Duration on Customize Field is storing total minute value of your hours defined in Option Calendar tab. (Hour per day) Ex: 1d = 8 hrs x 60 min = 480mins. Therefore if you use it for customize/calculated field the correct formula to your example is “Start 3” = “ [Finish 3] – ([Duration 3]/ 480)”.
Your comment: If "Finish 3" is 22-06-07 and "Duration 3" is 7 days, I should get "Start 3" to be 15-06-07 for the formula [Finish 3] - [Duration 3], however, I get some date in April 1998.
To interpret your formula:
“Duration3” = 7d = (8hrs x 60 x 7 = 3360 min)
“Finish3” = 22-06-07
“ Start3” = 22-06-07 - 3360 = 10-04-1998
If you use Number instead of Duration then it will interpret value as day. Hope this justify to your duration problem.
Correct that custom start/finish/duration retain no links with START, DURATION & FINISH and Im sure you are right when stating that about how one activity will amend - or actually wont - another activity when using formula. I havent tried that either and I dont see how it would be possible by only using calculated fields and no macros.
However, Im doing all these calculations of misc. custom start/finish dates in one line, i.e. for one activity, at the time. Thereby, using formulas the custom start/finish values will be amended within that one line. Basically, it is just one spreadsheet with many columns for misc. start/finsh dates each calculated from the previous based on a custom duration. Can be done in EXCEL w/o problems, but as Alexandre states, there must be a bug in MS Project (unless we doing something wrong, which could be the case).
It works when doing the formula with "Number x" instead of "Duration x" as Alexandre suggested, so Ill continue along that line.
Thanks,
Bo
Member for
19 years 5 months
Member for19 years5 months
Submitted by James Griffiths on Tue, 2007-03-06 10:19
Just a thought: Using Start 1, Finish 1, Start 2, Duration 2 etc. retain no links with START, DURATION and FINISH. There is no intelligence that underpins them, whereby if you amend a DURATION on one activity it will amend a Start 1, Finish 1 date on another activity. Whether inputting a formula introduces any level of "intelligence", Im not sure - because Ive never actually tried doing it.
P.S. "Mit freundlischen Grüssen" is German and not even close to Danish (no offence taken). Have to admit I cheated a bit myself: Took an e-mail from one of our French guys in the company and copied the Salutations-part.
Member for
22 years 9 months
Member for22 years9 months
Submitted by Alexandre Faul… on Tue, 2007-03-06 08:59
1. looks like a bug, I get the same result with MSP 2003; I tried changing the project and tasks calendar to 24h/day, 7d/week, its even worse: Start 3 is somewhere 15 years ago
2. change your formula to [Finish 3] - [Number 3] and manage your project in days
Alexandre
P.S. your French is much better than my Danish; the closest I can say is: Mit freundlischen Grüssen
No, I dont get any error message about circular reference.
I probably forgot to mention that all my duration values are entered manually, i.e. known in advance, and only start and finish values are back-calculated based on the milestone for when misc. materials are required on site and the duration for lead in, approval and design.
If "Finish 3" is 22-06-07 and "Duration 3" is 7 days, I should get "Start 3" to be 15-06-07 for the formula [Finish 3] - [Duration 3], however, I get some date in April 1998. If I enter "7" in the formula instead of [Duration 3] I get the right answer, i.e. 15-06-07, but I wanted it to be done automatically. Its like Im missing some kind on function in front of [Duration 3] enabling MS Project to carry out the calculation correct, but which?
I know one could just write the seperate lines/bars for lead in, design, etc. and then just format correctly and tick on "Always roll up Gantt Bars" under "Layout". This would give the same visual appearance, but I wanted to work with calculated fields instead, thereby using one line instead of several lines rolled up.
Sincères salutations,
Bo
Member for
22 years 9 months
Member for22 years9 months
Submitted by Alexandre Faul… on Tue, 2007-03-06 07:39
Member for
20 years 6 monthsRE: Calculated Fields?
use this method, you can deal with different calender for different resource
Member for
20 years 6 monthsRE: Calculated Fields?
Try to use start3=projsub([finish3]-[duration3],"calendar")
where calendar is the name of calender you want to use
Member for
19 years 8 monthsRE: Calculated Fields?
Rodel,
Thanks for the solution. Now it makes sense: Number or Duration in customized fields, just a factor 480 (for an 8hrs day).
Regards,
Bo
Member for
19 yearsRE: Calculated Fields?
