Table Definition Properties dialog - Column Definitions tab
You use the Column Definitions tab of the Table Definition Properties dialog to specify the spreadsheet columns that are included in the selected table definition. You can add columns, remove columns and change the order in which they appear in the spreadsheet. The Field field lists the columns that are currently in the table definition. Each column displays a field.
You can configure the way in which each column is displayed by editing its attributes. As you can configure different fields in different ways, the dialog displays different attributes, depending on the field that is currently selected.
How to access the Table Definition Properties dialog
To access the Table Definition Properties dialog, on the View tab, in the View Data group, click the Table dropdown and select New or Properties, or right-click a table definition in Library Explorer and select Properties. To edit your own private copy of a table, right-click one of the spreadsheet columns and select Table Definition.
Explanation of the fields and buttons on the dialog
The dialog displays the following fields relating to the table definition:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Field |
You use this field to specify the columns that are included in the table definition. Each column displays a field.
Click an entry in this field to specify the information that you want to display in the corresponding column. You can then configure the selected column using the fields on the right of the dialog.
To display a user-calculated formula in the column, select Formulae, then select the formula that you want to display. |
| Show fields |
You can configure two rows of information for each column because a column can display both bar and task information, and allocation information. You use the first row (the primary field) to specify the bar and task information to display and the second row (the secondary field), which is indented in the Field field, to specify the allocation information to display.
If you want to display only the row of information relating to bars and tasks, or only the row relating to allocations, select Primary or Secondary in this field; to display both rows of information for each column, select Both.
By default, the allocation row displays the same information as the bar and task row for each column. If you display both the bar and task rows and the allocation rows in the dialog, any edits you make to the bar and task row are reflected automatically in the allocation row. To display different information in an allocation row, select Secondary in this field to display the allocation rows only, then edit the appropriate allocation row. |
The dialog displays the following fields and buttons relating to whichever column is currently selected in the Field field:
| Field/Button | Description |
|---|---|
| Column title | Enter a title to apply to the column. This defaults to the name of the field that is being displayed in the column. |
| Title align | Specify the way in which you want the column title to be aligned, for example Centre, Left or Right. |
| Cell align | Specify the way in which you want the information in the column to be aligned, for example Centre, Left or Right. |
| Width | Specify the default width of the column. |
| Word wrap | Select this check box if you want the information in the column to wrap around onto the next line if the column is too narrow to display it all, or clear the check box to disable word wrapping. |
| Blank for subheads | Select this check box if you want the column to display nothing where there is no task on a bar, or clear the check box if you want the column to display information. |
| Zero as blank | Select this check box to configure the column to display nothing in the case of a zero value, or clear the check box to configure the column to display a zero ('0'). |
| Apply view filter |
Select this check box if you want values in the table to include only those tasks and allocations
that are included in whichever filter is currently applied, or clear the check box to include all tasks and
allocations in values, regardless of whether they match the filter criteria. This check box does not affect rolled-up values - ie values that relate to summary tasks
Selecting or clearing this check box gives different results for bars when you apply a filter that results in one or more tasks or allocations not appearing on a bar. |
| Filter rolled-up values | Select this check box if you want rolled-up values in the table - ie values that relate to summary tasks, expanded tasks and hammocks - to include only those tasks and allocations that are included in whichever filter is currently applied, or clear the check box to include all tasks and allocations in rolled-up values, regardless of whether they match the filter criteria. |
| Data | Specify whether you want the column to display information about the live data or a baseline. If you have associated different baselines with individual projects, you can configure the column to display information from the project baselines by selecting Project Baseline in this field. |
| Dates |
For fields that support time-phasing, specify the dates in which you are interested. Specify two dates to display information in a specific period, specify a 'from' date only to display information from that date to the finish of the project, or specify a 'finish' date only to display information from the start of the project to that date.
You can specify these dates as variable dates - for example 'Today', 'Month start' and 'Year end' - rather than as specific dates. You might want to do this in order to display information about a field relating to the current month or quarter - by specifying 'Month start' and 'Month end' or 'Quarter start' and 'Quarter end'.
|
| Specific task |
If there is more than one task on a bar, columns normally display information about the bar rather than information about specific tasks. However, you can specify that columns should display information about specific tasks on the bar. For example, if there are ten tasks on a bar, you can specify that columns should display information about the first, fourth, seventh or last task on the bar. You can also specify that columns should display information about all tasks on a bar that have been assigned specific code library entries.
To do this, click this button and enter your specific task criteria using the Specific Task Data dialog. The criteria you have selected is displayed in the field to the right of the Settings button.
