Importing and Updating Schedules

Learn best practices to update import and update schedules from other software


Schedules can be imported from another Fuzor project as well as many different external software as XML or CSV. Fuzor retains Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), predecessor links, calendars and resources when importing with XML.
The XML filetype is used to exchange information between scheduling software. Fuzor can import XML from Asta Powerproject, Primavera P6, and Microsoft Project. Importing an XML is the best way to ensure that the information in your schedule is properly loaded into Fuzor.
Asta Powerproject schedules can be imported as an .xml Microsoft Project schedules can be imported as an .xml Primavera P6 schedules can be imported as an .xml or loaded through a Live Link to the P6 API. Microsoft Excel schedules can be imported as a .csv
The Load button opens the Load Options Menu. To import an entire schedule select Schedule XML. Otherwise spreadsheet data in XLSX and CSV can be imported using column mapping.
The Load Options Dialog Box appears after selecting a schedule with the file browser if your project is already populated with a schedule. The options in this menu allow you to control how tasks stored in your imported schedule merge with your current schedule. The schedule will keep object assignments when Merge By ID is selected.
The Append radio button adds the tasks in your schedule to the end of your current schedule. The Merge By ID radio button updates tasks with a common ID to the tasks you are importing. The Overwrite radio button replaces the current schedule with the imported schedule The Keep Tasks with Objects checkbox toggles whether tasks with objects assigned are preserved when making an update with Merge By ID. To ensure that tasks are not kept that may have been deleted in authoring software uncheck this setting.
The Reload button reloads any external changes to your schedule updating it in Fuzor. The Save button in the 4D Simulation App opens exporting options for your schedule. You can export your file as a Microsoft Project XML, a Primavera P6 XML, or a Fuzor CSV. When the appropriate file type has been selected click the Save button in this window. The Cancel button cancels saving your schedule.

P6 Live Link

Learn how to connect Fuzor to your P6 server to load and sync schedules.


Fuzor supports P6 Live Link API. This means that users can connect to their P6 Database and sync schedule data directly to the server.
In order to connect to a database, the user must link Fuzor to a P6 integration API
	Opens the File browser for the user to select a P6 Integration Directory
The Databases list displays all available database. Databases can be selected in this list. To connect to a database, populate the Username and Password fields and select Load Project List with the Database selected. Once connected the Projects list displays all projects associated with the currently opened database. Projects can be selected in the Projects list.
The Get Updates button reads data from the currently selected project populating or updating the schedule loaded into Fuzor. The Send Updates button takes changes made in Fuzor and updates the P6 Database. Do not Send Updates if you wish to preserve your P6 Schedule. Changes may be made to the schedule even by just importing into Fuzor. The Delete Tasks in P6 checkbox toggles whether tasks that do not exist in the Fuzor schedule are removed from the P6 Project when using Send Updates The Sync Added Tasks checkbox toggles whether tasks that exist in Fuzor but not P6 are created in the P6 Project when using Send Updates.

Importing resources

Learn how to import costs from Primavera P6

Resources are imported from authoring software along with their associated costs and task assignments. Projects in authoring software must be properly setup in order for costs in Fuzor to match.

Primavera P6 resources must be assigned to a task in the schedule to be imported with an xml.

All Microsoft project resources are imported to Fuzor.

Imported Schedule Correlations

This section provides detailed information on what Fuzor specific columns are populated by correlating columns and data in supported software.


It is important to know how your schedule is imported from your authoring software. Some Fuzor Columns have no counterparts in authoring software and are for internal use. If a particular column does not have a counterpart in a particular authoring software it is possible that it may still be populated on import. When Using Asta Powerproject is it recommended that the user export to an XML in either Primavera P6 or Microsoft Project Format. Unless importing costs. Costs from Microsoft project are better imported through column mapping.

Identifiers
Fuzor	Primavera P6	Asta Powerproject	Microsoft Project
ID	Activity ID or WBS Code	No Counterpart	No Counterpart
Name	Activity Name or WBS Name	Name	Task Name
Durations
Fuzor	Primavera P6	Asta Powerproject	Microsoft Project
Duration	At Complete Duration	Duration	Duration
Planned Duration	Original Duration	Original Duration	No Counterpart
Actual Duration	Actual Duration	Actual Duration	Actual Duration
Remaining Duration	Remaining Duration	Duration Remaining	Remaining Duration
Date Sets
Fuzor	Primavera P6	Asta Powerproject	Microsoft Project
Start / End	Start and Finish	Start and Finish	Start and Finish
Planned	Planned	Original	No Counterpart
Remaining	Remaining Early	No Counterpart	No Counterpart
Actual	Actual	Actual	Actual

