Microsoft Project - Refresh a Milestones schedule with changes from Microsoft Project

"Refresh" refers to updating symbols' dates, column text, and column values in Milestones Professional with the latest information in the Microsoft Project file that was used to create the Milestones schedule. Optionally, new tasks in the Microsoft Project file are added to the end of the Milestones schedule.

Summary of the refresh process

When an Microsoft Project file is imported into Milestones, start and end symbols are tagged with a Unique ID from Microsoft Project and the word "Start" or "Finish." Other symbols, column headings, and various schedule areas are similarly tagged.  See: symbol tag contents

To view a symbol's tag, double-click the symbol on the schedule and choose the Symbol Links tab in Milestones Professional.  (Or select the symbol and choose the Symbol Links tab on the Toolbar)

During the refresh process, tagged items in Milestones are matched to their counterparts in the selected Microsoft Project file. All tagged items are replaced with the latest data from the Microsoft Project file.  See: symbol tag contents

Thus, if a start date changes in the Microsoft Project file, refresh will update that same start date in the Milestones schedule.

How to refresh a Milestones schedule's data with new Microsoft Project data

1. Open the Milestones Professional schedule that was created by importing an MS Project schedule.

2. Choose Connections | Refresh Previously Imported Project | Refresh from MPP / MPD file.

3. Browse to find the Microsoft Project schedule from which the schedule will be refreshed.

4. Click once on the Microsoft Project file and choose Open. The Milestones Refresh Options dialog box appears.  Make choices  and click Refresh to continue.

In Milestones, Task 1's start symbol is tagged as "2,Start" because the matching task in Microsoft Project has the unique ID number 2. If Microsoft Project Task 1's start date changes, and the refresh feature is applied in Milestones, then the Task 1 start date will change to match the change in Microsoft Project.

Task 1's finish symbol is tagged as "2,finish,name".  The unique ID is 2, the date field is finish and the Project name field is used for the symbol text.

Task 3's start symbol is tagged as "4,start,name".  (Task 3's unique ID is 4.)

 Refreshing does not change the format of the Milestones schedule.

It's possible to use several Microsoft Project schedules to update a single presentation Milestones schedule.  In this case, symbols and rows are tagged using file "nicknames".

Set up a Milestones Professional schedule for multi-file refresh

1. Start with a named Milestones Professional schedule  (a schedule which has previously been saved and given a name).

2. On the Connections tab, Microsoft Project section, choose the arrow beside Refresh Previously imported Project.

3. Choose Create/Edit refresh file list.  This brings up the Refresh File List dialog box.

4. For each Microsoft Project (or XML) schedule, use Add Schedule to locate and add that schedule to the list.

Change the file nickname (once in the Refresh File List dialog box)

1. Click once on the file name in the list.

2. Enter a new nickname for Current File Nickname.

3. Click once on the Press to Update Nickname button.

Common issues

1. Some schedules imported using the Project to Milestones Wizard are not able to be refreshed with the latest data from the Microsoft Project source file. The initial import wizard selections determine if the schedule can or cannot be refreshed.  For example, schedule imported using the Resource import templates can not be refreshed.  When refresh is not allowed, re-importing the Microsoft Project file is recommended.  The reasons for preventing refresh of selected schedules include: in some cases, refresh would not respect the initial import of selected tasks; refreshing the schedule would take significantly longer that re-importing.

2. If the schedule is not refreshed as expected:

   1. Be sure symbols which are tagged are defined as either normal or baseline symbols.  This is done in the toolbox.  Symbols defined as status symbols may be removed as part of the refresh process.

   2. Make sure the uniqueID field used to create the schedule is the same as the uniqueID field used for refresh.

   3. If the schedule is tagged with nicknames for multifile refresh, then the nickname field must be picked on the refresh dialog. 

 It's also possible to manually tag symbols by entering the Microsoft Project tasks' unique ID numbers, along with "Start" or "Finish" in the Automation Tag field, as shown above. The tag is case sensitive.   See: symbol tag contents

The Refresh options dialog box

Choosing the right options when refreshing makes a huge difference in the outcome of the refresh.  The dialog box is shown here, and options are described below.

