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    First off, Server 2007 SP2 Feb CU.

    I have set up a few custom fields and a view that groups by these fields. I have a separate custom field that uses a formula and Graphical Indicators. Of course with a formula field, I have three option to calculate summary tasks: None, Roll Up (sum, average, etc), and use formula. The issue I run into is that the grouping I have set up will not show graphical indicators when use formula is selected. It will when I roll up with sum or average. Is this normal Project behavior or am I missing a configuration option?

     

    My formula is not complicated:

    IIf([Baseline1 Cost]>0,([EAC (C vs O&M)]-[Baseline1 Cost])/[Baseline1 Cost],0)

    Both fields it uses do have values at summary levels. When I insert this field into a Gantt view, it shows the formula for summary tasks, just not in the grouping. I just cannot figure out why it show in the group as rollup sum but not use formula.

     

    These summary level tasks are the only tasks I need this indicator for. Anything but use formula has the potential to give misleading information.

     

    Any insight you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks!

    Friday, June 25, 2010 1:38 PM

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    We're making progress....slowly but surely....
     
    When you configure the graphical indicators, do you see that bit at the top
    of the dialog box, where you can set summary task indicators independently
    from the subtask indicators?
     
    Is that part of the issue?
     
     
    - Andrew Lavinsky
     
     
    Friday, June 25, 2010 6:18 PM

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    A couple of questions to help troubleshoot:
     
    1) If you remove the icons and simply have the formula display data, what
    kind of results do you get?
    2) Just to confirm, are you talking about a Microsoft Project Professional
    or a Project Center view?
    3) What happens if you remove the "&" from the "O&M" field title?
     
    - Andrew Lavinsky
     
     
    Friday, June 25, 2010 1:55 PM
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    1) I have checked the box that allows me to see the data values when clicking on the icon, and it shows no value, just blank with no error, for these summary tasks.

    2) A Project Pro View.

    3) No change.

    Thanks for the quick responce!

    Friday, June 25, 2010 2:21 PM
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    That typically indicates an issue with the formula. Try a much simpler formula
    and see if the data shows up. If it does, then you need to work backward
    and see which part of the formula isn't working.
     
     
    - Andrew Lavinsky
     
     
    Friday, June 25, 2010 2:43 PM
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    So now I'm really not understanding what Project is doing...

    I created a new field with a formula that simply makes it equal to another field (the one with the formula), with use formula for summary tasks. I did not create graphical indicators for this field and it shows up in my "grouped summary tasks". I guess it is important to state these are slightly different then actual summary tasks because they are just headings for the grouping.

    When I add the graphical indicators, they do not show up like the data did. But now the value does show up when I click or hover over the field. It did not do this for the field with the formula.

    Seems to me this has the symptoms of a bug, but I could see graphical indicators not showing up in groups because of the conflict with color coding the groups. Still, it seems like there should be an option to use the indicators with groups and to have predictable behavior with ToolTips.

    Thanks for your help Andrew!

    Friday, June 25, 2010 6:11 PM
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    We're making progress....slowly but surely....
     
    When you configure the graphical indicators, do you see that bit at the top
    of the dialog box, where you can set summary task indicators independently
    from the subtask indicators?
     
    Is that part of the issue?
     
     
    - Andrew Lavinsky
     
     
    Friday, June 25, 2010 6:18 PM
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    So I was so excited... I thought you had it for me...

    It was my assumption that the default value for these was inherit indicators from non summery rows etc. When I looked, the check box was not checked for either option. I checked both of them, and presto... Graphical indicators using the formula showing in grouped summery rows! I was real excited.

    I then added this field to a table in eGlobal and opened another project... No graphical indicators. Non in the project I was testing... Back to square one.

    Sigh...

     

    Friday, June 25, 2010 6:57 PM
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    eMicah --
     
    Pardon me for cutting into this discussion.  When you open the project, press the F9 function key to recalculate the project, and I'll bet the graphical indicators appear.  Let us know if this helps.

    So I was so excited... I thought you had it for me...

    It was my assumption that the default value for these was inherit indicators from non summery rows etc. When I looked, the check box was not checked for either option. I checked both of them, and presto... Graphical indicators using the formula showing in grouped summery rows! I was real excited.

    I then added this field to a table in eGlobal and opened another project... No graphical indicators. Non in the project I was testing... Back to square one.

    Sigh...

     

    Dale A. Howard [MVP]
    VP of Educational Services
    msProjectExperts
    http://www.msprojectexperts.com
    http://www.projectserverexperts.com
    "We write the books on Project Server"

    Friday, June 25, 2010 7:41 PM
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    No need for a pardon... you're always welcome Dale. BTW thanks for point me to the new hang out.

    I tried the F9 trick earlier to no avail.

    Now I'm running into some more interesting behavior. I have the indicators working in two projects, but not in the rest. Very odd because I have done everything at a enterprise level. I closed down a project, reopen and they work as expected. Worked again with another project. Now close and reopen does not work with all remaining projects, but the two projects continue to act right.

    I think I'm going to resort to re-combing through the formula. Because I'm calculating a number out of two cost fields, one of which is a baseline field, I'm going to try to get it to work with a few manual entry number fields. Leaving for the weekend, but I'll update you guys on my test Monday.

    Thanks for everything!

    Friday, June 25, 2010 8:12 PM
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    So I have come to a conclusion that I must be missing a configuration option inside individual projects.

    Two projects continue to operate as expected.

    When I make changes through PWA to the indicator field to just show data (no graphical indicators), it will not show up at grouped summery tasks in all but the two projects.

    If I change how it calculates summary tasks to Roll Up Sum, it will show up in all projects in the grouped summary fields. However, if I change it back to calculate summary tasks by using formula, it disappears from all project's grouped summary tasks except the two.

    Either this a bug, or I have different options configured just for these two projects. I'm lost and thinking about re-evaluating the need to have this indicator in this grouped view...

    Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

    Monday, June 28, 2010 4:09 PM
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    (Just cleaning up some of my old threads and found this one from a couple of weeks ago).  It sounds like an issue with the formula to me.  My guess is that those two projects are missing key data used in the calculation.  When you switch off the indicators and go back to display data, what do you see in those projects?
    Thursday, July 8, 2010 11:37 AM
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    Well I know it is not an issue with the formula. First, because it works fine in other views like the Gantt view. It will use the formula for summery level fields, just not in the grouped summary fields in my custom view. When I switch to calculate summary rows by rollup sum, they show up in this grouped summary task, and regular summary tasks. The thing that really gets me is exact same formula works as expected in my test instance. It must be a configuration setting that I am missing... Thanks for following up though!
    Thursday, July 8, 2010 3:19 PM
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    I would still turn off the graphical indicators to display the data.  It sounds like either a calculation issue with the formula or a logic issue with the rules around the graphical indicators.

    Thursday, July 8, 2010 6:23 PM