Modifying and importing data from an XLS file

When importing data items from Microsoft Excel, the column headers in the XLS file must match the data item names in P6 Professional. An activity row must include an Activity ID to successfully import into P6 Professional. If not, an error message is written to the log file, PRM_XLSIMPORT.TXT, located in the user's Temp directory.

Click on a subject area to view its general rules for importing successfully.

General

To successfully import information, each subject area should be updated in its own sheet.

To import successfully, you should not change the language set in P6 Professional. For example, if the text in the export file is in English, the updates you want to import should be in English also.

If you change the sheet name, you will not be able to import its subject area into P6 Professional.

If you choose to import a column with a field name that does not match the field name in P6 Professional, the column will not import and this action is recorded in the log file as an error. The field names are located in the first row of an export file. You can change the captions of each column in the second row of the worksheet.

The order of the columns in the import file is not relevant. Data from a column in a file will be imported even if that column is not visible in your current view.

If an item does not exist in the dictionary of the project to which you are importing, then Import will not add that item. For example, if you assign a new code or resource to an activity, and that code or resource is not in the existing Activity Code or Resource dictionary, then import will not add it to the dictionary. This is recorded in the import log file. This applies to resources, roles, activity codes and values, calendars, cost accounts, WBS, resource codes and values.

If an EPS-level code assignment exists on a project that is imported into a different EPS that does not include the code, then the code and its values are converted to a project-level activity code and the code assignments are preserved.

WBS

If you modify the WBS for an activity, Import adds the activity to the WBS level if the WBS level exists in P6 Professional.

If a specified WBS does not exist in P6 Professional, but the parent WBS does exist, then Import adds the activity to the parent WBS and record this action in the import log file. For example, if you have an activity and add ProjectB.A.1.01 as its WBS, if this node does not exist, Import adds the activity to ProjectB.A.1.

If a specified WBS for an activity does not exist in P6 Professional, and the parent WBS does not exist, then the activity will not import successfully. An error message is recorded in the import log file.

Resource/Role Assignments

If you change the value of a unique field, P6 Professional adds a new value to the project. For example, if you change the Activity ID for resource assignments, Import keeps the original assignment and adds a duplicate assignment with the new Activity ID.

Dates

The date format used to export dates to Excel is a text field. When editing the date fields in Excel, the format is based on the date format selected in Excel.

When importing, the project planned start date uses the data date as its value. The planned dates cannot be modified.

Dates are imported based on the date format selected in P6 Professional (Edit, User Preferences, Dates tab).

Duration and Units

The format used to display durations and units is based on the preferences set in P6 Professional (Edit, User Preferences, Time Units tab).

Export does not support sub-units as a time format. Make sure the sub-unit checkboxes are clear in the Edit, User Preferences, Time Units tab.

When connected to a P6 Professional database: If the planned duration for activities is null in the export file, the default activity duration (Admin, Admin Preferences, General tab) is used during import.

When connected to a P6 EPPM database: If the planned duration for activities is null in the export file, the default activity duration, defined using P6, is used during import.

Percent Complete

The percentage value must be between 0 and 100. If the value is between 0 and 100, P6 Professional recognizes that value as a percentage. For example, if the value in the import file is 5, the value is imported as 5%.

Cost

The currency symbol type exported is based on the setting defined in Edit, User Preferences, Currency tab.

Notes

• To import data from an XLS file, you must have the Project Superuser security profile for the project you are updating, and your assigned security profile must include the global privilege required to import XLS files.
• To successfully import data, do not edit the USERDATA sheet in the export file. Use this sheet as a reference for the user preference settings (Edit, User Preferences).
• To ensure data integrity, you should only import user-defined fields (UDFs) into the same P6 Professional or P6 EPPM database from which the data was exported. If you import UDFs into a different database, make sure the P6 Professional or P6 EPPM databases have identical UDF dictionaries.
• Do not remove, edit, or enter null values for unique fields. These fields are necessary to import data successfully.
• P6 Professional ignores financial period (past period actual) columns when importing XLS file.
• Importing and exporting Excel files in P6 Professional (x64) requires Microsoft ACE engine drivers.