I can create a macro and grab most of the Load Resource
code from there, but is there a way that I can automate
the process? This is to be used by many users off a shared
environment.

Any help appreciated....

Jeff.

If you want the user to be able to connect to the resource pool
automatically, I would like to suggest that this is very undesirable
behaviour. I advocate never letting a project connect to a pool until the
project administrator has audited the project to make sure the resource
assignments and dates are realistic. Add one or two projects with resources
assigned at 100% (instead of 20% say) and very quickly the whole resource
pool is returning inaccurate data. In fact I prefer going one step further
and never having a pool. I use a macro or utility (Project Program Manager)
to create pools on the fly as and when they are needed, only out of the
projects I want included. Once the pool's usefulness has ended (the report's
done) then I automatically undo the pool. This allows an project file to
belong to any number of pools (though still only one at a time).

Final problem, is that if templates end up being included in pools, then
there are a whole load of assignments that are not real.

--
Rod Gill
Project MVP
For Microsoft Project companion projects, best practices and Project VBA
development services
visit www.projectlearning.com/

What I need is advice on effective methods for the above
problem. I am currently trying to get authorisation to run
Project Central on the system but have doubts as to it's
overall usefullness in the given environment.

Jeff

I would say my comments are even more relevant. In your situation you can
guarantee that someone is moving project files or over-writing after taking
one away on a laptop and so it's only a matter of time before the resource
pool corrupts and takes one or more project files with it. I would not use a
permanent pool in your scenario. As the number of projects grows, more and
more of your user's PC's will be unable to load or effectively use the pool
because of its size and slow performance (because of so many projects). The
value you get from the pool will drop more an more and the overhead for
maintaining it will increase.

For many reports etc you don't need permanent pools. Try downloading our
free demo of Project Program Manager
(www.projectlearning.com/project-software/) and see how easy it is to
include multiple files in one system and report by department, skill, team,
business unit and more all with no pool. The tool also lets you build
temporary pools and consolidated files easily and quickly and so allow
project files to be included in many different temporary pools and
consolidations.

Project Central belongs to Project 2000, Project Server is much better and
combines with Project 2002 professional.

--
Rod Gill
Project MVP
For Microsoft Project companion projects, best practices and Project VBA
development services
visit www.projectlearning.com/