Website Upgrade Incoming - we're working on a new look (and speed!) standby while we deliver the project

Tips on using this forum..

(1) Explain your problem, don't simply post "This isn't working". What were you doing when you faced the problem? What have you tried to resolve - did you look for a solution using "Search" ? Has it happened just once or several times?

(2) It's also good to get feedback when a solution is found, return to the original post to explain how it was resolved so that more people can also use the results.

Changing Activity ID’s via Excel

18 replies [Last post]
Thu, 2009-12-24 12:45
Matt Brautigam
User offline. Last seen 15 years 4 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 8 Dec 2009
Posts: 6
Groups: Petro-Chem / Oil & Gas
I need to change about 2000 Activity ID’s because the existing activity ID’s in my schedule are longer than 20 characters. I already have the old Activity ID’s and corresponding new Activity ID’s in excel spreadsheet so I could easily import the new Activity ID’s with minimal effort.

I do not want to have to delete all of the activities with the old IDs and create New Activities with New IDs because I will loose all of my logic.

Is there an easier way???
Top

Replies

Tue, 2010-01-26 03:29
#1
Ahmet KILIC
User offline. Last seen 14 years 15 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11
Groups: None
Hi,

If you are using P6.2.1 like me, then you don’t have the Renumbering tool option. I use several functions of P6 to change Activity ID’s and plus excel export-import.

1-) Create a User Defined Field like ACT NO or something like that.
2-) Then Global Change function-Copy all the Activity ID information to this recently created User Defined Field. (0r you can skip this one and do it on excel manually.)
3-) Export activity information to excel including the user defined field.
4-) Modify the user defined field the way you prefer (the new ID numbering system.) If you have hundreds or thousands of activities, this may come in handy. You can use excel’s functions, formulas etc. to create the new ID system.
5-) Import the excel back and overwrite the user the defined field, with the new ID numbering system values.
6-) Global change again but in reverse this time, copy the user defined field info to Activity ID.

I know it takes some time to do it. But this is the only reliable method I know right now. I hope it is a useful info for you.

Regards,

Ahmet
Top
Fri, 2010-01-08 10:23
#2
Arnold Puy
User offline. Last seen 9 years 51 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 1147
Groups: GPC Qatar, Pinoy Planning Planet Community
Hi Rola,

Sorry for the late reply, I am busy with my monthly report.

1. Try to create UDF and do it in excel. Actually, it is quite a long procedure. If it is ok for you to send me at primavera6@live.com your .xer file and I’ll fix for you.

2. It is ok to stick with WBS numbering.

3. In my perspective, it is ok to use any constraints but try to avoid the overuse of it.

Regards,

Arnold
Top
Sat, 2010-01-02 12:04
#3
Rafael Davila
User offline. Last seen 3 weeks 22 hours ago. Offline
Joined: 1 Mar 2004
Posts: 5241
Groups: Spider Project Team
Did you try using Formulas?

With Spider Project I created a user defined field then entered my new activities IDs in this field. Then using a formula Code(Activity ID)= New user field I could change the IDs, cells left blank made no change in activity ID.

Yes all software work differently but maybe this could help.

Best regards,
Rafael
Top
Sat, 2010-01-02 09:22
#4
Rola Sabbah
User offline. Last seen 11 years 13 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 5 Dec 2009
Posts: 61
Groups: Civil Engineering, Women in Planning & Scheduling (WiPS)
hi arnold where are you?
Top
Wed, 2009-12-30 07:44
#5
Rola Sabbah
User offline. Last seen 11 years 13 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 5 Dec 2009
Posts: 61
Groups: Civil Engineering, Women in Planning & Scheduling (WiPS)
Arnold
lets say the last activity no. was A1200 then i added a new activity in the middle of the WBS so it got A1210 with pred. lets say A1000 and a succ. A1010.
i need to renumber all of them .
another question do I have to creat ID with letters of WBS such as EM10 or is it ok to stick with primavera numbering ?
Another one can we submitt a time schedule with constraints no manodatory , say start on or before, for example?
thank you so much.
Top
Tue, 2009-12-29 18:19
#6
Matt Brautigam
User offline. Last seen 15 years 4 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 8 Dec 2009
Posts: 6
Groups: Petro-Chem / Oil & Gas
Arnold,
Sorry for the delay in responding...I have been away on holiday. I have finished the work that I was asking for guidance on.

What I did to accomplish the work was to export all of my engineering activities out of my old schedule into excel. In excel I created new activity id’s for the activities and then created an import file for my new project. I imported the activities then the relationships into the new project. Once I had all the activities and relationships in the new schedule I was able to group them into the proper WBS by showing the WBS column and using the fill down feature.

Thanks for your help.

Matt
Top
Tue, 2009-12-29 13:12
#7
Arnold Puy
User offline. Last seen 9 years 51 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 1147
Groups: GPC Qatar, Pinoy Planning Planet Community
Hi Rola,

Can you cite an example if what Activity ID you want to modify.

