Sure Trak Saving Problem

I certainly do John! :-) I may have been working with Primavera for 16 years (albeit not hands-on day-to-day), but with Primavera longevity comes more potential for "senior moments" for me!

Thanks for clarifying that Arthur. It’s a long time since I used Suretrack, and since the memory wasn’t good to start with, and getting steadily worse, well you know what I’m trying to say!



Clearly, Restore and Open are two different operations.

Just to be safe, and for the record, let’s differentiate between "saving" and "back up/restore". Saving will always create multiple database tables, not matter whether one is using the (default) Project Groups format, or Concentric (P3), or "SureTrak". The file names will just look different. (From what I can remember from the murky past, the "single or multiple files option" that you are talking about John, is a setting that relates to backup to/from the Concentric format, and is defined in a .INI file.)



Saving using the Project Groups or Concentric (P3) options will result in a file name starting with a four-character project name, followed by an indicator as to the type of content (such as "CAL"), and file extension ".P3". The SureTrak format will permit longer file names, and the type of file becomes the file extension. Such as ".CAL".



Backup is something different, and can create a single file. So it’s the obvious way to move data between locations. I had assumed that the enquirer was using the default database format Project Groups. And backing up from that or the Concentric (P3) format will create a single .PRX file if that setting is correct. If SureTrak format is being used, then the file will be .STX, as he now has.



But having said all that . . . I think John has probably put his finger on the problem. Your use of the word "open". Restoring will create (or overwrite) those database tables. But if you are then expecting it to automatically open in SureTrak, that isn’t going to happen. So go into the program, and see if that project is in the "File/Open" list for that (SureTrak) project type.

I’ve just picked up this thread and I think I can help.



You are using SureTrack, which by default will save to a single file. If it is saving multiple files then I suspect it has been configured to save in Primavera P3 format, which will use a minimum of 23 files (though Suretrack won’t create all for them). Check the default settings to make sure you save in Suretrack format.



Second, when you backup you create the .STX file. When you restore the .STX it will make either the Suretrack file or the P3 files. It won’t open the project. You will still have to ’Open’ the project file using the path you specified for the restore.



Hope this helps.

John

When you’re in the program: Tools/Project Utilities/Backup. The usual Help button is included in that dialog.

But . . . if you are backing up the project, for security reasons or to transfer it to another PC or site, then that creates a single (.prx) file. Because then it IS worthwhile to have a single file for ease of data transfer.

Just forget about how many files it creates. Although that could actually be an advantage if you are integrating the data with some other system (as David has said), it makes absolutely no difference to your use of SureTrak how many files comprise the database.



If you think that it looks "messy", then don’t look! I mean that. :-) And we are a long way past the days when the number of files stored on a hard drive could get to be a problem.



But if it really does bother you, then the answer to your question is no.

The number of tables that Suretrak creates may seem clumsy to you at the moment. But if you ever need to interface another system, e.g. Time recording or Procurement systems directly with Suretrack, this database structure makes it wonderfully easy compared to a one-file-per-project system like Microsoft Project.

Yes. They are database "tables". As opposed to a single file in the case of some database systems. But that doesn’t matter. You still open it from the file menu, all that matters is that SureTrak knows what to do!

I don’t understand. From your post it sounds as if you are trying to open projects from your SureTrak projects directory, without using the program. Or am I misunderstanding?



The correct way to open a project is from the File menu, once the program is open. Or even before that, if you still have the "Welcome to SureTrak" screen enabled.