OnePager Import of Data from Primavera P6 for Version 7.1

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Contents

Introduction

The purpose of this article is to put in one place as much information as possible for Oracle Primavera P6 users about how OnePager is used to create OnePager charts and how OnePager handles data imported from Oracle Primavera P6.

This article focuses on two major topics:

1) Importing Oracle Primavera P6 data into OnePager.
2) OnePager handling of specific Oracle Primavera P6 Column data once those data are imported.

As a convention, whenever we refer to the OnePager in the context of Oracle Primavera P6, we'll just say OnePager when its absolutely clear that we are discussing OnePager with Primavera P6. Since only the Standalone edition of OnePager can import Oracle Primavera P6 XML formatted and XER formatted files, we'll just leave the suffix "Standalone" off.

About Importing Oracle Primavera P6 Data to OnePager

OnePager imports data from Oracle Primavera P6 source plans in three (3) formats: (1) XML formatted files, (2) ZIP formatted files, and (3) XER formatted files. When processed by OnePager, the software looks for Activity names, start dates, and finish dates at a minimum and attempts to map any fields found in the Oracle Primavera P6 imported data to meaningful field names that can be used for the creation of OnePager charts.

Exported Oracle Primavera P6 XML Formatted, ZIP Formatted, or XER Formatted Files

Before considering how OnePager imports source plan data from Oracle Primavera P6, it may be efficient here to review how Oracle Primavera P6 exports source plan information. For the purposes of considering Oracle Primavera P6 imports to OnePager, it accepts three (3) formats: XML formatted files, ZIP formatted files, and XER formatted files.

Exported XML Formatted Files

XML formatted files contain the greatest number of Oracle Primavera P6 column options and is typically the format most exported to OnePager. You can export an XML formatted file directly to OnePager by unchecking or turning OFF the Export all project level layouts checkbox in the Export form’s File Name control group. Then you can use the File Name dropdown button to access the list of previously created and saved XML formatted files as shown below:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(1H)-09212021.png

Unchecking the Export all project level layouts checkbox to OFF assures that the exported file is in the XML format and the file name has the .xml suffix appended. Once the Oracle Primavera P6 export process is completed, OnePager can import the file as an XML formatted file for use in creating your chart.

Exported ZIP Formatted Files

The default setting for the Export all project level layouts checkbox is checked ON meaning that Oracle Primavera P6 by default exports ZIP formatted files into a Save File area reserved for .ZIP formatted files. The option is shown in the example below:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(1I)-09212021.png

Checking the Export all project level layouts checkbox ON assures that the exported file is in the ZIP format and the file name has the .zip suffix appended. Once the Oracle Primavera P6 export process is completed, OnePager can import the file as a ZIP formatted file, extract the XML formatted file, and use the XML formatted data to create your chart.

Exported XER Formatted Files

Initiating the export of an XER formatted file has a different starting point in Oracle Primavera P6 but the export process follows similar steps as described above and arrives at the Export form shown below where the Export all project level layouts checkbox is not present:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(1J)-09212021.png

Following the XER format export process to the step shown above assures that the data are exported in the XER format. When the Oracle Primavera P6 export process is completed, OnePager can import the file directly as a XER formatted file and use the XER formatted data to create your chart.

Reference Links to More Information on Exporting Oracle Primavera P6 Data to OnePager

For detailed information on exporting XML formatted, ZIP formatted, and XER formatted files from Oracle Primavera P6, please see the sub-section in this article at: Exporting XML Formatted, ZIP Formatted, and XER Formatted Files from Oracle Primavera P6 to OnePager

Selecting Activities for Import into OnePager

OnePager has imported either one of the Oracle Primavera P6 file formats, OnePager looks for an imported field (called a Flag field) that can be used to control whether an Activity should be imported and subsequently used in the creation or update of a chart. The Flag field usually is a text field in Oracle Primavera P6 containing the word Yes if the Activity is to be imported or No or left blank if the Activity is not to be imported. Our recommendation is that you should refrain from importing more than 50 Activities from your Oracle Primavera P6 source plan to avoid cluttering the OnePager chart. Finally, OnePager imports all WBS Element data found in an XML formatted, ZIP formatted, or XER formatted file.

An example of an Oracle Primavera P6 source plan based on the BlueGrass Project Plan used elsewhere in this Wiki is shown below with the column Flag20 indicating the import Flag field:

P71-3 0 3 2-71-(1-1)-06022021.png

To control which Activities are imported by OnePager as task bars, specify the Oracle Primavera P6 User Defined Field (UDF) column as used above where the Oracle Primavera P6 User Defined field named Flag20 was added as a text column and the Activities that are to be import have this column’s contents set to Yes for each Activity to import.

Any UDF or text type column can be used for this purpose as long as the selected column’s contents are Yes or No. For the purpose of illustrations in this Wiki, the Flag20 UDF is used and is incorporated into the Oracle Primavera P6 source plans as shown in the P6 Columns form shown below:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(1G-1)-04042022.png

When making your first chart, we strongly recommend that you select 50 or fewer Activities. Please note that OnePager is shipped with a number of fully populated templates that are based on the Oracle Primavera P6 source plan used in the Tutorial also shipped with the product – BlueGrass Project Plan. Note that three field heading types must always be present: Activity Name, Start, and End.