Regards,

Arnold
Top
Tue, 2009-12-29 13:06
#8
Rola Sabbah
User offline. Last seen 11 years 13 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 5 Dec 2009
Posts: 61
Groups: Civil Engineering, Women in Planning & Scheduling (WiPS)
hi arnold
i made a schedule , and after i finished i decided to add more activities. the numbers are not in any kind of order so i want to renumber them , i used excel but it add a new activity, and i don’t know if i can do using global change since i don’t know how to write the stamtement, although i
i have seen changing activity in the global change but i don’t know how to write the user defined feild.
thanks
Top
Mon, 2009-12-28 03:20
#9
Arnold Puy
User offline. Last seen 9 years 51 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 1147
Groups: GPC Qatar, Pinoy Planning Planet Community
Hi Rola,

With P6.2.1 you can change your Activity ID using global change.

With P6 v7 you can change this using the "Renumber Activity IDs".

Tell me what you really need and I will guide what to do.

Regards,

Arnold
Top
Mon, 2009-12-28 02:48
#10
Rola Sabbah
User offline. Last seen 11 years 13 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 5 Dec 2009
Posts: 61
Groups: Civil Engineering, Women in Planning & Scheduling (WiPS)
when you export it to excel and change then import it back,
p6 adds a new activity but without the relations so what should we do?
Top
Mon, 2009-12-28 01:33
#11
Arnold Puy
User offline. Last seen 9 years 51 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 1147
Groups: GPC Qatar, Pinoy Planning Planet Community
Hi Arun,

The answer is Yes.

Regards,

Arnold

Top
Mon, 2009-12-28 01:08
#12
Arun Vasanth
User offline. Last seen 5 years 46 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 12 Oct 2009
Posts: 200
Groups: GPC Qatar
Dear Friends

I have a Query .I agreee with changing Activity IDS through Excel.But When we r changing the Activity will the change reflect in relations also????
For Example


A100 Block work GF relation A200 Block work FF

If Iam Changing the Activity ID to BK100 & BK200 will it reflect?????

With regards
Arun.V
Top
Mon, 2009-12-28 01:07
#13
Arun Vasanth
User offline. Last seen 5 years 46 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 12 Oct 2009
Posts: 200
Groups: GPC Qatar
Dear Friends

I have a Query .I agreee with changing Activity IDS through Excel.But When we r changing the Activity will the change reflect in relations also????
For Example


A100 Block work GF relation A200 Block work FF

If Iam Changing the Activity ID to BK100 & BK200 will it reflect?????

With regards
Arun.V
Top
Sat, 2009-12-26 02:44
#14
Arnold Puy
User offline. Last seen 9 years 51 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 1147
Groups: GPC Qatar, Pinoy Planning Planet Community
Matt,

I thought you will only change your Activity ID. If you copy only a certain level of WBS from your old project to the new project, the logic will naturally disappear.

There is a workaround to do that. If you can send me only a portion of your schedule in .xer format, I will show how to do that.

Just tell me what Activity ID you required and explain what else do you need.

Regards,

Arnold
Top
Sat, 2009-12-26 02:07
#15
Matt Brautigam
User offline. Last seen 15 years 4 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 8 Dec 2009
Posts: 6
Groups: Petro-Chem / Oil & Gas
Arnold,
What I ultimately trying to accomplish is to move activities from one schedule into a new schedule with a slightly different WBS. I have both projects open and am in the WBS view. I am copying small sections of the WBS from the old schedule and pasting it into the new schedule.

When I do this sometimes I am loosing some of my logic because the original Activity ID’s were longer than 20 characters. Now I must shorten all of the activities to 20 characters so that I can copy the WBS from my existing project into the new project.

I hope this makes sense.
Top
Fri, 2009-12-25 13:10
#16
Arnold Puy
User offline. Last seen 9 years 51 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 1147
Groups: GPC Qatar, Pinoy Planning Planet Community
Hi Matt,

Welcome to Planning Planet.

Why not try to use global change. Can you tell us or can you cite an example so that I can tell what and how to do it?

Regards,

Arnold

Top
Fri, 2009-12-25 12:50
#17
Matt Brautigam
User offline. Last seen 15 years 4 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 8 Dec 2009
Posts: 6
Groups: Petro-Chem / Oil & Gas
We are currently running 6.2.1 so my only choice is via excel, but my concern is that Primavera will create new activities instead of just replacing the activity id.

I can run a simple test to figure out if this is the case. Thanks for the guidance.
Top
Thu, 2009-12-24 23:15
#18
D Artagnan
User offline. Last seen 2 years 46 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 19 Sep 2008
Posts: 207
Groups: Civil Engineering, GPC Qatar
if you are using P6.7 you can use the "Renumber Activity Tool" ---> right click ---> renumber activity, better than using excel.

otherwise, use SDK (activity.xls), export all activities then change it in the excel and import it back again. Press F5 afterwards.
Top