THE PRIMAVERA P6 USER’S

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

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 Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Why Primavera P6 and Excel

Chapter 2: Excel VLOOKUP Tutorial

Chapter 3: How to Import WBS from Excel to Primavera

P6 using the SDK

Chapter 4: Using Primavera’s .xer File Parser – Import WBS

from Excel Without the SDK

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

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 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.

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CHAPTER TWO
EXCEL VLOOKUP TUTORIAL

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 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! Let’s see
how we can define and use this function in our Excel VLOOKUP tutorial.

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 How to write a VLOOKUP formula

Let’s 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.

Let’s 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.

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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 has 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 let’s 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 let’s put the FALSE in the Range_lookup.

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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:

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 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 won’t 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 haven’t 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 appears
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 doesn’t matter where I’m 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.

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 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 spreadsheets 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 won’t be any error and you just enjoy its quickness.

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

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 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).
I’ve numbered each worksheet
appropriately.

For this tutorial, we’re using a sample

WBS from this site. We’ve 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 Here’s 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.

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 The Level column
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 we’ll need for the import.

Step 4 – Organize the WBS by Parent & Child

We’re 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.

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The next steps might seem unintuitive, but they are important to follow correctly. We’ll 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, that’s 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.

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 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 we’ve created.

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 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 don’t need for the
import.

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 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.

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 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.

You’ll want to have an empty project already setup in P6 that we will import to. If you don’t 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.

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 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 -
Don’t overwrite the root node that is already there.

Click “Set WBS”.

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

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 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.

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 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.

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CHAPTER FOUR
USING PRIMAVERA’S .XER FILE
PARSER – IMPORT WBS FROM
EXCEL WITHOUT THE SDK

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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 don’t 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

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 Before You Start

Primavera P6 has a well-defined database at its core, but you don’t need to be an IT graduate to
understand how it works. Here’s 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
– don’t 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.

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 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.

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

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 Here is the result:

The most important columns are wbs_id, wbs_short_name, wbs_name and parent_wbs_id.

In the next steps, we’ll 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.

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 Step 4 – 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.
• Don’t add anything to columns with empty values.

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

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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 database first – don’t import
it to a Production database until you’ve 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?

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WE HOPE THAT YOU ENJOYED OUR
GUIDE

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