This discussion continues at this link: Using Oracle Primavera P6 Source Plans with OnePager - Launching OnePager

Activity Selection Option (1): Select All Tasks

Oracle Primavera P6 source plans like the one shown above with 73 Activities and a WBS Element structure, results in a very large OnePager chart usually not suitable for detailed schedule conversations. Accordingly, we do not recommend importing more than 50 Activities so that the resulting chart is a useful one page rendering of the source plan.

Activity Selection Option (2): Select Tasks with ‘Yes’ in field:

As mentioned above, one method for telling OnePager which Activities to import is to use a Flag column. As shown in the previous section, the Oracle Primavera P6 source plan has a User Defined Field named Flag20 and the word Yes is typed into the contents of the Flag20 cell for each Activity imported into OnePager. Here is an illustration of the OnePager choices form where a Flag column is used to select Activities from the source plan:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(1A-1)-02262022.png

When this is done for the source plan shown above, and other appropriate settings are made for OnePager, the resulting chart looks like this:

P71-3 0 3 1-71-(11A)-06072021.png

Using the Select task with ‘Yes’ in field: Activities (Non-Summary) Option:

If you want to display all Non-Summary Activities in one chart, which may be very large, choose the Activities (Non-Summary) option in the OnePager choices form shown here:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(5-1)-02262022.png

When this task selection option is selected the chart, as we mentioned, might be quite long as in the example shown below:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(6)-06212021.png

The above chart shows all Activities and the start and finish milestones defined in the source plan.

Using the Select task with ‘Yes’ in field: Critical Option:

There is Critical option available in the Select task with ‘Yes’ in field radio button option as shown below:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(3-1)-02262022.png

When the Critical Task Selection option is used, OnePager examines the imported Oracle Primavera P6 source plan and displays all Activities and WBS Elements that are on the Critical Path as shown below:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(4)-06212021.png

Selecting WBS Elements for Import into OnePager

You may want to create OnePager charts that only display WBS Elements for the purpose of addressing the highest organization of your program or project. To do this, go to the Task Selection sub-section of the OnePager choices form, click the Select task with ‘Yes’ in field radio button, and click the dropdown button in the adjacent window to access the dropdown list as shown below:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(1-1)-02262022.png

Now click the WBS Items (Summary) option in the above dropdown and continue with the process of creating the chart. When you create the chart using the WBS Elements for the swimlane labels the chart looks like this:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(2)-06212021.png

Missing Fields, Field Headers, or Misspelled Field Headings

OnePager also checks field headings when importing data in UPDATE mode. If the field was used in previous snapshots for any purpose, OnePager checks to assure that the new import for the snapshot has those same fields. When OnePager cannot find the expected fields, one or more field heading names are missing or blank, the field heading is recognizably misspelled, or the data type is different from the previous snapshot, OnePager provides a warning message as shown in the example below:

P71-4 0 1 7-71-(4)-08302021.png

This can occur when you inadvertently attempt to update a chart from the incorrect Oracle Primavera P6 source plan file or the desired Oracle Primavera P6 source plan was altered to the extent that OnePager cannot find the fields needed to accomplish the UPDATE functions. You are given two choices when the message above is displayed:

Continue with missing field(s)

By selecting the Continue… button, the import proceeds. OnePager blanks some values that it cannot find. Note: The results can be unexpected.

Go back and fix field(s)

Selecting the Go back… button tells OnePager to stop the import process. You can now correct the Oracle Primavera P6 source plan or select another one and start the UPDATE process again.

Using Conditional Import Rules to Make Selections of Activities and/or WBS Elements

For OnePager users who import source plans from Microsoft Project, Microsoft Excel, and Smartsheet, the typical method for selecting tasks (Activities) from the source plan is to define one or more Boolean fields in the source plan and code them with a Yes or No/blank to indicate whether the task (Activity) should be imported. For Oracle Primavera P6 source plans there are no Boolean columns per se. This situation is overcome by the Oracle Primavera P6 user defining a User Defined Field (UDF) as a text type column and coding these text field/fields with Yes/No or 1/0 or Yes/blank to indicate which task (Activity) should be imported. This procedure is documented above.

The alternative to defining User Defined Fields described above is to use the OnePager Conditional Import Feature. This feature is described in the following sub-sections with examples.

The Conditional Import Feature for Making Activity and/or WBS Element Selections

OnePager has a feature which supports making Activity and/or WBS Element selections on the basis of various properties of Activities and WBS Elements. This is called the Conditional Import feature.