Displaying information about specific tasks in the spreadsheet |
The dialog may also display one or more of the following attribute fields and buttons relating to whichever column is currently selected in the Field field. Note that the precise fields and buttons that are displayed depends on the field that is displayed in the selected column:
| Field/Button | Description |
|---|---|
| Scheduled/Demand |
Specify the types of allocation about which you want to display information, for example Scheduled, Demand or All allocation types.
|
| Cons/Perm/All | Specify the type of resource information you want to display, for example Consumable, Permanent or All resource types. |
| Resource or Cost centre | If you want to display information about a particular resource or cost centre, select it in this field. |
| Rolled/Direct | Specify whether you want to display directly allocated or rolled-up values for summary |
| Progress period | If you want to display information about a particular progress period, select the progress period in this field. |
| Cumulative | Select this check box to display rolled-up values for summary |
| Use period date | When displaying an EVA field in a column, select this check box to calculate the value up to the report date of the selected progress period, or clear the check box to calculate the value up to the last task section to be completed in the selected progress period. The latter setting gives more accurate results if you have not straightened your progress lines by rescheduling. |
| Override time unit | Specify the time unit in which to display information. |
| Override currency | Specify the currency in which to display information. |
| Cost type | When displaying a cost-related field in a column, specify the type of cost to which you want the field to refer, for example the cost of pending demand allocations only, the cost of scheduled allocations only, fixed costs only, etc. The default setting here displays the total cost of all allocations, excluding any satisfied demand. |
| Use budgeted cost | When displaying one of a number of EVA fields in a column, select this check box to calculate this field using the budgeted cost that has been recorded in the Budgeted cost field in the live data, or clear the check box to calculate the field using a value from a baseline. You may want to use the Budgeted cost field in projects that have been imported from Primavera software, as this field can be used in Primavera software to record the budget cost of items without the need to use a baseline. |
| Show field | When displaying a code library entry in a column, use this field to specify the information relating to the code library that you want to display. |
| Show path | When displaying a code library entry in a column, specify whether you want to display the path of the selected code library field, ie the position of the code within the code library hierarchy. |
| Path separator | When displaying a code library entry in a column and displaying the code library path, use this field to enter a character with which to separate the various levels of the hierarchy, for example a comma or a dash. |
| Style | When displaying the Predecessors or Successors field in a column, specify the type of information you want to display about tasks. |
| Info | When displaying the Predecessors or Successors field in a column, specify the type of information to display about the links between tasks. |
| Link category | When displaying the Predecessors or Successors field in a column, specify whether you want to display details of the link categories that have been assigned to the links. |
| Show link notes | When displaying the Predecessors or Successors field in a column, specify whether you want to display notes that have been entered against the links. |
| Start position |
When displaying the Path name field in a column (which displays a task's path from the programme chart down the project hierarchy, naming each parent task in turn), you can specify the parts of the hierarchy you want to include in this field and the End position field.
Enter an integer to indicate the position in the path at which you want to start displaying parent task names. A positive number means 'start at this position in the path'; a negative means 'start this far before the end of the path'. Enter nothing to display the full path. |
| End position |
When displaying the Path name field in a column (which displays a task's path from the programme chart down the project hierarchy, naming each parent task in turn), you can specify the parts of the hierarchy you want to include in this field and the Start position field.
Enter an integer to indicate the position in the path at which you want to stop displaying parent task names. A positive number means 'end at this position in the path'; a negative means 'end this far before the end of the path'. Enter nothing to display the full path. |
| Indirection |
When displaying the Priority field in a column, enter an expression that defines the way in which you want the priority of bars, tasks or allocations to be calculated when priority is calculated automatically.
|
| Work details | When displaying a field related to task work in a column, specify whether you want to display just the amount of work (for example 25.00), just the name of the unit in which the work is measured (for example Litre) or both the amount of work and the work unit (for example 25.00 Litre). |
| Work unit | When displaying a field related to task work in a column, specify whether you want to display task work that has been measured using any work unit, or only task work that has been measured using a specific work unit. |
| Rate details | When displaying the Rate field (which applies only to allocations) or the Task work rate field in a column, specify whether you want to display just the rate amount (for example 50.00), just the name of the work unit with which the rate is measured (for example Litre), just the time unit by which the rate is measured (for example Day) or all of the above (for example 50.00 Litre per Day). |
| Measure of progress | When displaying an EVA field that includes a measure of progress in a column, specify whether you want progress to be calculated according to duration percentage complete, overall percentage complete or cost percentage complete - with a specified cost centre, if required. |
| Buffer consumption | When displaying the Buffer consumption field in a column, specify whether you want to display the buffer consumption factor, the buffer remaining factor, the buffer incursion or the buffer usage. |
| Show distributed average for charts/summaries | When displaying the Overall percent complete, Percent complete or Planned percent complete (PPC) field in a column, select this check box to display a progress value for |
| Rolled up values |
When displaying the Actual duration, Duration or Duration remaining field in a column, select this check box to display rolled-up values for parent tasks in terms of working days, or clear the check box to display rolled-up values for parent tasks in terms of elapsed days.
