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Update of Project 2010 SDK–Online and Download

The Project 2010 SDK download and the MSDN online release are both updated. The updates have the same URLs as previous releases: SDK Online : https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms512767(office.14).aspx SDK Download : https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=46007f25-b44e-4aa6-80ff-9c0e75835ad9&displaylang=en When you install the download, it adds links in the Start menu, under Microsoft SDKsProject 2010 SDK . Project Developer Center : https://msdn.microsoft.com/project New conceptual / how-to topic: How to: Use the QueueSystem Service (Rewrite of the Project 2007 SDK article, including a new code example.) · Topic updates for MSDN online , since the last update on March 7, 2011: 20 conceptual and how-to topics have updates. Most changes are relatively minor; the Change History table at the bottom of each topic shows significant changes. Assn Element ChangeList Elements ChangeList Schema Reference Developing Project Server Workflows How to: Create a Project Server Event Handler and Log an Event How to: Create a Proxy Assembly for WCF Services (SP1 note) How to: Modify the Ribbon in PWA Introduction to the ChangeList Schema and Statusing ChangeXML Introduction to the SetAssignmentWorkData Schema Prerequisites for ASMX-Based Code Samples (SP1 note) Prerequisites for WCF-Based Code Samples (SP1 note) Project 2010 SDK Documentation (overview of the Project 2010 SDK) Project Server 2010 Programming Tasks Project Server Error Codes SetAssignmentWorkData Elements SetAssignmentWorkData Schema Reference Supported Project Fields and Field Information for Statusing ChangeXML (updated the valid change types for the Actual Overtime Work and Remaining Overtime Work fields) Tables of VBA Object Model Changes Walkthrough: Developing PSI Applications Using WCF What’s New for Developers in Project 2010 (programmability changes for SP1) 600 managed code types (classes that include new descriptions for one or more properties, methods, and events) are updated. There are new code samples for the following PSI methods: QueueDeleteProjects ReadResource UpdateStatus ReadProjectStatus SubmitStatusForResource ReadStatusForResource ReadEventHandlerAssociationsForEvent UpdateEventHandlerAssociations CreateEventHandlerAssociations New / updated items in the Project 2010 SDK download , which was last updated March 7: Project2010SDK.chm is an HTML Help file that includes the same updated content that is online. In the managed code reference section, 99.8% of the types and members now have descriptions (26,530 out of a total 26,576 topics). That is up from 77.7% at RTM. WINPROJ.DEV.hxs remains unchanged from the March update of VBA Help. There are instructions for replacing the local VBA Help file that was shipped with the Project RTM release. IntelliSense files are updated for the PSI proxy assembly and the Project Server assemblies, to show descriptions of classes and members while programming in Visual Studio. The type and member descriptions have the same updates as in the HTML Help file (and in MSDN online). The Microsoft.Office.Project.Server.Library.dll assembly is updated for distribution with third-party solutions for SP1. Event handler solution: TestProjectEventHandlers . Test application for the Queue System : UsingQueueSystem shows an example of when to wait for the queue, and when you don’t need to wait. ProjTool has a minor update, so the functionality of the Project Details dialog matches the description in Using the ProjTool Test Application . New PSI code samples include complete WCF-based solutions for the following events: ProjectEventReceiver: OnCreating, OnCreated, OnSaved . Other new solutions show the use of the following PSI methods: QueueDeleteProjects , CreateEventHandlerAssociations , UpdateEventHandlerAssociations , ReadEventHandlerAssociationsForEvent , using the ReadResources and ReadResource methods to get the RBS custom field, creating a changeXml parameter for a different resource with the UpdateStatus method, and using SubmitStatusForResource and ReadStatusForResource .