Before discussing the application of the Conditional Import feature to Oracle Primavera P6 Activity and WBS Element selection, we recommend that you read the article on this subject at: Conditional Import Filters (Portal)

Using the Select tasks by custom filter Option:

You can use the Conditional Import feature to fine tune the Activities and/or WBS Elements you want to import. Assuming that you’re familiar with the concepts of Conditional Import, the Conditional Import Rules form can be accessed by selecting the Select tasks by custom filter: radio button as shown in the illustration below. Using the Conditional Import Rules form as shown here, it is possible to select Activities between Planned Start and Planned Finish dates:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(9A-1)02262022.png

When the above Conditional Import rules are used in the selection process, the resulting chart looks like this:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(9)-06282021.png

The illustration created above includes Activities and WBS Elements within the Planned Start/Planned Finish dates included in the Conditional Import Rules form. To exclude WBS Elements, an additional rule is needed. The Conditional Import Rules form below shows how this additional rule is constructed:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(10)-06282021.png

Any Oracle Primavera P6 column found in your source plan can be used as a field in a Conditional Import rule.

Any field can be used to formulate a Conditional Import rule as shown in the example below:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(7-1)-02262022.png

In the illustration above, the first Conditional Import rule specifies that only WBS Items (Summary) Elements are to be imported. The two following Conditional Import rules assure that WBS Elements between the dates of 9/7/2018 and 12/12/2018 are only imported and used to create the chart. When the chart with only WBS Elements is created, it looks like this:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(8)-06282021.png

Considerations When Using P6 Activity Columns

OnePager has a multitude of features that can easily take Oracle Primavera P6 source plan data and construct Gantt charts that are very suitable to support your schedule conversation needs. This section covers topics that you should know about when it is necessary to construct OnePager charts using more than the Activity Name, Start, and Finish dates to create a Gantt chart. The sub-sections that follow cover these topics.

Oracle Primavera P6 Columns Imported Through XML Formatted and XER Formatted Files

Importing Oracle Primavera P6 information into OnePager is done by first exporting either an Oracle Primavera P6 XER formatted file or XML formatted file which can then be processed by OnePager. The two file types exported from Oracle Primavera P6 do not contain the same information. Therefore, it is important to know what information is contained in each file type so that your OnePager chart can display what you need to communicate in your schedule conversations.

A list of Oracle Primavera P6 columns contained in the XML formatted and XER formatted file types can be found in the article at: Oracle Primavera P6 Columns Available to OnePager

Activity and WBS Element Selection Using the OnePager choices Form

The first several major sections of this article covered in general how to select Activities and WBS Elements for inclusion in your chart. This section provides more detail on how this required step can be accomplished in the most efficient manner.

When OnePager is importing Activities from an Oracle Primavera P6 XML formatted or XER formatted file, OnePager follows the options you selected in the OnePager choices form’s Task Selection section as shown below:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(1A-1)-02262022.png

Typically OnePager users define Boolean flag fields in their source plans and populate the cells for the Activities they wish to import with Boolean options such as Yes/No, Yes/blank, YES/NO, TRUE/FALSE, T/F, or 1/0. Oracle Primavera P6 does not support Boolean fields per se. That is, there is no Column in Oracle Primavera P6 that is a Boolean type column. To deal with this, OnePager interprets text, integer, and numeric fields as Boolean fields for the purpose of Activity selection if the following conventions are followed.

Text Fields Used as Boolean Fields in Oracle Primavera P6

In illustrations used in the first several sections in this article, the Oracle Primavera P6 text field Flag20 is created as a User Defined Field of type text. OnePager as it imports the XML formatted or XER formatted file interprets the Column headers, their column type, and their cell contents to get an overall picture of the source plan. When it finds a text field whose contents are either Yes/No, Yes/blank, YES/NO, TRUE/FALSE, T/F, or 1/0, OnePager interprets the cell’s contents as Boolean.

In the illustration above, Flag20 is an Oracle Primavera P6 text field whose contents happen to be populated with Yes/blank as shown in the first illustration at the beginning of this article. When OnePager recognizes this configuration, it adds the Flag20 field to the dropdown list associated with the second radio button in the Task Selection sub-section of the OnePager choices form.

Integer Fields Used as Flag Fields in Oracle Primavera P6

To use an Oracle Primavera P6 integer field as a flag field, its contents must have 1’s in those cells that are intended to be imported as Activities. Activities that you do not wish to import can either be left blank or populated with 0’s.

OnePager does not include the Oracle Primavera P6 integer field’s name in the dropdown list associated with the second radio button in the Task Selection sub-section of the OnePager choices form. Accordingly, if you choose to use an integer field for Activity selection purposes, you will need to use the Conditional Import Rules feature as described in the named sub-section in this article.

Numeric Fields Used as Flag Fields in Oracle Primavera P6

Numeric fields, fields with contents that contain an integer and decimal fraction, are eligible to become flag fields when their contents are either 1.0 or 0.0. However, such fields are not picked up by OnePager as a flag field as discussed above for Oracle Primavera P6 text fields. Therefore, we do not recommend that Numeric fields be used for the purpose of general Activity selection. That said, it is still useful to consider Numeric fields for Activity selection if the values contained in these Numeric field’s cells need to be used for decision making on which Activities should be imported.

