Working with Primavera in Vista

My company use Primavera Project Planner (P3). It is the industry standard, our clients demand it, and there is no way we could change unilaterally.
We are also changing over to Vista, in fact most departments have. I am the first in the planning/scheduling department to change - and I am facing a major problem.

Like most planners, I export P3 data to spreadsheets, manipulate the data and re-import it into P3. This has been complicated over the past few years because P3 exports as .wk1 or wks files (Yes, I did write .wk1 and wks). This was overcome by going P3 -> .wk1 -> .xl -> .wk1 -> P3, and most planners would do it in their sleep. That was ok up to Excel 2003. Now Excel 2007 does not recognise .wk1. .wks or even .dbf files. Standard procedure now impossible.

I am sure that some of you clever guys out there have come across this problem, or a similar one.

Any answers?

Regards

Ligoneri

ligoneri wrote:
I've read through your post twice and have come to the conclusion that this
is a Primavera issue first because Primavera is apparently not
Vista-compatible, an Excel issue second because Excel 2007 apparently is
not Primavera-compatible, and a Vista issue not at all. Why ever would you
upgrade your operating system and Office software without researching this
extremely important issue first?

1. Contact Primavera for help with their software. There is no point in your
company's going to Vista and Office 2007 if your main company software
won't work with that OS and that version of Office.

2. Post in an Excel newsgroup for help with Excel.
microsoft.public.excel

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
Don't Panic!

Hi Malke

Thanks for the quick reply. Unfortunately, due to a computer crash, I became the pioneer P3/Excel 2007 user. Because I was being issued with a new machine our ISD guys loaded me up with Vista/Excel2007 and P3 - without really testing things out. I have made the problem plain to them, but I am taking the initiative to try to help - it may be there is no simple answer.

I have also posted on an Excel forum.

My personal thought is that P3 should stop being so pedantic and accept that the world standard for spreadsheete is no longer Lotus 123.


Regards

Ligoneri

ligoneri wrote: I know this is no comfort, but you're in the same boat as a lot of my small
business clients who use some sort of specialized/proprietary niche
software. My advice to them is the same as what I gave you:

1. Contact the niche software maker for patches, upgrades, compatibility.

2. If the niche software maker won't fix their stuff, look for a different
program that will do what you need and that is compatible with the OS you
want to run.

3. If nothing else is available, don't upgrade your operating system or use
virtual computing to create a virtual machine running the old operating
system and the niche software.

Best wishes,


Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
Don't Panic!

Thanks agan Malke

The niche software providers are a liitle intransigent.

My employers are one of the top 20 construction companies in the world, annual turnover in billions and employing over 100,000 personel - but the software producers go their own way.


Ligoneri

Hi Ligoneri

I'm a P3 Administrator and know how Primavera like to work quite well ...
I've contacted them enough times.

Anyhow, I can say that currently there is no way to use the new combination
you have been given even with the latest V6 release of P3 ... I should
imagine like most enhancements and new platforms it will come with the new
releases probably next year. Best solution as Malke suggests create a
virtual enviroment and roll back your Excel.

Cheers

Paul


"ligoneri" <ligoneri.37hj6h@xxxxxx-mx.forums.net> wrote in message
news:ligoneri.37hj6h@xxxxxx-mx.forums.net...

Thanks Paul

It was not what I wanted to read, (I still believe in miracles) but it is what I expected . Thanks very much for saying - without any prompting from me - that what I have been supplied with does not work.

I will pass this on to our ISD and ask for an alternative solution. If they come p with anythinng interesting, I will post it

Cheers

Ligoneri