Forum Discussion
MS Project Master file won’t allow Duration/Deadline edits
I’m troubleshooting an unusual issue with a long-standing Microsoft Project Master/consolidated file containing multiple linked subprojects.
After replacing one subproject with its latest monthly version, certain fields within that subproject cannot be edited from the Master file. Specifically, I cannot edit fields such as Duration or Deadline, while other fields, such as Text and Baseline fields, can still be edited normally from the Master. I’m sensing the theme has to do with fields that require calculation.
More context:
- This issue arrived after we migrated MPP files from a cloud server to an on-prem server.
- Previous month’s Cloud server MPP file works fine in the Consolidated environment
- The master file creates the issue when I replace the cloud-based MPP with the current month on-prem version.
Troubleshooting completed:
- The subproject works normally when opened directly.
- I created a brand-new blank MPP to use as the Master file and inserted the exact same subproject. Duration and Deadline are editable through the new Master.
- In the new consolidated file and repeated the normal download from on-prem/replacement process. Everything works correctly.
- The problem therefore appears to follow the existing Master MPP, rather than the subproject.
- F9/recalculation does not resolve the issue.
The existing Master has been used for a long time and contains multiple inserted/linked subprojects and external relationships.
Important constraint: I want to avoid rebuilding the Master or use a repair method that regenerates existing task UIDs. A higher-level consolidated schedule relies on the existing UIDs.
1 Reply
Hi Tom, what was the process you used to migrate your schedules from the POL cloud environment to the Project Server On Prem environment? We've completed a bunch of these migrations and in our experience there's an important 'order of operations' for how schedules need to move from POL to PS SE, so that things like enterprise fields, resource assignments, etc. map and function properly. Based upon your input we'll provide some guidance. For instance, when you moved the individual sub-projects, did you create a new project in PS SE and copy the schedule into that new project, like you noted you did with the Master?
Also for any calculated fields you are using, are they Enterprise Custom Fields or the out of the box roll up fields (like work, duration, etc.), and how did you migrate those between environments?
Master projects can be tricky to work with, esp during a migration effort. Breaking your individual schedules down and migrating and validating those individually, after you've updated your PS SE configuration to match what's in POL, is a good starting point. From there, you may need to re-build the master, as in Project a master is really a separate project schedule that includes a set of sub-schedules (which you clearly already know from your note above). Esp. if your links go across projects, those 'pointers' are stored in the POL database attached to specific task UID. If those UIDs change or are published as new UIDs in the PS SE system, it's highly possible you'd break those links when you do the migration of each schedule, and esp within the master, which is just rolling those projects up.