Download Microsoft Project Server 2010 SP1 and June 2011 Cumulative Update

As announced yesterday on the main Project blog: Announcing The Release Of Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Microsoft Project and Project Server 2010 , two major product updates were launched this week: Service Pack (SP1) for Project Standard, Project Professional, and Project Server 2010 (alongside Office 2010 and SharePoint SP1) June 2011 Cumulative Update (CU) for Project Standard, Project Professional, and Project Server 2010 (alongside Office 2010 and SharePoint SP1) Plenty of guidance in the post above (including links to TechNet documentation on how to deploy these updates), my 2 cents is not to forget to run PSCONFIG after installing the binaries to ensure your server/farm is actually updated. I’ve just applied the June 2011 CU (had applied SP1 back in May as shown below) in my favorite PPM demo virtual machine and please find below version numbers from the PUBLISHED database (SELECT * FROM VERSIONS): Service Pack 1 – 14.0.6027.1000 June 2011 CU –  14.0.6105.5000 Please note that DLL will have slightly different version number as documented in each KB (knowledge base) articles. I also recommend you attend this upcoming webcast from Brian Smith and Andrian Jenkins next week on July 6th, 2011 at 8:00 am Pacific Time to get an overview of SP1 and the June CU (which will be recorded for later viewing): TechNet Webcast: Information about Project 2010 and Project Server 2010 Service Pack 1 (Level 200) PS: Exciting Office 365 launch yesterday as well, see this related topic: Microsoft Project Professional 2010 and SharePoint Online in Office 365

Microsoft Project Professional 2010 and SharePoint Online in Office 365

We are pleased to announce out-of-the-box integration of Microsoft Project Professional 2010 with SharePoint Online in Office 365!  Extend the power of Project to your whole team—no matter their location! Project managers can collaborate with teams to share schedule details quickly with Project Professional 2010 and SharePoint® Online (Office 365) task list synchronization. Individuals throughout the organization can view the task list and quickly see task status and update progress in SharePoint Online—from virtually anywhere! Project managers can then easily synchronize and update the project plan from Project Professional 2010. Synchronization is bi-directional, providing greater flexibility for communicating with the team. Want to see how simple it is to keep your team in sync—from virtually anywhere? Learn more about Project Professional 2010 with SharePoint Online Learn more about Project Professional 2010 Learn more about Office 365 Try Project Professional 2010 Get the Office 365 Trial Read the related post Enabling Better Collaborative Project Management with Office 365 and Project Professional 2010.

ANNOUNCING: Announcing The Release Of Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Microsoft Project and Project Server 2010

Please find below the SP1 and June CU announcement published on the main Project blog: https://blogs.msdn.com/b/project/archive/2011/06/28/announcing-the-release-of-service-pack-1-sp1-for-microsoft-project-and-project-server-2010.aspx Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Microsoft Project Standard 2010, Microsoft Project Professional 2010 and Microsoft Project Server 2010 has been released to the Microsoft Download Center. SP1 contains a number of products updates based on customer feedback, as described in this announcement last May: Announcing Service Pack 1 for Microsoft Project & Project Server 2010 . Before you install SP1 it is essential that you understand its content described in the links below, and thoroughly read the guidance documented on TechNet and test out SP1 in a separate environment prior to a production rollout. Description of Project 2010 SP1 https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2460052 Description of Project Server 2010 SP1 https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2460047 The following TechNet article provides information on how to deploy Microsoft Project and Project Server 2010 SP1: Deploy Service Pack 1 for Project Server 2010 . We strongly recommend that you deploy the June 2011 Cumulative Update for Microsoft Project and Project Server 2010 when you install SP1. You can download the June 2011 Cumulative Update from the KB Articles from the links below: Description of the Project 2010 hotfix package (project-x-none.msp): June 28, 2011 https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2536590 Description of the SharePoint Server 2010 and Project Server 2010 Cumulative Update Server Hotfix Package (MOSS server-package, Project server-package): June 28, 2011 https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2536600 The following TechNet article provides information on how to deploy Project Server Cumulative Updates: Updates for Project Server 2010 There will be a webcast on July 6th, 2011 at 8:00 am Pacific Time to give an overview of this Service Pack (which will be recorded for later viewing): TechNet Webcast: Information about Project 2010 and Project Server 2010 Service Pack 1 (Level 200) . Please check out these posts for additional SP1 production information: Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 Service Pack 1 Availability and Service Pack 1 for SharePoint 2010 Products is Now Available for Download . Finally, our Microsoft Support Team is available to assist should you run into any problems installing these updates; feel free to follow your internal support guidelines to use Premier Support or open up a case directly at https://support.microsoft.com .

