
This does not delete the programme or baseline revision from Asta Vision, but it will stop it from being imported automatically as a baseline each time the current programme is checked out or downloaded.
... embed a non-embedded baseline into the current project?
Right-click the baseline that you want to embed into the current project and select Embed. You are asked if you wish to continue. If you choose to continue, the selected baseline is embedded into the project.
The Embed option does not appear for baselines that are already embedded into the current project, for baselines of Asta Enterprise projects or for baselines of projects that are stored in Asta Vision.
A graphical indicator - 
- is displayed in the Name column in the Baseline/What If Manager dialog for any baselines that are embedded. This makes it easy to identify which baselines are embedded and which exist as separate files.
... change the appearance of baseline bars when they are displayed in the bar chart?
- Select the baseline whose appearance you want to change in the grid.
- Select a foreground colour, background colour and pattern from the Appearance group.
... record user-defined field information against a baseline?
- Right-click the baseline against which you want to record user-defined field information and select User Fields from the menu that appears. The Baseline Summary Properties dialog appears.
- Enter information into the appropriate user-defined fields.
- Click Close.
To record user-defined field information against a baseline, you must first have created one or more baseline-level user-defined fields.
Specifying which baseline is the "current baseline"
Associating different baselines with individual projects
Merging new and changed data into existing baselines
Specifying whether baselines are active or inactive
Importing a project for use as a baseline
Exporting a baseline to a separate file
Opening a baseline as a separate project
Embedding a baseline into a project