The yellow box (NOTE: Using this schedule's refresh list) will only appear when a refresh list has been set up for multi-file refresh.  Also, the Leave all Project Onlline schedules open checkbox only appears when refreshing using a refresh list for Project Online.

1. Refresh Using: Select the identifier used when the schedule was imported or tagged.   If refreshing from multiple files,  Schedule is tagged with file nicknames. If refreshing from Project Server or Project Online,  Leave all Project online schedules open (unless they should be closed after refresh.)
2. Symbol Text: Updates text/values attached to symbols with the source field’s text/values.  Check on to access the following sub options
   1. Refresh Symbol Text:  If this is checked, the symbol text will be updated.  If left un-checked no text updates are made.
   2. Update only symbols with symbol text tags: Tagged symbols will update with new selected source field.  Symbol text on symbols without a tag will not be affected.
   3. Update start and finish symbols using:  Symbol text on all start and finish symbols will be updated with the source field selected under Start: and Finish:.   
      • Start: Pick 3 fields for start date symbols.
      • Finish: Pick 3 fields for the finish date symbols.
   4. Update start and finish symbols using:  Symbol text on all start and finish symbols will be updated with the source field selected under Start: and Finish:.  
      • Finish: Pick 3 fields for the finish date symbols.
3. Symbol Notes: Updates text/values attached to symbols with the source field’s text/values.  Check on to access the following sub options
4. Percent Complete: Control if and how percent complete is updated.  Refresh percent complete:  Select from percent complete, percent work complete, physical percent complete or a number field to have Milestones’ symbols and/or horizontal bars fill to status based on the value from task row’s tagged unique id. Update individual bars & symbols:  Will refresh the fill to status based on the selected value; percent complete, percent work complete, physical percent complete or a number field for each symbol, or symbol, horizontal bar, symbol combination.  Choose this option when multiple task are on a single task row in the Milestones schedule.
5.  Options for refresh:
   • Refresh tagged columns:  Updates column text/values with the source field’s text/values.
   • Update dependent symbols: Any symbol in the Milestones schedule that is not tagged and is dependent on a tagged symbol will move the same number of days the tagged symbol moved during the Refresh process.
   • Ignore Times:  When checked, only the date is used to update.  The hour and minute are ignored.
   • Highlight Changed Dates: Causes any dates which are changed during the Refresh process to be highlighted. Once highlighted, it’s possible to toggle the display on and off by checking or un-checking the Refresh Highlighting in Connections | Other.
   • Reset Date Range: Check this if the date range (start/end dates) of the Milestones chart should be changed to reflect the changes made during the Refresh process.  If this option is not checked, the schedule’s date range will not be changed and new dates might not be visible.
   • Append New Tasks from Project:  Check to add all new or flagged Microsoft Project task(s) with specific symbology, symbol and bar style, and text to the end of the Milestones schedule or on and below a specific Milestones task row.  Choose Customize button to make selections.  Select the Customize Symbology button to have the Custom Symbology dialog display.  Pick the symbology, symbol and horizontal bar style and position as well as text to be imported for the new Microsoft Project task(s).
6. Options for refresh:

• Obsolete milestones: Choose to report and/or highlight (replace with a question mark symbol) tagged symbols in the Milestones schedule that are no longer in the Microsoft Project file.
• Inactive Project tasks: Choose to report and/or highlight (replace with a question mark symbol) tagged symbols in the Milestones schedule which are linked to inactive Microsoft Project tasks.
• Report Missing Project tasks:  When selected, all tasks in your Microsoft Project file that were not selected for importing will be reported in the Refresh Results report.
• Refresh visible tasks only: When selected, only tasks within the current Project filter will be used to refresh the Milelstones schedule.
• Constraint Field: Milestones Professional has symbol constraints that can be applied to imported symbols during the Refresh process.  See constraints.

Use the highlight changed symbols feature:

1. Before making changes to symbol dates, choose Tools | Reports | Symbol | Highlight Changed Symbols Reset.

2. Make changes to symbol dates and/or insert new symbols.

3. Choose Tools | Reports | Symbol | Highlight Changed Symbols (since last reset). Changed and newly inserted symbols will be highlighted in orange.

4. Choose Tools | Reports | Symbol | Highlight Changed Symbols Reset to remove the highlight.