Excel export of element resource details of tasks

[Nils Pflüger]

Hi,

I am trying to export element resource details like:
Expected hours, resource role, start and end date of the task …
in a new Excel workbook but unfortunately no data is contained.

If I add tagged values for the tasks like “hours” then I am able to find the added data.

I am working with EA 13.5.1351 and eaDocX Trial Version 3.9.5.0. Could there be any problem in the combination of these versions?

Best regards,
Nils

[eadocX Support]

Just re-tested this, and it looks fine here.
You’re using the same EA and eaDocX version as me.
What I did was:
– create some resource allocations in EA for an element
– choose eaDocX / eaDocX/ Open in Excel / Resources
– selected the columns I wanted in eaDocX/Excel
– re-exported the data to excel.

[Nils Pflüger]

I just created an example view, added a diagram and three blocks and three Tasks.
To all of these six elements I allocated resources.

Then I tried to Export them again using: eaXL => create new workbook
And Setting the elements and columns shown in the screenshots.

A screenshot of the resulting Excel workbook is added.

If I try to edit the expected hours within Excel and re-import it to EA the attachted error message is shown. No changes on the expected hours are imported.
The compare EA to Excel Option notes no (!) differences.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by Nils Pflüger. Reason: added screenshot of Excel workbook instead of the workbook itself

[eadocX Support]

Are you trying to edit all the resources of all the elements at the same time?
If so, eaDocX/XL can’t do that – it will only let you edit the Resources of one element at a time.
If yo right-click on a single element (which has some resources) then you’ll be able to edit them.
We took this decision because this is a not a very frequently used bit of EA – few modellers seem to use the element features such as resources, issues etc. If we did support it, then the user interface for eaDocX would be more complicated, and we’re trying hard to create a simple experience. Sorry.

[Nils Pflüger]

Yes, my Intention is to realize a more detailed Task and Project Management based on the EA data.
I thought this could be possible with the support of the Excel Export.

Do you have a user-specific solution or a hint on how to realize this or extend the query to several elements?

[eadocX Support]

I can’t suggest an alternative solution, but we are currently designing eaDocX V4, and I will add this to this backlog of requirements.
I think if there was a quick way to view, create and edit this data, then maybe more people would use this bit of EA, so we will certainly look at it.

[Tom Tomasovic]

Not trying to hijack this thread, but the same solution would be useful for Issues. Currently, in eaDocX (v3.9.5.7), there does not seem to be a way to access or report on Resources. The eaDocX, open in Excel option allows ONLY for reporting on the Element.

I had hoped to be able to use the eaDocX Excel import (and export) features to allow my development team to use Excel to manage issues, while allowing me to track and manage them in EA. Looks like that will not be possible.

Thanks!

Tom

P.S. Is there a target date for the next release yet?

[eadocX Support]

In a meeting of the EA user group a few years ago in Netherlands, I did a talk about ‘which bits of EA do people really use?’.
And, based on a non-scientific, but probably representative sample of 150 EA users from all over Europe, almost nobody used the Element resource, element issues ideas: people who do Project Management seemed to use MS Project, or similar tools. And those who do issue tracking overwhelmingly use Jira (see recent announcements from Sparx and Proaborate)
They din’t use EA.
For that time on, we changed our development approach to concentrate on core EA function, and stopped trying to support do all the strange stuff which Sparx build into EA.

I understand this is no help to you, but we have a finite amount of development time, and we want to help the majority of our users.
So for this reason, we have not, and don’t propose to, make Element Issues, -Resources, -Risks, or -Effort a priority for either eaDocX or eaXL development. So there will be nothing new on those areas in eaDocX V4.
I’m saying this because we are 100% driven by what our users tell us they need from eaDocX and eaXL, and this sadly means that everyone can’t have everything they need.

Even if they really need it.

Thanks for your understanding.

Ian M

[Author]

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