Importing from Microsoft Project (MSP)

Cora allows you to import the vital components of a Microsoft Project (MSP) file. These components include scheduling and resourcing information along with other data. This will allow you to continue to manage that information through Cora. 

Note: Terminology and location may vary depending on your configuration.

Ensure you have highlighted the preferred location within the programme structure where you want your new project to reside.  In the example below, we will be importing the MSP project to the Capital Programme.

Navigate to Import from Microsoft Project

Step 1: Select File

Click “Choose File”. 

Navigate to the relevant MSP file from your local drive or network location.

• Click Open to import the file.

• Click NEXT. 

Step 2: Import Location

You can choose the location for your import, from the following options:

A Project within the current Project:

Imported as a sub project of the current project will create another child project below the project you have currently selected.  A really good use case for this is, for example, when your supplier or subcontractor provides you with a schedule as to when they will deliver services or goods. It does not affect your master schedule and you get to see the supplier schedule in Cora underneath yours.  

A Project outside the current Project:

This option will import at the same level as the current project. A really good use case for this option is if you exported your project as a backup at a point in time. You can then reimport it with an MSP file and compare the two projects side by side.   

Important Note: Both options described above essentially ‘create’ a brand-new project in Cora. This project is created where you (the person or username you are logged in as) will be the project owner. No other users will see or be able to access the project that has been imported. Therefore, on completion of the import, it is recommended to update the project access for the project created. 

Append to the current Project tasks:

This option will add the imported tasks to the current tasks already on your schedule, at the end of the last task. This is really useful when you are building a master schedule collected from different schedules into one. Or, you did not start the schedule in Cora, and therefore the “Merge with current Project tasks” is not possible (see below).  In this case you can see the new schedule below your current schedule in the list of tasks, and then delete the ‘original’ if you are happy with the new task.

Replace current Project tasks:

This option completely removes all the tasks within the current project and replaces them with the imported tasks. Therefore, all tasks, milestones and all task data will be removed if this option is used.  Cora will first delete all tasks, then perform the import. This option is really useful if your schedule is outdated and you have been working in Microsoft Projects to build your schedule. 

Merge with current Project tasks:

We have already discussed the 4 previous options on how users can import from Microsoft Project. However, when importing, all four options would either replace the current tasks or be appended to the end of the schedule. This meant that Project Managers could not easily work on their schedules ‘offline’ in MSP as, when they imported the updated schedule, any changes in Cora would be overwritten. 

If the merge option is selected, a list of conflicts (changes) between the MSP plan and Cora schedule is displayed at step three in the import.

Clicking the hyperlink in the Conflict column displays details of the differences between the task in MSP and the task in Cora. The user can choose to accept the merged change or, by unclicking the checkbox next to the conflict, ignore that change and leave the task unchanged in Cora. 

Important option to note. 

The links between tasks in Cora and MSP are maintained via a GUID (Globally Unique Identifier). When updating the plan in MSP it must be saved back to the original file to preserve these GUIDs. If the project is saved as a new file, Microsoft Project will assign a new set of GUIDs to the tasks in the new file and this new file will not be able to be merged back into the original Cora plan.

Therefore, in summary:

• Always start the project in Cora, add all the needed tasks.
• Export the project to MSP in XML format using the Export Schedule (your Cora might have a different name for the page) option. Make sure to use XML format in the export.  
• Move the file using your explorer from your downloads locations to somewhere you will remember, or a shared folder, etc. You can simply leave it in your downloads location however is not recognised as some organisations will have rules in place for security not allowing you to open XML files directly from the downloads folder. 
• Open your Microsoft Projects application, then click on Open, search for the XML file where it was moved to.

In the example above, the project “Warehouse Refurbishment” was exported into XML format.  Assuming you are using a Windows operating system, you may need to enable XML formats in the filter. 

