THE PRIMAVERA P6 USERS

GUIDE TO EXCEL
How to use these two powerful tools
together to maximize your productivity
and reporting.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Why Primavera P6 and Excel
Chapter 2: Excel VLOOKUP Tutorial
Chapter 3: P6XL Bridge helps you
manipulate P6 data in Excel
Chapter 4: How to Import WBS from Excel
to Primavera P6 using the SDK
Chapter 5: Using Primaveras .xer File
Parser Import WBS from Excel
Without the SDK

CHAPTER ONE
Introduction: Why Primavera 6
And Excel Are Better Together

Primavera P6 users are also

Excel users? Why the two
are better together. Excel
has the ability to map out
data in dashboards, utilize
math and lookup functions
not available in Primavera
P6, and overall save you
time and stress.

Primavera P6, conversely, can

help you manage and track
your WBS files in one
centralized location. IN this
eBook we have packaged up
some of our favorite tutorials,
so you have an easy way to
make use of these powerful
tools.

CHAPTER TWO
EXCEL VLOOKUP TUTORIAL

Primavera users are

also Excel users. As
many of you know,
Microsoft Excel has
many
useful
functions in different
areas
such
as
Financial, Date &
Time, Math, Trig and
so on. One of these
areas is Look up &
Reference.
The
functions in this area
are dealt with lists, indexes and arrays and help us to find some special
information in these listed data or other. This required information could
be address of a desired cell which contains some special value, a value or
action to perform a list of values, a reference specified by a text string, a
relative position of an item in array that matches a specified value in a
specific order and finally: a value in the leftmost column of a table and
then returns a value in the same row from a column you specify.
The last function is called VLOOKUP and I myself find it very useful in most
of the planning activities. Sometimes when you have some spreadsheets
with heaps of information in them and you need to transfer some updated
information from one list into another, VLOOKUP helps you to do it fast
and accurate. This list could be your export from Primavera and you can
update it from a database (which most of the time can have an output in
the form of a spreadsheet) using VLOOKUP and then import it in
Primavera and everything is updated now, easy and quick! Lets see how
can we define and use this function in our Excel VLOOKUP tutorial.
How to write a VLOOKUP formula
6

Lets start with a

practical
example.
Suppose that we
have
a
list
of
updated progress of
some
documents
and we want to
update their percent
completes
in
another list which
has been exported
from
Primavera.
Here are our lists on
the right.

Lets call the right

table
Database
table and the left
one
Primavera
table. Now we want
to have percent
complete for each
document. So we
start writing the
formula
in
the
Activity % complete
column
in
primavera table.

When you choose VLOOKUP function in Excel, you should complete the
following inputs:
Lookup_value: This is the value that is common between our arrays
and we use it to find our desired value. In this example both arrays
have Documents numbers in common, so we use this value as our
look up value.
Table_array: In here we should input the address of our main array
that have desired information in it and in which data is retrieved. We
will see how we should insert the cell address in here.
Col_index_num: This number is the column number in our main
array in which our desired data is located. You should notice that
this number starts from one for the first column in the array that you
have chosen in the previous section, so you should count columns
to find your result column and input the number in here. In our
example %Complete is located in fifth column so we should input 5
in this part.
Range_lookup: In this part you have two logical TRUE and FALSE
options and each one have different meanings in the formula. If you
put TRUE the function search for the closest match in the array and
you should note that the search is in the ascending order. If you
leave this section blank, it works like you put TRUE in it. FALSE means
you need to find an exact match in the array, so this option is more
accurate and reliable and I prefer this one because sometimes
especially when you search some numbers, using TRUE makes you
confused.
Now lets get back to our example. The Lookup_value for our example is
Activity IDs in the primavera table which is called Document Number in the
database table. Our Table_array starts from the first column in the
database table and ends on %complete column which is our desired
column for getting the result. Col_index is the column number of
%complete column which is 5. For getting the most accurate result lets
put the FALSE in the Range_lookup.
8

So our formula is
like this:

As you can see for the Table_array amount, the address of cells in the
array has been inserted completely, rows and columns, sheet name and
even file name is identified. In Excel wherever you see $ sign it means that
amount is fixed and if you drag the formula it is not going to be changed,
so here the column and the row are both fixed and when you drag the
formula for the rest of activities your array is the same but otherwise if you
have not $ sign in there and you drag the formula the next one would
starts from column C and row 2 till column F and row 32.