When displaying the Original duration or Original duration percent complete field in a column, select this check box to calculate this field for parent tasks in the most accurate way, or clear the check box to calculate the field for parent tasks in the same way as it is calculated in Primavera® software, resulting in matching values between |
| Standard work | When displaying the Standard work field in a column, specify the type of standard work to which you want the field to refer; if you select a standard work folder, the field displays information on all of the types of standard work within the folder. |
| Show | When displaying the Standard work field in a column, specify whether to display total, actual or remaining standard work. |
| Edit Formula | When displaying a user-calculated formula in a column, click this button to display the Formula Properties dialog, which you can use to edit the formula. |
| Formula | When displaying a user-calculated formula in a column, this field displays the text of the selected formula |
| Status | When displaying a user-calculated formula in a column, this field indicates the status of the selected formula and highlights any errors in its syntax. |
The dialog displays the following buttons:
| Button | Description |
|---|---|
| Up | Click this button to move the selected column up one place in the Field field, moving it one place to the left in the table definition. |
| Down | Click this button to move the selected column down one place in the Field field, moving it one place to the right in the table definition. |
| Add |
Click this button to add a new column to the table definition. The new column is added to the bottom of the list or below the column that is currently selected in the Field field.
If you select an existing column by clicking its field in the Field field, then click this button, the selected column is duplicated, unless the selected column displays a 'start' field, in which case the new column displays the corresponding 'finish' field. |
| Remove | Click this button to remove the selected column from the table definition. |
How do I...
... add a column to the table definition?
- Click Add. A column is added to the Field field.
If you select an existing column by clicking its field in the Field field, then click Add, the selected column is duplicated, unless the selected column displays a 'start' field, in which case the new column displays the corresponding 'finish' field. - Click the new entry in the Field field and select the field that you want to display in the column from the list of fields that is displayed.
You can now configure the way in which the column is displayed, and configure the position in which it appears in the table definition.
... configure the way in which a column is displayed?
- Select the column you want to configure by clicking its field in the Field field. You can configure more than one column at a time by holding down CTRL and selecting the columns you want to configure.
- Edit the title of the column in the Title field. This defaults to the name of the field you are displaying in the column.
- Specify the way in which you want the column title to be aligned, for example Centre, Left or Right, in the Title align field.
- Specify the way in which you want information in the column to be aligned in the Cell align field.
- Specify the default width of the column in the Width field.
- Select the Word wrap check box if you want the information in the column to wrap around onto the next line if the column is too narrow to display it all, or clear the check box to disable word wrapping.
- Select the Blank for subheads check box if you want the column to display nothing where there is no task on a bar, or clear the check box if you want the column to display information. Note that this check box also determines whether information is displayed on bars on which summary
- Select the Zero as blank check box if you want the column to display nothing in the case of a zero value, or clear the check box if you want it to display a zero ('0').
- Select the Apply view filter check box if you want values in the table to include only those tasks and allocations
that are included in whichever filter is currently applied, or clear the check box to include all tasks and
allocations in values, regardless of whether they match the filter criteria. This check box does not affect rolled-up values - ie values that relate to summary tasks
- Select the Filter rolled-up values check box if you want rolled-up values in the table - ie values that relate to summary tasks, expanded tasks and hammocks - to include only those tasks and allocations that are included in whichever filter is currently applied, or clear the check box to include all tasks and allocations in rolled-up values, regardless of whether they match the filter criteria.
- Specify whether you want the field to display information about the live data or a baseline in the Data field. If you have associated different baselines with individual projects, you can configure the field to display information from the project baselines by selecting Project Baseline in this field.
- For fields that support time-phasing, specify the dates in which you are interested in the Dates fields. Specify two dates to display information in a specific period, specify a 'from' date only to display information from that date to the finish of the project, or specify a 'finish' date only to display information from the start of the project to that date.
- If there is more than one task on a bar, fields normally display information about the bar rather than information about specific tasks. However, you can specify that fields should display information about specific tasks on the bar. For example, if there are ten tasks on a bar, you can specify that fields should display information about the first, fourth, seventh or last task on the bar. You can also specify that fields should display information about all tasks on a bar that have been assigned specific code library entries. To do this, click Settings and enter your specific task criteria using the Specific Task Data dialog. The criteria you have selected is displayed in the field to the right of the Settings button.
- Use the fields in the Attributes group to configure the precise information that is displayed in the selected field. The precise fields and buttons that are displayed in the Attributes group depends on the field that is displayed in the selected column.
... configure the position in which a column appears in the table definition?
- Select the column you want to move by clicking the column's field in the Field field.
- Click Up to move the column towards the top of the list, or click Down to move it towards the bottom. Columns at the top of the list appear to the left of the spreadsheet and columns at the bottom of the list appear to the right.
... remove a column from the table definition?
- Select the column you want to remove by clicking the column's field in the Field field.
- Click Remove.
You can remove more than one column at a time by holding down CTRL and selecting the columns you want to remove.
Setting up spreadsheet columns
Using tables in the spreadsheet
Displaying information about specific tasks in the spreadsheet
Displaying the hierarchical path of tasks in the spreadsheet