• Press OPEN and then make sure to use the “Merge” the data from the file into the active project so as to preserve the GUIDs.  
• Make the changes and updates in MSP that you need. 
• Do not use the option to “SAVE AS”, always use the option to “SAVE”.  The SAVE AS option will cause MSP to generate a new set of GUIDs for the task(s) and when importing them back, using the option in Cora to Merge, Cora will identify those tasks as new and not just updated tasks. 

For the remainder, we will continue with “A Project within the current Project” option.

It is important to note that ALL four options will essentially ‘cut’ links outside of the tasks on the project. This means that links to Project Register records, Inter-Project Dependencies links outside of the project and links to tasks from Key Activities will all be lost during the import.  

If these links are important in your schedule, we recommend that you do not export. Maintain tasks outside of Cora in MSP, or look at alternative options of importing schedules.  

• Click Next

Step 3: Calendar

The purpose of a calendar simply is to define non work exception periods in your schedule, and, to define the default working week for the project to schedule work, nothing more. To note, the hours per day are governed by each project-to-project setting using the properties page, not via the calendar. Resource calendars are not included in the import. See How to prepare for MSP Imports for more details.

Microsoft Project (MSP) provides the option of using either a Cora system calendar or creating a custom calendar from the MSP imported file. Any project that has its working days set differently from the default, will have a custom calendar automatically created for it.

You can have different system calendars in Cora or you can 'Create the calendar based on the File'.

If you attempt to import tasks that are on defined non-working exceptions, Cora will warn you on screen as follows:

You can use the blue hyperlink to enable a pop up with the non-work violations, if you are attempting to import a large schedule, please be patient whilst this page loads. The descriptions of the violations will sometimes be displayed depending on what does not match in Cora.

Cora also provides the option to support task calendars.

If this option is enabled, you will have to update these calendar assignments after the import for each task, the import does not support the option to map task calendars in the import as part of the process.  

In addition, if you use option 5 to Merge the tasks from the file, you will be presented with a conflicts screen at this point to see where there are conflicts between the current tasks in the schedule with the ones you are trying to merge back in.

Clicking on any CONFLICT item next to any task will display a pop up with detailed information of what the conflict between the two is.  

For example, the illustration above shows that the tasks in the file are brand new and are not found in the schedule based on it’s GUID (discussed earlier).  For example, the first task conflict:

Step 4: Import Selection

When importing, the user may also include any resources who have been assigned on the project being imported. To include the Users, Skills, Facilities, Materials and Baselines, check the tick boxes. Tasks are selected by default. If no other selection is made, you will not be presented with the mapping screen(s).

Note: Cora Skills, Facilities, Materials should be saved in Microsoft Project as a Work type resource if it is to be available to import in this step. 

 If you have baselined the project in Microsoft Projects, you can include these baselines as user baselines in the import to compare against the current schedule in Cora. 

1. Click NEXT.
2. Map the skill(s) to the user(s).

If the Microsoft Project Resource name exactly matches the name of the Cora User; Skill; Facility or Material, then Cora will attempt to match the Microsoft Project resource with the Cora resource. If there are differences, you will have to firstly decide what to include by using the checkbox of what you want to include in the import and then if you have enabled the resource to import, you need to pick what existing Skill, User, Facility or Material to import it to.

Important Note: When mapping USERS in the import, you will have the option to add users via the “-New Cora PPM User” option. This will create a new user in the system. This option therefore will affect user licences by creating additional licences so use this option only where necessary. These new users will not have an email nor password, and will not be notified that a username has been created.

In some cases, you will see that there is no User, Skill, Facility or Material to import as this was not provided for in your import file, or you have already assigned that resource in Microsoft Project to something else in the import steps already.  

You will see a message like this:

In this case the resources were already mapped to Skills in the import. 

• Click IMPORT

Note: Dependent on your “Selection to Import”, you might be brought through several mapping screens for the resources/skills/facilities/materials. See below:

Step 5: Import

The User can return to the previous steps to adjust their selection at any point by clicking PREVIOUS.

Once the Import has been completed a validation screen will display any issues between the import and the file.

The project will show in the programme tree, and the new Gantt chart for the imported project will be available.