OnePager Chart Representation of Specific Oracle Primavera P6 XML Formatted and XER Formatted Data

OnePager provides additional "virtual" fields for use in your charts that are constructed from data imported from either your XML formatted or XER formatted files. These virtual fields are provided in OnePager for Oracle Primavera P6 source plans so that you can use all the features of OnePager when designing your charts.

There are eight (8) specific OnePager virtual fields that can be used with both XML formatted and XER formatted files. These fields are:

  • Activities (Non-Summary)
  • Activity % Complete
  • Duration (computed)
  • Level “x” summary ID
  • Level “x” summary name
  • Object ID
  • Outline Level
  • WBS Item (Summary)

There are nine (9) specific OnePager virtual fields that can be used only with XML formatted files. These fields are:

  • BL Project Start – Project Baseline Start Date
  • BL Project Finish -- Project Baseline Finish Date
  • “[User Baseline Name1]” Finish – User Baseline 1 Finish Date
  • “[User Baseline Name1]” Start – User Baseline 1 Start Date
  • “[User Baseline Name2]” Finish – User Baseline 2 Finish Date
  • “[User Baseline Name2]” Start – User Baseline 2 Start Date
  • “[User Baseline Name3]” Finish – User Baseline 3 Finish Date
  • “[User Baseline Name3]” Start – User Baseline 3 Start Date
  • Primary Resource

In the above list there are two sets of XML formatted fields that apply to Oracle Primavera P6 baseline fields. The first two correspond to the names given to the Project Baseline Start/Finish dates. These two fields are always present in the various dropdown lists when an XML formatted file is imported. Oracle Primavera P6 supports up to three (3) User Baselines and OnePager can recognize these start/finish date names and make them available for use in your charts. The User Baseline Name1 through 3 are placed in the dropdown lists when the corresponding baseline start/finish dates for these User Baselines are imported.

Baseline data are exported only in XML formatted files based on the selections made at the time of the export operation. OnePager can access the Project Baseline Start/Finish dates as well as up to three (3) User Baseline Start/Finish Dates. OnePager captures the Baseline Names from the XML formatted file export process as shown in the Oracle Primavera P6 forms below:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(1C)-09132021.png

The illustration above shows the Project Baseline with a name of BlueGrass Project Baseline and two User Baselines with names BlueGrass Project – B1 and BlueGrass Project – B2, respectively. It is these names that are available in OnePager for various uses such as in text columns or in mapping a particular baseline to graphics in the chart as shown below:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(34C)-09202021.png

OnePager Virtual Fields from Both XML Formatted and XER Formatted Source Plans

As mentioned above there are eight (8) virtual fields in OnePager that are available in field dropdown menus that are calculated by OnePager from Oracle Primavera P6 data imported from either XML formatted or XER formatted files. These virtual fields and their uses are described in the sub-sections that follow.

Activities (Non-Summary) Field

When OnePager imports an XML formatted or XER formatted file, it looks at each “row” of the import and determines if it is an Activity or a WBS Element. If the “row” is an Activity the software sets the Activity (Non-Summary) field for that Activity to a value of TRUE. Additionally, and as explained further on, OnePager also sets the WBS Item (Summary) field for the Activity to a value of FALSE. For each WBS Element OnePager finds in the import source plan file, the software sets the Activity (Non-Summary) field to FALSE and the WBS Item (Summary) field for the “row” to TRUE.

The Activity (Non-Summary) along with the WBS Item (Summary) field is useful when making Activity/WBS Element selection with the OnePager choices form as shown below:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(1B-1)-02262022.png

Additionally, the Activities (Non-Summary) field can be used in Conditional Import Rules to either include or exclude Activities in conjunction with other rules needed to control the import to OnePager.

For more information on Conditional Import Rules, please see the article at: Conditional Import Filters (Portal)

Activity % Complete for WBS Elements

As shown in the illustration below, Oracle Primavera P6 does not display Activity % Complete values for WBS Elements:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(10B-1)-04042022.png

OnePager uses an earned-value percent complete calculation starting with Activity % Complete for each individual Activity under the WBS Element to compute the Activity % Complete values for each WBS Element shown in the chart below.

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(10C-1)-04042022.png

Duration (computed) Field

OnePager calculates a duration value called Duration (computed) which is based on the difference in days and parts of days between the Oracle Primavera P6 Finish date and Start date excluding weekends. The formula is as follows:

Duration (computed) {in days and parts of days} = Finish date – Start date (excluding weekends)

To use this feature, you must assure that your XML formatted file or XER formatted file contains the Start date and Finish date fields for each Activity you intend to display in the OnePager chart. The illustration below shows the OnePager chart with text columns for the Start date, Finish date, and Duration (computed):

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(10A-1)-04042022.png

Level “x” summary ID/name Fields

OnePager provides a feature that allows you to conveniently order or create levels of indention based upon the source plans Work Breakdown Structure. OnePager supports ten (10) levels of indention which can be based on the ID or the Name of the WBS Element.