Announcing The Release Of Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Microsoft Project and Project Server 2010

Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Microsoft Project Standard 2010, Microsoft Project Professional 2010 and Microsoft Project Server 2010 has been released to the Microsoft Download Center. SP1 contains a number of products updates based on customer feedback, as described in this announcement last May:  Announcing Service Pack 1 for Microsoft Project & Project Server 2010 . Before you install SP1 it is essential that you understand its content described in the links below, and thoroughly read the guidance documented on TechNet and test out SP1 in a separate environment prior to a production rollout. Description of Project 2010 SP1 https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2460052 Description of Project Server 2010 SP1 https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2460047 The following TechNet article provides information on how to deploy Microsoft Project and Project Server 2010 SP1: Deploy Service Pack 1 for Project Server 2010 . We strongly recommend that you deploy the June 2011 Cumulative Update for Microsoft Project and Project Server 2010 when you install SP1. You can download the June 2011 Cumulative Update from the KB Articles from the links below: Description of the Project 2010 hotfix package (project-x-none.msp): June 28, 2011 https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2536590 Description of the SharePoint Server 2010 and Project Server 2010 Cumulative Update Server Hotfix Package (MOSS server-package, Project server-package): June 28, 2011 https://support.microsoft.com/kb/2536600 The following TechNet article provides information on how to deploy Project Server Cumulative Updates: Updates for Project Server 2010 There will be a webcast on July 6th, 2011 at 8:00 am Pacific Time to give an overview of this Service Pack (which will be recorded for later viewing): TechNet Webcast: Information about Project 2010 and Project Server 2010 Service Pack 1 (Level 200) . Please check out these posts for additional SP1 production information: Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 Service Pack 1 Availability and Service Pack 1 for SharePoint 2010 Products is Now Available for Download . Finally,  our Microsoft Support Team is available to assist should you run into any problems installing these updates; feel free to follow your internal support guidelines to use Premier Support or open up a case directly at https://support.microsoft.com . Christophe Fiessinger Senior Technical Product Manager, Microsoft Project Blog | Twitter

Timesheet Solutions for Webcast: Understanding the PSI in Project Server 2010

The MSDN Webcast: Understanding Project Server Interface (PSI) in Project Server 2010 (Level 300) presentation is available for download, when you register for the event. Several of the sample applications that were demonstrated in the webcast are available in the Project 2010 SDK download. The TimesheetSamples.zip file that is attached to this blog post includes the two example solutions for timesheets. (Steven Haden and Olivier Laymand, Microsoft Corporation, did the webcast and created the sample code.) MyTsSample shows how to update a  timesheet for a resource, where the timesheet is in single entry mode. TimesheetEventHandler shows how to use impersonation with a TimesheetEventReceiver.OnCreated event handler, to update the timesheet name.

2010 Reporting Whitepaper Goodness!

Some old buddies of mine from the Microsoft Consulting Services EPM team went NUTS and generated about 200 super high quality pages about Project Server 2010 reporting. Blaise Novakovic, Jean-Francois LeSaux, Steven Haden, and Amit Abrol outdid even the high standards MCS sets. Nice work guys!   Microsoft Project Server 2010 Reporting with Excel Services and also Creating Dashboards for Microsoft Project Server 2010 Excellent work!

Project Server 2010 Reporting with Excel Services & Creating Dashboards white papers