Cost Types
Fuzor	Primavera P6	Asta Powerproject	Microsoft Project
Labor	Labor or Role	Not supported	Work
Equipment	Non-Labor	Not supported	No Counterpart
Expenses	Expenses	Not supported	No Counterpart
Material	Material	Not supported	Material
Resources
Fuzor	Primavera P6	Asta Powerproject	Microsoft Project
Per Use Price	No Counterpart	Not supported	Per Use Cost
Overtime Price	Overtime Factor	Not supported	Overtime Cost
Unit Price	Price / Unit	Not supported	Std. Rate
Budgeted Units	Planned or Budgeted Units	Not supported	No Counterpart
Actual Units	Actual Units	Not supported	No Counterpart
Remaining Units	Remaining Units	Not supported	No Counterpart
At Completion Units	At Completion Units	Not supported	Units
Logic and Special Columns
Fuzor	Primavera P6	Asta Powerproject	Microsoft Project
% Complete	Duration % Complete	Percent Complete	% Complete
Constraint Type	Primary Constraint Type	Constraint	Constraint Type
Constraint Date	Primary Constraint Date	Start Constraint Date or Finish Constraint Date	Constraint Date
Task Calendar	Activity Calendar	Calendar	Task Calendar
Total Float/Slack	Total Float	Total Float	Total Slack

Column Mapping

Learn how to map columns from a spreadsheet to your construction schedule.


Alternative to importing an .xml data can also be loaded from XLSX and CSV spreadsheets. When using a spreadsheet to import data the user must specify how that data is imported into Fuzor. While this may take more time on initial setup, this allows the user more control over how the data is imported. settings are preserved and can be exported and reused so that future updates are easier. For more information about which columns can be mapped see Task Table Columns. Notably both WBS and Task Type cannot be populated with column mapping.
The column mapping menu can be opened from the 4D Load Options menu or by right clicking a mappable column header and selecting the button that appears.

The Load Spreadsheet button opens the file browser for the user to select a spreadsheet to load data from. The Current Column Map list denotes which columns from the spreadsheet should be used to populate specified columns in Fuzor. When a spreadsheet is first loaded the list is empty.
When a spreadsheet is loaded the file name is displayed above the settings to add new mappings to the schedule. There are four drop down menus that control how a new mapping is added.
The Source Column denotes the column in the spreadsheet where the data is loaded from. Other columns allow the user to select from available Fuzor columns.
Column Type specifies a particular column within a set of dates. Possible values are Duration, Start Date, End Date and all supported Cost Types. A Custom Column is also an option from this drop down menu Task or Baseline specifies a particular schedule to populate. Date Type specifies a particular set of durations and dates to populate. Options are Planned, Actual, Start and End, and Remaining. The Add Column Mapping button adds the mapping specified by the drop down menus to the Current Column Map List When all desired columns are mapped use the Apply button to load the data from the spreadsheet

Updating with Spreadsheets

Learn best practices for making updates and managing mappings.


When a spreadsheet is loaded in for the first time a task will be created for each row of the spreadsheet that is populated with data. Only the columns that are specified in the Current Column Map list are populated with data. By default data is loaded sequentially. That means that the data in the first row in the spreadsheet is used to populate the first task in the Gantt Chart. Identifiers can be set to ensure that even if the data in the spreadsheet is sorted differently than the Gantt Chart chart that the association between tasks in Fuzor and rows in the spreadsheet are preserved when making updates. If planning on making an update to the schedule with column mapping, setting an Identifier is essential.
Use the checkbox next to a Mapping to use that relationship as a Identifier. For example ID is the Identifier for the mapping shown to the right. As a result when updated, tasks are repopulated if the ID column in Fuzor matches the ID column in a row of the spreadsheet. A column must be unique to be a reliable Identifier. Recommended options are ID and Name. Fuzor ensures that both of these are unique even for newly created tasks.
Custom Columns can also be used as Identifiers yet Fuzor does not have any internal systems ensuring that these would have duplicate values. Other settings help the user manage the current Column Map or Save and Load other maps to manage different spreadsheets. The Reset Button Clears the Current Column Map.
	Removes the associated mapping
	Denotes that the associated column mapping is clear of issues
	Denotes that there are potential problems with an associated column mapping. This is likely a result of a Column Mapping that references a column which does not exist in the speadsheet.
If another schedule needs to be loaded a column map can be stored in the Saved Column Maps list. These maps are saved to the cache file but they can also be used to export and Load in another project The Save button stores the Current Column Map in Saved Column Maps. The Load button overwrites the Current Column Map with the currently selected mapping in the Saved Column Maps.
The Export button saves the mapping selected in the Saved Column Maps as XLSX or an XML. The Import button opens the file browser for the user to select a previously saved mapping.

Parse Settings

Learn how to control parse settings when importing spreadsheets


Different spreadsheet editors store data on export differently. The parse settings control how Fuzor reads column data and dates. By default, Fuzor only reads three different Date and Time Formats. These are displayed at the top of the parse settings. If the spreadsheet that you are using has a different Date and time format check the Custom Input Checkbox.
Use the Sample textbox to specify a custom Date and Time format. The sample legend is displayed when custom input is checked.
For CSV it is important to specify the proper cell separator. Usually this is a comma. If Fuzor seems to be reading the available columns improperly it is likely that the spreadsheet is using a different separator.
XLSX files store date values an integer above zero. Where zero is in reference to a particular date and each subsequent day is represented by an increment of 1. This date is usually the 31st of December in 1899. However, it is not uncommon for a spreadsheet to be off by a few days. Microsoft Excel uses the following day: January 1^st as a reference date. The Microsoft Excel radio button can be used to automatically change the reference date appropriately The Other radio button will work for most spreadsheets The Custom input radio button is used to edit the Reference Date.