As an example, take the portion of the Oracle Primavera P6 BlueGrass Project Plan shown below and note how OnePager interprets the WBS Elements:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(10D-1)-04042022.png

When the OnePager' chart is created using the Flag20=Yes to control the import of data and the Left#1 swimlane is set to Level 1 summary name and the Left#2 swimlane is set to Level 2 summary name, the chart looks like this for the portion of the source plan above:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(10E)-09092021.png

Object ID Field

OnePager has the capability to add and modify snapshots within a chart as a project progresses through time. Additionally, OnePager supports the capability to create charts from multiple source plans in the import package. To manage the correspondence between Activities/WBS Elements as snapshots are added or modified and to assure that there is accounting for duplications of Activities when charts are built from multiple source plan files, OnePager needs to have a unique identifier for each Activity/WBS Element imported. This is accomplished by the OnePager virtual field called Object ID where OnePager assigns a unique integer to each Activity/WBS Element so that these elements can be consistently managed as snapshot are added or modified.

You have the option of changing the field used by OnePager for this purpose in the Template Properties form’s Field Mappings tab as shown below:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(10G)-09142021.png

Changing the Unique id field name to another field name comes with some risk in that you are responsible to assure that the field selected contains unique data for each Activity/WBS Element.

Outline Level Field

OnePager' provides a virtual field called Outline Level which is an integer field that tells you what WBS Element level is associated with each Activity imported into OnePager for both XML formatted and XER formatted files. For example, the Oracle Primavera P6 source plan shown below has two WBS Element levels:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(10D-1)-04042022.png

When the source plan is imported and the flagged Activities are displayed with the Outline Level field used as a text column, the chart looks like this:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(10F)-09132021.png

WBS Items (Summary) Field

When OnePager imports an XML formatted or XER formatted file, it looks at each “row” of the import and determines if it is an Activity or a WBS Element. If the “row” is a WBS Element, the software sets the WBS Items (Summary) field for that Activity to a value of TRUE. If the “row” is not a WBS Element but is an Activity, the WBS Items (Summary) field is set to FALSE.

This field along with the Activities (Non-Summary) field is useful when making Activity/WBS Element selection with the OnePager choices form as shown below:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(1D-1)-02262022.png

Additionally, the WBS Items (Summary) field can be used in Conditional Import Rules to either include or exclude WBS Elements in conjunction with other rules needed to control the import to OnePager.

For more information on Conditional Import Rules, please see the article at: Conditional Import Filters (Portal)

Resources Field

Oracle Primavera P6 has the capability to show multiple resources against any Activity. OnePager can represent these multiple resources in the chart in various ways but more typically in a text column. Multiple resources which are present in the Oracle Primavera P6 source plan can be exported to OnePager through the XML formatted and XER formatted files as shown in the illustration below:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(11)-07212021.png

Primary Resource Field

Oracle Primavera P6 has the capability to assign multiple resources to an Activity. Additionally, among these multiple resources, Oracle Primavera P6 has the capability for you to designate one resource as the Primary Resource. For example, in the Oracle Primavera P6 source plan below, Mechanical Engineers has three resources assigned of which Prime is designated as the Primary Resource:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(1E)-09132021.png

For XML formatted files you have the option to use the OnePager virtual field called Primary Resource in your chart as shown in the following example:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(1F)-09132021.png

Oracle Primavera P6 XER formatted files do not contain Primary Resource export data allowing OnePager to determine which among multiple resources for an Activity is the Primary Resource. Thus the Primary Resource field is not supported in OnePager for XER formatted files.

Representing Baseline Data from Oracle Primavera P6 XER Formatted Files in OnePager Charts

If you import an XER formatted file, OnePager uses the [No Selection] options for the Baseline start and Baseline finish columns for an XER formatted file for the purpose of representing baseline start/finish dates. You have some flexibility to change the columns that can be used for baseline start/finish when creating a NEW chart by going to the second page of the OnePager choices form and clicking on the Baseline start or Baseline finish windows as shown below for the Baseline start example:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(33-1)-10062021.png

As shown above, there are no true baseline related columns available in the two dropdown lists for XER formatted file.

Changing the Baseline Start/Finish Date Column Usage For XER Formatted Files BEFORE Creating the OnePager Chart

When you import an XER formatted file using the OnePager choices form, the Template Properties forms distributed with OnePager' are set to use [No Selection] for baseline start/finish representation in the chart as shown below in the Template Properties form’s Field Mapping tab accessed from the second page of the OnePager choices form:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(35B-2)-01032022.png

When the Template Properties form’s Field Mappings tab is accessed, clicking the Baseline start dropdown shows the list of XER formatted source plan import columns available for consideration as the Baseline Start date. Note that the list contains various date columns for BlueGrass Project as there are no actual baseline related dates available in an XER formatted file. Making an alternative selection for the baseline start/finish dates in the Template Properties form in this manner establishes the dates that OnePager uses to create the chart from the XER formatted import data as shown here:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(35A-2)-01032022.png

When you make a selection for Baseline start and Baseline finish in the above form, that change is posted in the Set baseline properties form which can be accessed from the Template Properties form's Task Bars or Milestones tab in the ...Decorations sub-control group as shown here:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(35AA-1)-10072021.png

In the illustration above, when the chart is created, Planned Start and Planned Finish columns are used to represent the baselines shown in the chart for each task bar/milestone symbol. The selections in the Template Properties form for Baseline start and Baseline finish are carried forward to the Chart Properties form when the chart is created. If the Baseline start/finish fields are left as [No Selection] space in the chart rows is reserved for the baseline graphics but no such graphic is displayed. Since XER formatted files provide no specific baseline start/finish dates, care needs to be taken when representing these alternate date fields and their interpretation in a schedule discussion. Other properties of baselines in the chart can be made by accessing the Chart Properties form’s Task Bars or Milestones tabs and the associated Set baseline properties form.