I’m thrilled to announce the release of the following two white papers which provide step by step guidance on surfacing key Project Portfolio Management data into insightful reports and dashboards: Microsoft Project Server 2010 Reporting with Excel Services written by Jean-Francois LeSaux and Steven Haden from Microsoft Consulting Services. Creating Dashboards for Microsoft Project Server 2010 written Blaise Novakovic, Jean-Francois LeSaux, Steven Haden, Microsoft Consulting Services For additional information on Microsoft Project Server 2010 business intelligence & reporting please check out Business Intelligence in Project Server 2010 . Microsoft Project Server 2010 Reporting with Excel Services , 71 pages Overview Table Of Content The purpose of this document is to provide enough detail to be able to create and deploy reports which will support the deployment of Microsoft Enterprise Project Management (EPM) Solution. Microsoft EPM Solution relies on Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 or 2008 R2, Microsoft Project Server 2010 and Microsoft Project Professional 2010. Although each individual component of the solution is well documented on TechNet and MSDN (for the Business Intelligence), little documentation exists, as of today, which describes a step-by-step approach to building reports specific to Project Server 2010 data with Excel and Excel Services. This document is not intended to provide an in-depth description of all the features available in Excel 2007 or 2010 and Excel Services 2010 when building a report but rather provide the building blocks required to ‘be up and running’ quickly. Foreword Introduction Overview Build Your First Excel Report against OLAP Data in 10 Minutes Authoring Reports against Relational Data Use Excel PowerPivot Migrating Reports between Environments Troubleshooting Business Intelligence Features References List of Figures Creating Dashboards for Microsoft Project Server 2010 , 115 pages Overview Table Of Content The purpose of this document is to provide sufficient detail to fully design and implement Business Intelligence Dashboards that will support an Enterprise Project Management Solution (EPM), which consists primarily of SharePoint 2010 and Project Server 2010. It also includes detailed steps on how to replicate reports and dashboards included in the Project Server 2010 demonstration and evaluation pack available on the Microsoft Download Center. The purpose is to help you easily create reports and dashboards for your environment with similar characteristics. The target audience for this document is the business owner and report developers who are looking for a quick way to develop Dashboards that will support an Enterprise Project Management Solution for their organization. Introduction Understanding Report Types Creating Reports Creating Dashboards using PerformancePoint Services Creating Dashboard using a Web Part Page Conclusion Appendix A – Enterprise Custom Fields Appendix B – IPMO Stored Procedures References List of Figures List of Tables

What is Project Server Consulting?

One of the hardest questions I am asked is not one I get ‘on the job’. It is the one I get all the time from family, friends and people I meet at my kids basketball games: “So, what is it that you do for a living?” For a long time I struggled with a short, accurate yet meaningful response. “I’m a project manager” is too general. “I deploy project management software” is accurate but is a little bit vague for most people. What I have started saying is “I work with companies on the best ways to manage their projects and resources using Microsoft Project and Project Server.” If their face goes blank and they start looking for a way to escape I leave it at that. If they seem interested in knowing more I break into the more detailed version: “I learn how they decide which projects to do, how they manage them and how they use their people to work on them. Then I work with them on streamlining some of those processes and then on how to model those processes in the software.” By that time even people that love me are ready to talk about something else and I don’t blame them. What we do as Project Server consultants lacks the mass-appeal of a game developer but for our own purposes it is worth examining what it really IS that we DO. In no particular order: Listen to customers about what they do, how they manage their projects and resources. Build a picture of what is really happening with their projects, resources and other work. How do projects flow through the organization andor how does the organization flow through the projects. Examine how they are currently using data from their existing processes and systems to make decisions about what projects to start, what projects to keep doing, what resources to use or not use, what projects are costing, when projects will finish. Design reporting solutions, in some cases, from scratch to provide usable data to inform the decisions that need to be made Be the project manager for the Project Server deployment Manage customer expectations about what the system will and will not do Understand and model how users will interact with the system and design appropriate security constructs Train, train and then when you think you are finished training, train the people that did not think they needed training. Workflow design. This one is new to 2010 but it plays into the work we have been doing for years to understand how projects moved through their lifecycles, but now we have some cool tools to automateenforce the process. So this list is OBVIOUSLY not complete. I’m hoping to generate some comments from the community to round it out a bit. What are your additions to this list of what it means to be a Project Management Software or Project Server consultant?

How to map SkyDrive to a network drive

Tip of the day I got from someone based on the recent SkyDrive update (read more Introducing SkyDrive for the modern web, built using HTML5 ): In IE go to https://skydrive.live.com/ and login using your Live ID (used IE9 in my case) Go to SkyDrive -> My Files and note the CID in the browser In Windows 7 open Windows Explorer, and select Map Network Drive Enter the following docs.live.net@SSLXXXXX (replace XXXXX with CID from above) and voila happy synching!