XER, XML, and life in

between

Alexander Vos

Session #204810

Disclaimer

- Contractor Perspective

- R8.2

XER, XML, and life in between

- Overview

- Importing and Exporting Options in Primavera

- Pros and Cons of XER and XML

- XML in the greater context

- Solutions for importing

- Takeaways

Background

Alexander Vos, P.S.P.

- Oak Ridge, NC

- Masters in Engineering from Arizona State

- Maintained Schedules from Mines, roadways, oil

sands, treatment plants

- IT and Functional Lead for Primavera at Kiewit

Alexander Vos, P.S.P.

- Scheduling Process Owner at Kiewit

- Implementation of Primavera R8

- Transition from scattered landscape to enterprise

environment

- Developments of Corporate Scheduling Standards

- R8 System Build

- Cost Integration

Kiewit

- Contracting Organization

- Schedule is a Contract Document and is revised at

least monthly

- Primavera version 7.0 and up

- XER file format is currently the norm

Kiewit

- Multiple clients ($5M - $4B)

- Various industries/standards

- Required by contract to follow Clients’ specifications

- Schedule is a binding document used in litigation and

to show ownership of delays

- “Average” Schedule is roughly 3,500 activities

Kiewit

- Multiple Joint Ventures (internal and external)

- Various parties needing access to the schedule

- Specialized discipline schedules “feed” the Master

Schedule

- Different types/versions of software

Did I mention….we also have internal reporting

needs and standards for our 1,600 Primavera

users.

What does all of this

mean?

Data Movement

Information from:

1. Multiple sources

2. Multiple formats

3. Different systems

4. Various requirements

5. Access

6. Version control

7. Collaboration/Revisions

There is no single solution/software that can provide

100% of the needs for a construction company. A

suite of solutions, some “out of the box” and some

“home grown”.

As we integrate these solutions more and more,

standards are necessary.

- Manual/Communication

- Import/Export

- Integration (API/WS)

How is this information

shared?

What are the importing

options in Primavera?

1. Primavera “Optional” Client

2. Primavera Web

Importing and exporting options?

- R8 “Optional” Client

- XER

- XML

- Excel

- P3

- MS Project

- XML

- MPX

XER

- eXport Eagle Ray

- Proprietary format

- Imports all data

- Most contracts in the Construction industry specify

- Supports multiple projects in a single file (EPC)

XML

- Extensible Markup Language

- Applies security upon import

- Different limitations than standard XER

- Not currently the “norm”

Excel- Microsoft Product

- Limited to mostly project data

- Can set up templates for importing processes

- Be aware of defined User Preferences used in the

Export/Import process

P3- PRX files

- Prior to Primavera database configuration

- Composed of multiple separate files

- PRX is the XER predecessor

- Have to have P3 on Computer to import

MS Project (XML)

- MS Project 2003 and newer

- File is exported to standard XML language

MS Project (MPX)

- MS Project 2000 format

- Primavera P3 utility to convert MPP to MPX

Microsoft Project

MSP Save versions

MSP2000 can save to MPX, MPP

MSP2003 can save to MPP, XML

MSP2007 can save to MPP, XML

Primavera will

Import XML without restriction

Import MPP 2003 when MSP 2003 is present

NOT import MPP 2007

Importing and exporting options?

- R8.2 Web

- XML

- Excel

Hidden message?.?.?.?

XER?

Use XML

Why transition to

XML?

Proprietary Formatting

What’s Wrong with the XER?

- Proprietary

- XER imports global fields with no control

- Databases get “flooded” with this global data

- Not all systems can read an XER

- Snowball effect on Analytics and reporting

What’s Wrong with the XER?

Global Fields

- OBS Assignments

- Global Activity Codes

- Resources

- User Defined Fields

- Calendars

When will the XER become

extinct?

Did you say….P3?

Data Movement

Information from:

1. Multiple sources

2. Multiple formats

3. Different systems

4. Various requirements

5. Access

6. Version control

7. Collaboration/Revisions

XER does not support

this integrated

environment

Features of the XML

- Applies security upon Import

- If the user does not have the permissions, it will not

import the data.