Changing the Baseline Start/Finish Date Column Usage for XER Formatted Files AFTER Creating the OnePager Chart

For XER formatted files, after the OnePager chart is created, you still have the option to change the Oracle Primavera P6 columns used for creating the baseline graphics in the chart. It must be understood, however, that no true baseline start/finish dates are available in XER formatted files. Altering the Template Properties form’s designated dates is done by accessing the Chart Properties form and navigating to the Field Mappings tab, clicking the Baseline start dropdown and selecting the desired XER formatted import column you wish to represent baseline start/finish dates is illustrated below:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(36A-2)-01032022.png

When the Chart Properties form’s Field Mappings tab is accessed, clicking the Baseline start dropdown shows the list of XER formatted source plan import columns available for consideration as the Baseline Start date. Note that the list contains the various date related columns for BlueGrass Project. Making an alternative selection for the baseline start/finish dates in the Chart Properties form in this manner changes the dates that OnePager uses and updates the chart using the XER formatted source plan import data.

When you make a selection for Baseline start and Baseline finish in the above form, that change is posted in the Set baseline properties form which can be accessed from the Chart Properties form's Task Bars or Milestones tab in the ...Decorations sub-control group as shown here:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(35AB-1)-10072021.png

In the illustration above, when the chart is created, Planned Start and Planned Finish columns are used to represent the baselines shown in the chart for each task bar/milestone symbol. The selections in the Template Properties form for Baseline start and Baseline finish are carried forward to the Chart Properties form when the chart is created.

Other properties of baselines in the chart can be made by accessing the Template Properties form’s Task Bars or Milestones tabs and the associated Set baseline properties form.

Defining User Defined Fields to Represent Baseline Start and Baseline Finish Dates for XER Formatted Files Exported to OnePager

As an alternative method to reusing already defined XER formatted source plan columns for the baseline start/finish date representation, you can always create your own User Defined Field (UDF) to fulfill the function of these dates and populate their column cells with appropriate data. As UDF's, Oracle Primavera P6 exports these columns as part of the XER formatted file and OnePager has access to these UDF's at the time of import.

Although this may be extra effort it does assure your control over baseline start/finish dates in the context of XER formatted files. Planning ahead of creating the project in Oracle Primavera P6 is required.

Representing Baseline Data from Oracle Primavera P6 XML Formatted Files in OnePager Charts

Oracle Primavera P6 support a Project baseline and up to three (3) User baselines. These baseline data can be exported to OnePager via the XML formatted file or ZIP formatted files. XER format files do not contain any baseline related columns.

Looking at the second page of the OnePager choices form where an XML formatted file was imported and clicking the Baseline start dropdown; these are the Oracle Primavera P6 columns available for baseline start/finish use:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(34-1)-12022021.png

In the illustration above for the case of the XML formatted file there is a greater selection of Oracle Primavera P6 columns from which to choose. As noted at the beginning of this section, OnePager has nine (9) virtual fields where several pertain to baseline start/finish fields as shown in the following list for this example:

  • BL Project Start – Project Baseline Start Date
  • BL Project Finish -- Project Baseline Finish Date
  • “[User Baseline Name1]” Finish – User Baseline 1 Finish Date
  • “[User Baseline Name1]” Start – User Baseline 1 Start Date
  • “[User Baseline Name2]” Finish – User Baseline 2 Finish Date
  • “[User Baseline Name2]” Start – User Baseline 2 Start Date
  • “[User Baseline Name3]” Finish – User Baseline 3 Finish Date
  • “[User Baseline Name3]” Start – User Baseline 3 Start Date
  • “[User Baseline Name – Project Baseline]” Finish – Project Baseline Finish Date
  • “[User Baseline Name – Project Baseline]” Start – Project Baseline Start Date

For illustration, suppose that an Oracle Primavera P6 source plan has the project baseline and user baselines configured as shown below:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(34A)-09202021.png

As mentioned earlier, OnePager supports displaying one (1) Oracle Primavera P6 project baseline and up to three (3) user baselines. When an XML formatted file is imported with a project baseline and two (2) user baselines, for example, the project baseline data is provided in two sets of fields: BL Project Start/Finish and [User Baseline Name – Project Baseline] Start/Finish as shown here:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(34B-1)-04042022.png

User baselines are represented in dropdown field name lists in the order they were imported as shown below in the Chart Properties form’s Rows/Swimlanes tab’s Text Columns sub-control section:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(34C)-09202021.png

There are two alternative methods for changing the baseline start/finish dates: (1) Before creating the chart using the Template Properties form and (2) After the chart is created using the Chart Properties form.

