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SOON on MS PROJECT

3 replies [Last post]
Tue, 2007-10-09 22:37
Chachrist Srisuwa...
User offline. Last seen 15 years 23 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 9 Jan 2007
Posts: 30
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hi...
i think in the next couple weeks i will have time to do what i have promised, Free Risk Analysis application or add-on. However, i think it is easier for me to do it in MS Project instead of Excel. Let me know what u guys think. Remember that Excel gives us more flexibility!!!
But MS Project already has the interface and also output in node diagram, bar chart, ...also CALENDAR setting (i love this one and it wont be in my application if i do it in Excel. ..too much work :P)
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Replies

Thu, 2007-10-11 03:48
#1
James Barnes
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Joined: 6 Sep 2007
Posts: 243
Groups: Petro-Chem / Oil & Gas
Chachrist,

I only suggest Access as the operating environment is closer to "programming" than Excel so you’re more likely to be able to carry global variables and stuff. Plus I guess it would be more efficient at number crunching. Assuming that MSP is VBA compliant (and I *think* it is) then you shuold be able to load the function library from MSP into access which may include some interesting commands to register activity links and stuff (pure conjecture here though, and it’s unlikely that functions in those libraries would be any more compatible with P3 data than MSP already isn’t)

I do have the Excel/VBA docs for extract from P3, I’d forgotten about those, they query the P3 databases directly don’t they.... Could be an option :D

Still, you’d have to have an (human) operator there to run the ... extract / randomise durations / reinsert / schedule / extract results ... for each iteration, rather than fully automated as in your original example, as I’m reasonably sure that VBA can’t tell P3 to schedule the plan. some clever coding may find a way around this though, then you have excel doing the data manipulation and storing the results and P3 running the actual analysis. The only thing that’s missing (conceptually) is for teh VBA script to be able to trip P3 to schedule the plan. Hmmmm, I wish I knew more about custom libraries and programming, that idea has potential
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Wed, 2007-10-10 06:33
#2
Chachrist Srisuwa...
User offline. Last seen 15 years 23 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 9 Jan 2007
Posts: 30
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First, thanks for your interest and the reply.
You did bring up one interesting question "Why dont I do it in Access?". Well I never really work with Access before, and this project should be just a hobby for me.
However, I will keep your suggestion in mind.
Do you know a probabilistic scheduling theory called "PNET"?
BTW, I have example code of VBA that can get data from P3 file. Let me know if you want it. Hhmm..I thought they give it to all the customers.
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Wed, 2007-10-10 05:11
#3
James Barnes
User offline. Last seen 1 year 4 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 6 Sep 2007
Posts: 243
Groups: Petro-Chem / Oil & Gas
MS project has activity qty limits doesn’t it? I do know that I have stopped tryng to run export / import between P3 and MSP. Too much stress ;P I really liked your initial idea, but have struggled to think how you would code the relationships in Excel. They were coded manually in the formulae in your example iirc. That would, of course, be a nightmare in any significant project. I also considered to do the analysis using; export from P3 randomise durations in Excel (or Access or whatever) import back to P3 Schedule Export results Repeat but I’d need several assistants to sit there all night running the import/export as I have no idea how to automate it, but I can see that you might use MSP for that as it is VBA compliant (I think...?) If you are talented enough to take on this project (and it seems you are) then how about running it in Access? That may provide you the tools to calculate ES/EF on a basic formula (using an update query) instead of needing one for each activity, but I am not talented enough to say for sure if it can be done or not, only that I *think* it may be possible. Either way, good luck in your endeavours, I look forward to the results!
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