The Role of Unique ID in OnePager for Version 7.2
Contents
About the Use of Unique ID in OnePager
This article introduces you to OnePager’s use of the Unique ID field. Think of a Unique ID as a fingerprint for each task bar in your OnePager chart. Like a fingerprint, a Unique ID is:
- Unique to Each Task: Each task bar’s Unique ID only corresponds to that one task/milestone in your source plan. No two task bars should ever have the same Unique ID, just like no two people ever have the same fingerprint.
- Never Changing: Each task bar should retain the same Unique ID throughout the life of your project. That means task bars should have the same Unique ID from snapshot to snapshot and retain their Unique ID in multi-project source plan imports.
The purpose of this article is to explain the use of Unique ID in OnePager charts and how to assure that this field is properly maintained.
Illustrations used or referenced in this article are from OnePager Pro using data from Microsoft Project but the feature's function, controls, and manual edits apply equally to other OnePager editions that import from data sources like Microsoft Excel, Oracle Primavera P6, Planisware Enterprise, Asana, or Wrike.
Overview
The Unique ID field is a field associated with Microsoft Project, Project Online, and Project Server. Each Microsoft Project source plan has values associated with the Unique ID field generated automatically. OnePager uses the Unique ID field to assure that imported tasks and milestones can be properly correlated from snapshot to snapshot as the project progresses through time. Task and milestones names can change but as long as the Unique ID is maintained OnePager can always make sure that your OnePager chart with its task bars and milestone symbols always portrays the content of the original source plan.
Although we use the term “Unique ID” in this article and elsewhere in this Wiki, OnePager, as you may know, accepts project schedule data from other PPM software suites such as Microsoft Excel, Oracle Primavera P6, Smartsheet and Planisware. These PPM software applications may or may not have an available field corresponding to the Microsoft Project Unique ID field and for that reason OnePager attempts to locate such a field on import of your source plan and provide you the option of which source plan field to use for the Unique ID function.
Regardless of what field ends up becoming the “Unique ID” field for your source plan, it is your responsibility to make sure that such a field is made known to OnePager and that the contents of the field’s cells are maintained from snapshot to snapshot in a consistent and unique manner.
As a final word of caution: If you forget and violate one of the two cardinal rules of Unique IDs shown above, you may see one of the following symptoms:
- Task bars appearing in the chart when you don’t expect them to
- Task bars disappearing from the chart unexpectedly
- Formatting of one task bar being applied to a different task bar
- Complete loss of formatting for one or more task bars
- Task bar names shifting, where one task bar has the name of another task bar by mistake
The remainder of this article provides references to Unique ID in the context of the various PPM software applications that are supported by OnePager starting with Microsoft Project and Microsoft Excel and continuing on with Oracle Primavera P6, Smartsheet, Project for the Web, Planisware Enterprise, Asana, and Wrike.
BLOG Articles for Unique ID’s in Various PPM Software Applications
Fortunately, this subject has come up for OnePager customs using a variety of PPM software applications as source plan inputs to OnePager and we provide concise yet detailed BLOG entries covering the subject of Unique ID and various PPM software applications. These are discussed below:
Unique ID’s In Microsoft Project
Please use the link below to go to the OnePager BLOG article relating Unique ID to Microsoft Project:
| Unique ID’s in Microsoft Project |
Unique ID’s In Microsoft Project Online and Project Server
Please use the link below to go to the OnePager BLOG article relating Unique ID to Microsoft Project Online and Project Server:
| Unique ID’s in Microsoft Project Online and Project Server |
The BLOG reference below is useful if you are migrating your Microsoft Project Server source plans to Microsoft Project Online:
| Migrating from Project Server to Project Online |
Unique ID’s In Microsoft Excel
Please use the link below to go to the OnePager BLOG article relating Unique ID to Microsoft Excel:
| Unique ID’s in Microsoft Excel |
In addition to the BLOG article available in the link above, we have a Youtube video available at the link below which further elaborates on the top of Unique ID when using Microsoft Excel source plans as an input source plan to OnePager Express or OnePager Bundle:
| OnePager Express Starter Tips: Unique ID |
Unique ID’s In Oracle Primavera P6, Smartsheet, Project for the Web, Planisware Enterprise, Asana, and Wrike
Please use the link below to go to the OnePager BLOG article relating Unique ID to Other PPM software applications supported by OnePager:
| Unique ID’s in Oracle Primavera P6, Smartsheet, and Planisware |
| Selecting a Custom Unique ID |
Summary
As part of your preparation of your source plan for input to OnePager you must establish a “Unique ID” field and populate late it with unique numerical values for each task or milestone you have in your source plan. Microsoft Project does this automatically as well as Microsoft Project Online and Microsoft Project Server. Microsoft Excel source plans require the designation and population of a “Unique ID” field and OnePager looks for a column with the attributes of a “Unique ID” field on import.
Oracle Primavera P6 has several columns which can be used for “Unique ID” field purposes and OnePager looks for one of these on import.
For Smartsheet, we recommend you add the “SmartsheetTaskID” field to your source plan and populate it with unique numerical values.
For Planisware Enterprise, although each installation may be different, we recommend using the “Internal Number” field for purposes of “Unique ID” as the “Internal Number” field meets the two requirements stated at the beginning of this article.
Other Resources
Related Links
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