Now we can take a look

at results and they are
amazing. We have our
updated list very easy
and quick:

Tips
For using VLOOKUP function there are some tips that you should consider
them:
1. Always your lookup value should be in the first column of your table
array. If you do not obey this rule the formula wont work for you. In
our example the formula searches the Document Number column
to find out our Activity IDs and return their %complete and this
column is the first one in the selected array. Sometimes you have to
replace columns to put your look up value in the first place of the
array.
2. When your lookup value is a text instead of numbers the format of
tables are important and you need to make them similar to each
other, then the formula can find the result.
3. After writing the formula and drag it for all the cells of the column,
maybe the result would appear in another category. In our example
if I havent set the category of percentage for Activity % complete
column in primavera table, the data could be appeared in the
decimal number format. Therefore, you need to be sure that you set
the proper format for that column.
4. You remember that in the table_array part of the formula when you
choose the array by dragging on the cells, the complete address of
the array apppears in the formula. On the other hand, most of the
time your result is getting from a different file. Sometimes when you
close and save both files and then change the place of the reference
file (in our example database file) in your computer the formula gets
confused and gives you errors. Consequently you may lose your
results. I prefer to copy and paste the value of formula after checking
that it has worked correctly. So it doesnt matter where Im going to
save the reference file and the next time when I open the main file,
the lookup values are on their place in the file and I have them.

10

Conclusion
VLOOKUP is one of the most useful functions in Excel especially for
planners and it helps you to save your time and have many updated
spreadsheet for either importing to primavera or preparing reports and
charts by them. But you should consider the tips and always check the
results randomly to be sure that the formula has worked correctly,
because this function has many dependencies and if you miss to obey all
the rules you may get the wrong results, but when you get used to it, there
wont be any error and you just enjoy its quickness.

11

CHAPTER THREE
P6XL BRIDGE HELPS YOU
MANIPULATE P6 DATA IN EXCEL

12

What is the P6XL Bridge?

The P6XL Bridge is an Excel tool that
uses the P6 SDK to communicate
with the underlying P6 database
using SQL in the background without
involving the Primavera P6 Client.
Although the user does not deal with
SQL directly, the burden of
maintaining basic data integrity rules
and basic scheduling logic rules is
shifted to the user.
Primavera P6 is often used to create massive schedules that need
constant updating. The P6 Client GUI is not often conducive to the
common data manipulation abilities of Excel. The Bridge aims to enable
that marriage by exposing the P6 database records, tables, and scheduling
logic to the user in simple Excel tables.
The P6 Client could still be running while using the Bridge. It could be used
to do parts of the data manipulation that is easier in the Client like global
change. It could also be used to view the changes made in the Bridge in a
more graphical representation.
And now.lets see the P6XL Bridge in Action!
In this tutorial, we create and assign 5 activity codes in a sample P6
project using Excel. We use the P6XL Bridge for this because it is not
possible to do it in P6 directly without XER manipulation. It is not even
possible using the Excel Import/Export functionality in P6 alone without a
lot of effort. In this tutorial, we demonstrate that it boils down to a mere
copy and paste operation when using the Bridge.
Tutorial Assets

13

The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial.

The P6XL Bridge

Sample Project.xer

Step 1 Import the Sample

Project
Import and open the Sample
Project XER above in P6 by
going to the File menu then
Import. Follow the prompts of
the wizard. Take note of the
pre-created
sample
global
activity code and the pre-created code value, as ABOVE

Also note that a code value is

already assigned to the first
activity.

14

Step 2 Open the Project in the Bridge

Assuming you have a functional P6XL Bridge, bring up the project list by
double-clicking on the PROJECT table.
If you are having trouble, consult with the installation manual on the P6XL
Bridge website.

Locate the sample project and open it by typing Open under Changes
(column E) on the same row as your project. In the case below, this is cell
E5. Then click the Update button. Now your project is open in the Bridge.

Step 3 Record your Tasks

Locate the TASK table and record it by selecting it then clicking the Record
button. This will make available all your Task IDs in a separate sheet. We
will use this later.

15

Step 4 Input Activity Codes

Stay on the Interface sheet then record the ACTVCODE table just like we
did above.

Go the ACTVCODE sheet and notice that the code value that we
discovered in P6 under our Sample Activity Code is already there.

Start typing (or copy and paste) the desired code values as below. Notice
the Insert command will appear automatically. Fill 3 columns: the short
name, the long name, and the parent code ID. When done click on the
Update button. Your codes are now created in P6.

16

Take note of the resulting code value IDs, as highlighted below. We will use
that later.