Hi,
Duration on Customize Field is storing total minute value of your hours defined in Option Calendar tab. (Hour per day) Ex: 1d = 8 hrs x 60 min = 480mins. Therefore if you use it for customize/calculated field the correct formula to your example is “Start 3” = “ [Finish 3] – ([Duration 3]/ 480)”.
Your comment: If "Finish 3" is 22-06-07 and "Duration 3" is 7 days, I should get "Start 3" to be 15-06-07 for the formula [Finish 3] - [Duration 3], however, I get some date in April 1998.
To interpret your formula:
“Duration3” = 7d = (8hrs x 60 x 7 = 3360 min)
“Finish3” = 22-06-07
“ Start3” = 22-06-07 - 3360 = 10-04-1998
If you use Number instead of Duration then it will interpret value as day. Hope this justify to your duration problem.
Regards,
Rodel
Member for
19 years 8 monthsRE: Calculated Fields?
James,
Correct that custom start/finish/duration retain no links with START, DURATION & FINISH and Im sure you are right when stating that about how one activity will amend - or actually wont - another activity when using formula. I havent tried that either and I dont see how it would be possible by only using calculated fields and no macros.
However, Im doing all these calculations of misc. custom start/finish dates in one line, i.e. for one activity, at the time. Thereby, using formulas the custom start/finish values will be amended within that one line. Basically, it is just one spreadsheet with many columns for misc. start/finsh dates each calculated from the previous based on a custom duration. Can be done in EXCEL w/o problems, but as Alexandre states, there must be a bug in MS Project (unless we doing something wrong, which could be the case).
It works when doing the formula with "Number x" instead of "Duration x" as Alexandre suggested, so Ill continue along that line.
Thanks,
Bo
Member for
19 years 5 monthsRE: Calculated Fields?
Bo,
Just a thought: Using Start 1, Finish 1, Start 2, Duration 2 etc. retain no links with START, DURATION and FINISH. There is no intelligence that underpins them, whereby if you amend a DURATION on one activity it will amend a Start 1, Finish 1 date on another activity. Whether inputting a formula introduces any level of "intelligence", Im not sure - because Ive never actually tried doing it.
Im eager to see what results you guys arrive at.
Cheers.
James.
Member for
19 years 8 monthsRE: Calculated Fields?
Alexandre,
That works perfect with "Number"!
Thank you.
Bo
P.S. "Mit freundlischen Grüssen" is German and not even close to Danish (no offence taken). Have to admit I cheated a bit myself: Took an e-mail from one of our French guys in the company and copied the Salutations-part.
Member for
22 years 9 monthsRE: Calculated Fields?
Bo,
1. looks like a bug, I get the same result with MSP 2003; I tried changing the project and tasks calendar to 24h/day, 7d/week, its even worse: Start 3 is somewhere 15 years ago
2. change your formula to [Finish 3] - [Number 3] and manage your project in days
Alexandre
P.S. your French is much better than my Danish; the closest I can say is: Mit freundlischen Grüssen
Member for
19 years 8 monthsRE: Calculated Fields?
Hi Alexandre,
Thanks for your answer.
No, I dont get any error message about circular reference.
I probably forgot to mention that all my duration values are entered manually, i.e. known in advance, and only start and finish values are back-calculated based on the milestone for when misc. materials are required on site and the duration for lead in, approval and design.
If "Finish 3" is 22-06-07 and "Duration 3" is 7 days, I should get "Start 3" to be 15-06-07 for the formula [Finish 3] - [Duration 3], however, I get some date in April 1998. If I enter "7" in the formula instead of [Duration 3] I get the right answer, i.e. 15-06-07, but I wanted it to be done automatically. Its like Im missing some kind on function in front of [Duration 3] enabling MS Project to carry out the calculation correct, but which?
I know one could just write the seperate lines/bars for lead in, design, etc. and then just format correctly and tick on "Always roll up Gantt Bars" under "Layout". This would give the same visual appearance, but I wanted to work with calculated fields instead, thereby using one line instead of several lines rolled up.
Sincères salutations,
Bo
Member for
22 years 9 monthsRE: Calculated Fields?
Bo,
How did you write the formula for Duration 3? the logic is Finish 3 - Start 3, right?
Therefore the formula for Start 3 is :
Finish 3 - (Finish 3 - Start 3),
a circular reference.
MS Project sends a warning about that, I understand by reading your post that MS Project 2000 does not and calculates an error.
Try another formula that does not generate a circular reference; I am not good enough at maths to tell you now what it should be.
All the best,
Alexandre