Changing the Baseline Start/Finish Date Column For XML Formatted Files Usage BEFORE Creating the OnePager Chart

When you select to import an XML formatted file using the OnePager choices form, the Template Properties forms distributed with OnePager is reset to use BL Project Start and BL Project Finish for baseline start/finish representation in the chart as shown below in the Template Properties form’s Field Mapping tab accessed from the second page of the OnePager choices form:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(34D-1)-01032022.png

When the Template Properties form’s Field Mappings tab is accessed, clicking the Baseline start dropdown shows the list of XML formatted source plan import fields available for consideration as the Baseline Start date. Note that the list contains the baseline related columns for BlueGrass Project. Making an alternative selection for the baseline start/finish dates in the Template Properties form in this manner establishes the dates that OnePager uses to create the chart from the XML formatted import data as shown here:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(35)-09172021.png

Other properties of baselines in the chart can be made by accessing the Chart Properties form’s Task Bars or Milestones tabs and the associated Set baseline properties form.

Changing the Baseline Start/Finish Date Column For XML Formatted Files Usage AFTER Creating the OnePager Chart

Once the OnePager chart is created, you still have the option to change the Oracle Primavera P6 columns used for creating the baseline graphics in the chart. This is done by accessing the Chart Properties form and navigating to the Field Mappings tab, clicking the Baseline start dropdown, for example, and selecting the desired XML formatted import column you wish to use to represent baseline start/finish dates as is illustrated below:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(36)-09172021.png

When the Chart Properties form’s Field Mappings tab is accessed, clicking the Baseline start dropdown shows the list of XML formatted source plan import columns available for consideration as the Baseline Start date. Note that the list contains the baseline related columns for BlueGrass Project. Making an alternative selection for the baseline start/finish dates in the Chart Properties form in this manner changes the dates that OnePager uses and updates the chart using the XML formatted source plan import data.

Other properties of baselines in the chart can be made by accessing the Template Properties form’s Task Bars or Milestones tabs and the associated Set baseline properties form.

Representing Critical Path Segments from Oracle Primavera P6 XER Formatted Files in OnePager Charts

Critical Path Segment data are exported only from Oracle Primavera P6 only in XER formatted files. Accordingly, you can only display critical path segments in OnePager chart built from XER formatted files. The critical path feature can be turned on after the OnePager chart is created by using the Critical-Path Segments controls available in the Chart Properties form's Task Bars tab's Task Bar Decorations sub-control group as shown here:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(36D)-09302021.png

For more information on representing Critical Path Segments, please see the article at: Critical path for OnePager 10.7.1-71.

Representing Critical Path Segments from Oracle Primavera P6 XML Formatted Files in OnePager Charts

As stated in the previous sub-section, Oracle Primavera P6 does not export critical path segment data in its XML formatted files. Accordingly, the Critical-Path Segment controls found in the Template Properties and Chart Properties form's Task Bars tab's Task Bar Decorations sub-control group is not present as shown below for the Chart Properties form:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(36E)-10062021.png

Using the OnePager Deadline Representation Feature with Oracle Primavera P6

OnePager has a feature that lets you display a deadline symbol in the chart that represents the latest finish date for the Activity or when the milestone must be met. A portion of a chart with deadline symbols looks like this:

P70-10 9 1-(2)-06032020.png

When deadlines are turned ON, they appear (by default) as down-arrow symbols in each task bar's row at the deadline date position with respect to the time axis. Above, deadline symbols that are not contained within their respective task bar are shown with black dash-dot connecting lines to illustrate the capability.

Controls for displaying deadline symbols are provided in the Template Properties and Chart Properties form’s Task Bars and Milestones tabs where you can specify the Oracle Primavera P6 source plan field to represent deadline dates and specify their graphical representation in the chart.

For convenience, OnePager assumes that the Oracle Primavera P6 XML formatted and XER formatted file’s Planned Finish date field is the default field that OnePager uses to represent deadline symbols in the chart. This setting is established in all Oracle Primavera P6 distributed Template Properties forms.

The deadline setting is established in all Oracle Primavera P6 distributed Template Properties form’s Field Mappings tab as shown below for an XER formatted file being imported:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(36B-1)-01032022.png

As shown above, the Deadline date can be changed before the chart is created by using the Template Properties form’s Field Mappings tab to select another preferred XER formatted date column. Changing the Deadline date after the chart is created requires using the Field Mappings tab in the Chart Properties form.

The Template Properties form’s Field Mappings tab’s Deadline dropdown list for XML formatted files in most cases shows a more extensive list of dates from which to choose should you wish to change the default Deadline date field as shown here:

P71-4 0 1 6-71-(36C-2)-01032022.png

At your option, you can define a User Defined Field in Oracle Primavera P6 call Deadline, for example, defined as a Date category field to serve this purpose. When this User Defined Field is populated with date data in your source plan, OnePager can use the Deadline field’s data to display deadline symbols in the chart.