Step 5 Assign the Codes

Go to the Interface sheet. Double-click on the TASKACTV table to open
Activity Code Assignments. Notice that one activity is already assigned a
Sample Code value just like we discovered in P6.

Go to the ACTVCODE
sheet. Copy the activity
code
value
IDs
as
highlighted in the above
step into the TASKACTV
table in the Interface sheet
3 times as indicated below.
Notice
the
commands will
automatically.

17

Insert
appear

Go to the TASK sheet. Select the

activity
IDs
corresponding
to
Initiation 1 through Construction 5
as indicated below. Then copy.

Go to the Interface sheet.

Paste the activity IDs in the
TASKACTV
table
as
illustrated below.

18

Finally,
fill-down
the activity code ID
and project ID
columns.
Then
click the Update
button to get the
result below.

Your assignments are now complete.

Additionally, the TASK
table
was
automatically altered
and a new column
was added to it. To
examine
the
assignments in the
altered TASK table: hit
Alt F8 on your
keyboard, then run
the Reconnect DB
macro, then visit the
TASK tab, double-click
on a table name in the first column. This will refresh the TASK table. Go to
the last column on the right. Youll see your assignments there. That
column is another way to alter the code assignments.

19

If you go to P6, you can

confirm
that
your
assignments are now
complete. Hit F5 to
refresh and see the
changes.

Wrap Up
This tutorial demonstrates the power of managing P6 data using Excel
directly. We do this by using the P6XL Bridge which communicates with the
P6 database live without importing. In this demonstration, we used a
concrete example of assigning activity codes to a sample project.
Things for you to try:
Delete the code assignments from the TASK table and try to reassign them
again from there without using the TASKACTV table for Activity Code
Assignments.
What else you should know about the P6XL Bridge:

The Bridge can access all common P6 tables including relationships,

resources, assignments, and WBS.
20

The Bridge can copy and move projects between EPS nodes. It can
also delete projects and other data.
The Bridge facilitates using Excel formulas so you can manipulate P6
data according to your business needs.
For advanced users, the Bridge includes a facility for cycling through
projects to make predefined changes.
Advanced users can also repackage and repurpose the P6XL Bridge
functionality to create interactive reports.

21

CHAPTER FOUR
HOW TO IMPORT WBS FROM
EXCEL TO PRIMAVERA P6
USING THE SDK

22

In this tutorial we explain how to use the

Oracle Primavera P6 SDK to import a WBS
from Excel to Primavera P6. We are using
the WBS.xls P6 SDK spreadsheet made
available by Oracle Support. The SDK is a
very handy tool, but the data must exactly
respect the required format, we used
a sample WBS and a step-by-step guide to
prepare the data to be imported. We
assume you already have the Primavera
SDK installed.
Tutorial Assets
The following assets were used during the
production of this tutorial.
WBS-Import-P6-Tutorial.xls
WBS.xls
Step 1 Copy the WBS from to Excel
For simplification, every step of the
tutorial
has
its
own
Excel
worksheet in the spreadsheet (see
WBS-Import-P6-Tutorial.xls
in
Tutorials Assets). Ive numbered each
worksheet appropriately.
For this tutorial, were using a sample
WBS from this site. Weve already
cleaned-up and pasted it for you into
the WBS-Import-P6-Tutorial.xls on
Worksheet 1.
I have modified the original WBS to
add a root node (SAMPLE the first
entry in the WBS list) as the project
name.

23

Step 2 Split the WBS Path into Distinct Levels

Copy the column WBS Code from Worksheet 1 to Worksheet 2 in Excel. We will use
the Text to Columns function on the Excel Data tab (Excel 2010), it a very easy tool to
split one column by delimiters into multiple columns.

Highlight the WBS Code

column, and click on Text
to Columns.

When the
wizard screen
comes up,
select
Delimited, and
click Next.

24

Set the delimiter to a dot . .

Make sure
to format
the
columns as
Text (if your
code is 01,
Excel
will
keep it 01
as
text,
otherwise it
will change
to 1.

25

Heres the result.

Step 3 Organize The WBS by Level.

Copy the new split

columns to Worksheet
3 and paste each under
the appropriate L1, L2,
L3, L4 or L5 heading
(use the yellow L
columns, not the green
ones). If you have more
levels, just adjust the
spreadsheet to add
them in.

26

The Level colum

n on Worksheet
3 is not needed
for this tutorial.
I
have
just
added it to
show that we
can determine
the level of
each WBS by counting how many times the separator (or the delimiter) is repeated.

