File corruption 1

[WaterGypsy]

HI folks

I previously asked about a problem we were having with custom fields being corrupted ... see: thread913-1705839

We are still getting this (or a very similar) problem and it's becoming a real pain.

In brief:

[li]I run an macro to extract data including custom fields from all the plans in a folder and everything is fine.[/li]


[li]Later in the day the output from the same macro shows corrupt data in a number of custom fields for one or two plans (and on examination of the .mpp file those field headers for the custom fields are trashed too).[/li]

[li]The date & time stamp for the file shows that it was last updated before the original extract.[/li]

[li]What we know has happened between the two iterations of the extract is that we insert the plans as sub-projects into a master plan in order to produce another report .... this master plan is then closed without saving. There may be other things happening but I am not aware of them.[/li]

Can anyone shed any light on this?

Thanks
Kevin

 

[JulieInMaine]

Are you making changes to the sub-project files when they are inserted into the master? I'm assuming you are linking when you insert. What precisely do you mean by "corrupt data". Is the data being removed again? Are you connected to server and using Enterprise Custom fields? I'm hoping you and all users are fully updated with SP-2?

 

[remeng]

It sounds like the master file is taking over and not allowing the change. I've had this cause errors in the past, but that was with Project Server. Are you using Project Server by any chance?

thanks,

Mike

 

[WaterGypsy]

Thanks for the replies.

We appear to be on SP2 (version is 14.0.7140.5002)

We don't make any changes to the sub-plans - we do expand the view so that we can copy data, and if we get scheduling conflicts we say to continue, but we close without saving the master file and say "No to All" when asked.

The corrupt data appears as non standard characters, for example "܁ʼn", or "܁ɀ". And this time the field headings are also changed. I don't believe that these are Enterprise custom fields ... they are Locally defined.

We aren't using Project Server.

 

[JulieInMaine]

Are you copying and pasting data within Project or from Project to another product?

Is the issue always occurring with the same files?

Does the issue occur if you insert the projects without linking?

 

[WaterGypsy]

We're copying from Project into Excel - we copy Resource Usage data

It happens to different files but one file does seem to be particularly affected

We haven't noticed it happening at any other time (does linking require specific action because all we do is click the subproject insert button on the Project tab?)

 

[JulieInMaine]

Unless you specifically uncheck, the files are linked - which means changes in the master will automatically be written to the subproject file.

 

[WaterGypsy]

But wouldn't that still require either the master or the subproject to be saved in order to apply the update?

 

[JulieInMaine]

If corruption is happening I would not rely on that. Are you working with a resource pool file?

 

[WaterGypsy]

Sorry for the delay in responding - I've been busy with other jobs for a few days.

Yes we are working with a resource pool .. when we expand the view we are asked if we want to open the resource pool which we do, but then we close it without saving once the expansion is complete.

We have decided to 'prove' it is this process which causes the problem by copying the files to a different folder in order to generate the reports for the next few weeks, that way if the corruption re-occurs during that process it won't impact the live files and if it re-occurs in the live files then it isn't the sub-project process which causes it.

 

[JulieInMaine]

Ah, has any project manager moved, deleted, Saved As, or copied their file connected to the pool? All are methods likely to cause corruption in both the pool and the sharer file. Let me know how working on a backup works, but it is possible that one or more of the files are actually corrupt.

 

[WaterGypsy]

Hi Julie ... yes we regularly move files that are connected to the pool, we have a folder structure that plans move through as they come online - I'll have a look at that possibility (although the corrupted file isn't one that has been moved recently) ... do you think that rebuilding the links to the pool on a regular basis would help?

 

[JulieInMaine]

Before moving any file connected to the pool, you must make sure the file is disconnected from the pool. I would try a rebuild of the pool file and see if that solve the problem. How long as the pool file been used?

 

[WaterGypsy]

That makes a lot of sense now I think of it We've been using the pool for at least 4 years - we have rebuilt the links at intervals, but I think we need to review how we move plans through the folder structure

Thanks for your help Julie

 

[JulieInMaine]

You're very welcome and thank you for the feedback.