For more information on using Deadline symbols, please see the article at: Deadlines for OnePager

Using the OnePager Endpoints Representation Feature with Oracle Primavera P6

OnePager also has a feature that lets you display a multiple endpoint symbols in the chart that represent potentially important dates for an Activity. A portion of a chart with four (4) endpoint symbols associated with each task bar looks like this:

P70-10 11 1-(7-1)-06042020.png

When one or more endpoints are turned ON, they appear (by default) as down-arrow symbols in each task bar's row at the endpoint’s date position. Above, endpoint symbols that are not contained within their respective task bar are shown with black dash-dot connecting lines to illustrate the capability.

Controls for displaying endpoint symbols are provided in the Template Properties and Chart Properties form’s Task Bars and Milestones tabs where you can specify the Oracle Primavera P6 source plan field to represent endpoint dates and specify their graphical representation in the chart.

For convenience, OnePager assumes that the following Oracle Primavera P6 XML format and XER format date fields are the default fields that OnePager uses to represent endpoint symbols in the chart:

  • Endpoint 1: Start
  • Endpoint 2: Finish
  • Endpoint 3: Planned Start
  • Endpoint 4: Planned Finish

These setting are established in all Oracle Primavera P6 distributed Template Properties form’s Task Bars tab in the Task Bar Decorations sub-control group at the Endpoints button. (Milestones do not display Endpoint symbols.) Checking the Endpoints checkbox ON and clicking the Endpoints Properties… button accesses the Set endpoint properties form where the default endpoint dates can be changed before the chart is created. Following the same path in the Chart Properties form to the Set endpoint properties form can accomplish the same result after the chart is created.

For more information on using Endpoint symbols, please see the article at: Endpoints for OnePager

Representing Task Links from Oracle Primavera P6 XML Formatted and XER Formatted Files in OnePager Charts

Task Links in OnePager represent the directional line connecting an Activity with a successor Activity or a predecessor Activity. The data to support the representation of Task Links in OnePager charts are exported from both XML and XER formatted files. Task Link representation for a OnePager chart can be turned ON before or after the chart is created. There are controls provided so that you can determine the look and feel of the Task Links displayed in your chart.

For more information on the management of Task Links, please see the articles listed below:

Linking Task and Milestone Using Manual and Data-Driven Task Links (Portal)
Template Properties Form's Task Links Tab
Chart Properties Form's Task Links Tab

Oracle Primavera P6 Columns Available to OnePager

OnePager is able to import two types of files containing Oracle Primavera P6 column data. These are the XML formatted file and the XER formatted file. OnePager is also capable of importing an XML formatted file that is compressed by Oracle Primavera P6 into a ZIP formatted file. When a ZIP formatted file is presented to OnePager, OnePager first performs the UNZIP operation to extract the XML formatted data, and imports the resulted decompressed XML formatted data.

The XML formatted file and the XER formatted file do not provide all the columns that are available in Oracle Primavera P6 nor do these two formats contain same columns. Generally speaking, the XML formatted file contains approximately twice as many Oracle Primavera P6 column options as does the XER formatted file. That is why we recommend using the XML formatted file over the XER formatted file as an import to OnePager. Additionally, you may find it more efficient to export XML formatted files directly instead of exporting ZIP compressed formatted XML files since OnePager must decompress ZIP formatted files before importing the data.

For more information on all the Oracle Primavera P6 data columns that are exported via XML formatted and XER formatted files, please see the article at: Oracle Primavera P6 Columns Available to OnePager

OnePager Handling of Oracle Primavera P6 User Defined Fields (UDF)

Oracle Primavera P6 provides a number of User Defined Fields (UDF) with the product. These UDF’s can be exported in both XML formatted and XER formatted files and imported into OnePager. However, it is important to note that the UDF’s exported in an XML formatted file are different from the UDF’s exported from an XER formatted file. A list of UDF’s exported with each file type is shown in the illustrations below:

XML Format User Defined Fields
P71-4 0 1 6-71-(32)-08062021.png
XER Format User Defined Fields
P71-4 0 1 6-71-(31)-08062021.png

In the illustrations above, EAM stands for Enterprise Asset Management.

For more information on all the Oracle Primavera P6 data columns that are exported via XML formatted and XER formatted files, please see the article at: Oracle Primavera P6 Columns Available to OnePager

Related Links

What's New with OnePager Release 7.1?

Installing and Activating OnePager Bundle (Portal)

Using Oracle Primavera P6 Source Plans with OnePager

Using Rows and Swimlanes

Basic Workflows (Portal)

Conditional Import Filters (Portal)

Merging the Wrong Tasks into a Chart - OnePager Bundle - Oracle Primavera P6

Critical path for OnePager

Deadlines for OnePager

Endpoints for OnePager

Linking Task and Milestone Using Manual and Data-Driven Task Links (Portal)

Data-Driven Task Links for Primavera P6

Chart Properties Form's Task Links Tab

Managing Chart Data (Portal)

Managing Templates (Portal)

Template Only Features for OnePager Pro

Oracle Primavera P6 Columns Available to OnePager

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