The green L-columns contain some text formulas that will recombine part of the WBS
Path to build parent and children fields that well need for the import.
Step 4 Organize the WBS by Parent & Child

Were
going
to
combine all of the
green
L-columns
now on Worksheet 4.
Start by copying the
data under green-L1
and pasting it to the
Parent column on
Worksheet 4. Copy
the green-L2 data
and paste it to
the Child column on
Worksheet 4.
27

The next steps might seem unintuitive, but they are important to follow correctly. Well
then clean things up afterwards.
Copy the data as follows:
Copy the green-L2 data again and this time paste it to the bottom of the data in
the Parent column on Worksheet 4
Copy the green-L3 data and paste it to the bottom of the Child column on
Worksheet 4
Copy the green-L3 data again and this paste it to the bottom of the Parent
column
Copy the green-L4 data and paste it to the bottom of the Child column
Copy the green-L4 data again and this paste it to the bottom of the Parent
column
Copy the green-L5 data and paste it to the bottom of the Child column
Essentially the column data should be combined like this:
Parent col Child col
L1 data
L2 data
L2 data
L3 data
L3 data
L4 data
L4 data
L5 data

Actually thats the most important step in this tutorial, in order for the SDK (a relational
database) to understand the structure of the WBS; this one must be presented as
Parent and children table.

28

Step 5 Remove Duplicates

Copy
the
columns
Parent and Child from
Worksheet 4, and paste
them to Worksheet 5.
Highlight both columns.

On the Excel Data tab,

click Remove
Duplicates to clean up
any duplicate entries
weve created.

29

Next, select ok

In the column check the same

relation, I put a formula to check if
there is the same item in parent
and child. Click the column Filter
and select only No. This will filter
out any other entries we dont
need for the import.

30

Step 6 Separating Child and Parent WBS Items

With the column filter still set to No highlight the Parent and Child columns, copy and
paste them to Worksheet 6 as follows:
Copy the Parent column and paste under Parent WBS ID
Copy the Child column and paste under WBS ID CHILD
The
WBS
Code
column
is
automatically
generated
by
removing from the
WBS ID CHILD code
the equivalent Parent
WBS ID.
Now our WBS is
ready to be imported
to Primavera P6.
Step 7 Open Primavera P6
In Admin -> Admin Preferences, check the maximum WBS Code length that Primavera
P6 can accept. The default of 20 will work for this tutorial; however, you may want to
increase this value to 30 or 40 characters for future imports.

31

Youll want to have an empty project already setup in P6 that we will import to. If you
dont have one, login to Primavera and create an empty project now, then come back
to this step.
By default, the first level of the WBS is the name of the project.
In this case change the name of the project to SAMPLE, once you finish importing you
can modify the name.

32

Step 8 Open the P6 SDK WBS.xls

As usual input the password, and click on Update Project List.
Select the empty project you created. **Make sure you select the right project.
Click on Get WBS.

As expected, only the WBS root node is imported into the spreadsheet.

Copy and paste from the Excel file the columns Parent WBS ID, WBS Code and the
WBS Name
Dont overwrite the root node that is already there.

33

Click Set WBS.

It will take some time to process the data (the SDK is famous for very being slow).

34

Step 9 Enjoy

Wrap Up
We explained how to import a WBS dictionary to Primavera P6 using Excel and the P6
SDK. Here are some examples as to why it is very useful for planners:
1. It is very easy to import a standard WBS into your schedule (perhaps your
company Cost breakdown Structure).
2. If your schedule is using activities codes, you can easily generate WBS in Excel
and imported back to P6.
3. You can design a first cut of your WBS outside Primavera, using many freely
available WBS utilities. Once it is approved, it can easily be imported to
Primavera. We suggest you try WBStool, a mind mapping WBS tool. All WBS or
mind mapping tool can export the WBS path to Excel, which means this file can
be used as an integration tool to Primavera.

35

Things for you to try:

If you want to understand the logic behind all this data processing, google
hierarchical database model.
Using CTE recursive query in any Database you can generate the WBS Parent
and WBS child in one operation. But if you are just a planner, SQL might be
black magic for you (as it is for me). The approach discussed in this Tutorial will
do the trick, and will you save a lot of time doing what all planners hate the most
manual typing.