- Can bring Project layouts with the export/import

- User is not required to have All Resources access

- Allows for managing importing

- R8.3 additional features

Considerations- XML Import/Export wizard does not support multiple projects.

- XML files are larger – zip it!

- XML Import does not support Replace Existing or Add into Project

import actions

- XML doesn't have a separate import option for external relationships

and does not support the Constrain External Relationships feature

that XER has.

- XML merges the holidays and exceptions that are in the file and

doesn't remove any that are in the database. XER replaces calendar

data on import when selecting Update.

Under the HoodXML Format (626 KB)

XER Format (128 KB)

XML In the Greater Context

Can you find the .XER

XER

XML is everywhere

Why XML

- Uses human Language not Binary and ASCII

- Endorsed by Software Market Leaders

- Contains machine-readable context information

- Facilitates the comparison and aggregation of data

- Can embed multiple data types

- Can embed existing data

- Provides a “one-server view” for distributed data

The age of XML- The XML format itself can be read by any XML parser:

- Business documents can be stored in various locations.

XML can be used to integrate this parsed out data.

Companies like General Motors and Jet Blue are finding

solutions in XML for their problems with data in distributed

environments.

- XML Language is maintained by an independent standards

committee.

The age of XML- If you double-click an icon on your computer desktop

chances are that an XML message is sent from one

component of the desktop to another.

- If you take your car to be repaired, the engine's computer

sends XML to the mechanic's diagnostic systems.

XML is used by many companies for many different

reasons.

•Golfing: GolfML

•Aerospace: Spacecraft Markup Language

•Music: Music Markup Language

•Banking: Bank Internet Payment System

•Advertising: AdXML

•Engineering: LandXML

•Oil: PetroXML

•eBooks: FictionBook

API

- API writes to XML

XML

XML to

you too!

Microsoft Office 2007

- Moved from proprietary binary format to XML

- xlsX, docX, pptX

What are some options to handle importing?

Possible Solutions

1. Importing specialist/group

2. Conversion Utility

3. “Staging” Environment

4. XENA for XER control

5. Increased XML functionality

Importing Specialist

- Understands effects of XER import

- Can modify the data in notebook

- Understands parsing

- Could be a group of people “Shared Service

- Potential Process Bottle Neck

- Peaks and Ebbs with update cycles

Conversion Utility

- Converting the XER to XML to utilize XML features

- No utility currently exists

- Extra Step in the process

- Construction Industry is still XER driven

- Difficult to enforce usage

- Could import XER through optional client and then

export XML

“Staging” Environment

- Import into a staging environment

- Clean up data and then export “cleansed” file

- Labor intensive

- Another environment to maintain

- Low Software Cost

- Difficult to enforce usage

XENA for XER control

XENA for XER control

- Allows you to strip out unwanted data from an XER

file

- “Mapping” to existing standards

- Adding prefixes etc.

- Systematic solution to Staging and Specialist

- Only XER

- Keeps environment clean

- Template functionality

- Difficult to enforce usage

General

Increased XML functionality

- Oracle will improve XML import

- Only option in Web for Primavera Files

- “Cleansing” Component

- Only XML

- Multiple Projects, external relationship

XML Import / Export (P6r8.3)

• Multi project XML

• global data integrity

• Codes

• UDFs

• Calendars

• Resources

• Import templates

Importing

Global Data

Project Data

Activity Codes

Project Codes

Calendars

Resources

Possible Solutions

1. Importing specialist/group

2. Conversion Utility

3. “Staging” Environment

4. XENA for XER control

5. Increased XML functionality

As a contractor, we are in limbo between

technology and clients specification.

Conclusion

- XML and XER both have limitations

- XML allows for “cleaner” imports and is a standard

language, read by any software

- Due to XML only Web Functionality, it is difficult for a

Large Contractor to make the Web jump until the

Industry makes the XML jump

Takeaways

- Use the XML format

- Solution ID 907653.1

- Feedback is important

- Review Specifications for XER requirements

- April 30th Webinar