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Lucernex / MS Project Integration

Lucernex is integrated with MS Project, a piece of project management software created by Microsoft. You can import and export your MS Project files from the Schedules page.

ClosedImportant Information to Know About this Integration

Please review the following sections prior to using the Lucernex-MS Project integration.

ClosedWhat We Support

We support the following in this integration:

  • Lucernex only supports the most recent version of MS Projects, which currently is the 2019 version.

    MSP releases a new version once every three years historically.

    It is possible that older versions may work; however, older versions have not been tested and we cannot guarantee that imports will work as expected.

  • We support the below task type relationships:

    • Start to Start (SS)

    • Finish to Start (FS)

    • Finish to Finish (FF)

  • We support lead and lag notations.

  • We support multi-group schedule templates.

  • We support importing relationships.

  • We primarily support day/days notation.

    Week and month notations are converted to days upon imports. We do not re-convert these values upon export.

  • We convert edays to days upon import.

    • For this feature to function correctly, you will need to crash your schedule. Both Work Weekends and Work Holidays must be selected.

    • Exports to MS Project will list the duration in days, not edays.

  • You can export schedules from Lucernex into .XML format. This XML file can be imported into MS Project, updated, and then re-imported.

ClosedIntegration Behavior Notes

The following behavior occurs in this integration:

  • Lucernex does not accept duplicate task names anywhere in the MS Project Schedule file.

  • Lucernex matches tasks in the MS Project file to your schedule based upon the task’s name and displays the matching tasks in the Import MSProject File window. Group Names and Task Names MUST match for updates to occur.

    • We DO NOT create tasks that are not part of the schedule template

    • If no match is found, then that task or group will be skipped upon import.

  • If a task in MS Projects is noted as week(s) or month(s), Lucernex translates that value to days upon import.

  • Gantt view in Lucernex will always update after an MS Project import.

  • Percentage Complete values in MS Project trigger the following changes in the status of a task upon import:

    • 0% - Not Begun

    • 1-99% - In progress

    • 100% - Complete

  • The admin-level MS Project template import feature does not support UPDATING a schedule template via .mpp file.

  • Notes do not import.

  • Milestones do not import.

    Milestones are based solely on your Milestone Timeline configuration. Milestones are not editable on an individual entity. Each milestone in the timeline is strictly associated with a single task. If that task exists on the entity, then the Milestone exists on the entity. Otherwise, it does not.

  • We import baseline and forecast / actual date fields, but NOT projected date fields.

ClosedRules to Follow

We recommend the following best practices:

  • Each task must have a unique name. Duplicate task names anywhere in the MS Project Schedule file are not accepted by Lucernex.

  • Keep tasks in the same root group in MS Project as they are in Lucernex. If you change the root group, the task will not import.

  • Clear tasks that you do not want to import.

    For example, you may not want to import completed tasks.

  • Select the Ignore Schedule Task Relationships check box to ignore task relationships.

  • You cannot manually add tasks to your schedule using the Import MS Project procedures.

  • If you more than one root group, you can only add tasks to those root groups. If you have only one root group, you can add both groups and tasks to that group.

ClosedImport MSProject File on the Entity Schedule Page

Important!

Lucernex does not accept duplicate task names anywhere in the MS Project Schedule file.

To import an MS Project file:

  1. Navigate to Entity > Details > Schedule.

    Use the links in the Navigation Pane on the leftmost side of the page.

    Schedules are available in almost every Lucernex module as a third-level tab under the Details sub-tab.

  2. Click Import MSProject.

    This displays in the Actions menu on the right side of the page.

    The Import MSProject File window opens.

  3. Click Browse.

    An Upload dialog box opens.

  4. Select the file you want to import.

  5. Upload the file.

    The dialog box closes.

  6. Click Upload.

    The window updates with matching tasks. All matching tasks are pre-selected for import, and display basic information about the task.

    Important!

    MS Project groups and tasks that do not have a word match with a schedule task will not be displayed in the Import MSProject File window.

  7. If you want to have Lucernex ignore the predecessor / successor and lead / lag relationships associated with the tasks in the file, select the Ignore Schedule Task Relationships check box.

    Selecting this check box will cause Lucernex to import the individual task attributes but ignore cross-task dependencies. This means once the import completes, Lucernex will not cascade changes down the schedule based on the new dates you’re importing.

    Your Accruent administrator can also set this setting for you at the firm-level. If you want this check box to be selected by default in the Import MSProject File window, contact your Accruent representative.

  8. Clear the check boxes next to the tasks that you do not want to import.

    For example, you may not want to import tasks which have already been completed.

  9. Click Import.

    The import begins. Lucernex updates all selected tasks with the corresponding MS Project task information, including parent and grandparent information.

    Note:

    If you get an error message that reads, "Query of sync MS Project import task failed", one of two things could have happened:

    • The file that is being imported has a template that does not match the one applied to the schedule in Lucernex, OR

    • There are some MS Projects features that are not supported in Lucernex included in the file.

    Once the import is complete, you will receive a success message.

  10. Click Close.

ClosedExport MSProject File from the Entity Schedule Page

Lucernex only supports the most recent version of MS Projects, which currently is the 2019 version.

To export an .xml file of your schedule suitable for use in MS Project:

  1. Navigate to Entity > Details > Schedule.

    Use the links in the Navigation Pane on the leftmost side of the page.

    Schedules are available in almost every Lucernex module as a third-level tab under the Details sub-tab.

  2. Click Export MSProject.

    This displays in the Actions menu on the right side of the page.

    A system dialog box opens, asking you to either open or save the file.

  3. Choose whether you want to open the file in MS Project or save the file to your computer.

ClosedImport an MS Project Template for Use in Lucernex

You can import templates you have already created for your company in MS Project for use in Lucernex.

Important!

You cannot update an existing schedule template via MS Project import.

Lucernex does not accept duplicate task names anywhere in the MS Project Schedule file.

To create a schedule template via MS Project import:

  1. Click Admin in the toolbar in the upper-right corner of the window.

    The System Administrator Dashboard page opens.

  2. Click Manage Schedule Templates link in the Company Administration column.

    The Schedule Templates page opens.

  3. Click Add Schedule Template in the lower-right corner of the Schedule Template table.

    The Add Schedule Template window opens.

  4. Enter a name for your schedule template in the Template Name field.

  5. Enter a description for your schedule template in the Description field.

    We recommend that you add descriptions to every template, layout, or field you create in Lucernex, so that subsequent administrators will understand the purpose and context of the items you create.

  6. Enter any notes about the template in the Notes field.

    Since templates are most often created at implementation, we highly recommend that you add notes about the context and reasoning for using this template in this field. This will help you and future system administrators understand the template's usage if the template is viewed at a later date.

  7. Select the check boxes indicating which entities this schedule template should be available in.

  8. Select the portfolio you want this template to be available for from the Available for the following Portfolios / Capital Programs field.

    All Portfolios / Capital Programs is selected by default. You can select multiple options.

  9. Click the Import MS Project.

    The Import MSProject File window opens.

  10. Click Browse.

    An Upload dialog box opens.

  11. Select the file you want to import.

  12. Upload the file.

    The dialog box closes.

  13. Click Upload.

  14. Select the tasks you want to import.

    By default, all tasks are selected.

  15. Click Import.

    The import begins. Lucernex stores the following information from the MS Project file:

    • Group names

    • Task names

    • Initial Status

    • Task Start / Task Duration, depending on whether a task has a predecessor.

    Once the import is complete, the Add Schedule Template window will display the MS Project file as an attachment.

  16. Click Add.

    The window closes. The template appears in the Schedule Templates table.

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