36

CHAPTER FIVE
USING PRIMAVERAS .XER FILE
PARSER IMPORT WBS FROM
EXCEL WITHOUT THE SDK

37

In the previous chapter, we learned how to how to import WBS from Excel to
Primavera P6 using the SDK. In this chapter we explain how to import a WBS dictionary
in Primavera P6 without the SDK
To load the WBS data into Primavera P6, instead of using the SDK we will use the XER
File Parser utility provided by Oracle. Essentially, the File Parser is an excel file that can
read the data contained in a .xer file, and gives the user the ability to modify some
information and to build a new .xer.
It is definitely one of the most powerful utilities for Primavera P6, either standalone or
enterprise, and it is much safer to use than the SDK, as you dont write directly to the
Primavera database unlike the SDK.
Tutorial Files
Complete this tutorial by downloading the following files:
P6xerFileParserBuilder.xls - MS Excel 2003 and prior
xerFileParserBuilder_2007 - MS Excel 2007 and later
WBS_id_Generator.xls

Before You Start

38

Primavera P6 has a well-defined database at its core, but you dont need to be an IT
graduate to understand how it works. Heres what you DO need to know:
Understand what a Primary Key is used for
Understand what a Foreign Key is used for
Understand the type of relationships between tables in the database
I recommend googling the terms above. There are a lot of courses available on
database structures.
The descriptions of the tables of Primavera P6 r8.2 database tables are available
here. It can be very useful to understand how the P6 database is organized (WBS,
Activity Codes, Resources, etc.)
Also, here are some best practices on working with the XER File Parser utility:
Always work on a copy of the .xer file, and make sure to always build a new .xer
file.
Never directly update a program from a modified .xer file, first import it as a
separate project, and check if everything is ok, then you can update your
program.
Never import any .xer file directly to a production database; it is too easy to
contaminate P6 global data objects. Import to a test database first.

Step 1 Generate a dummy xer file.

Create
a
blank
dummy schedule in
P6 dont add any
WBS
or
activities. Export the
blank schedule to
.xer format.
The
purpose is to have a
.xer file with minimal
data.
For the purposes of this tutorial, the name of the schedule is Test, and the WBS code,
is Sample Oil, Gas WBS.

39

Step 2 Open the Xer file using the Excel Parser Utility.

Open the Excel XER File Parser spreadsheet. Click on Load XER file, select TEXT.xer file
then click OK.

Heres what you should see. The table for the WBS dictionary is called PROJWBS.
Click the PROJWBS link to edit WBS data.

40

Here is the result:

The most important columns are wbs_id, wbs_short_name, wbs_name and

parent_wbs_id.
In the next steps, well show you how to generate those ids from a WBS.
Step 3 Generate the WBS_id and the Parent_WBS_id
Open the
WBS_id_Generator.xls
Excel file. In the second
row, copy and paste the
values from the Excel
File Parser. Please
notice, we have
changed the WBS Code
from TEST to Sample.

Now copy the data in yellow from the Excel file done in the previous tutorial.
The primary key for the table PROJWBS is wbs_id. We generate a new wbs_id for the
new WBS. Please notice for the first wbs_id we add 100 (40484 40584) then we
increase the number by 1.
Then for the column Parent_wbs_id, by using a VLOOKUP formula, we can find the
corresponding wbs_id for the Parent.

41

Step 3 Build the new xer file with the new WBS.
Now all what we have to do is fill the columns with the data of the WBS.
Wbs_id, wbs_short_name, wbs_name, parent_wbs_id; copy in the values from the
WBS_id_Generator.xls.
Proj_id, obs_id, sum_data_flag, status_code, ev_user_pct, ev_etc_user_value,
orig_cost, indep_remain_total_cost, ev_compute_type, ev_etc_compute_type ;
copy and keep the same data from the first row
proj_node_flag : all rows have the value N.
seq_num : copy the same value to any new rows (which is first value +100)
Guid : this is another primary key generated by the database, for any new rows
leave this column empty.
Dont add anything to columns with empty values.

Now click on Build XER file. Select a new file name (TEST1) then click on OK.

Voila, now you have a new .xer file, loaded with the WBS dictionary. You can now
import that file to your P6 database. But remember to have a look at it on a test
42

database first dont import it to a Production database until youve checked the
import works.
Wrap Up
The XER File Parser is a must-have utility for any planner especially if he deals with
external schedules. In this tutorial we showed only one particular use, but this utility
has much broader use.
But who knows, perhaps one day Primavera will add the facility to copy and paste from
Excel other Planning software can do it, so why not P6?

43

WE HOPE THAT YOU ENJOYED

OUR GUIDE

44