Add or update enterprise resources using an external data file

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The enterprise resource pool is the list of people, materials, and costs that will be used as resources in project plans. Before you can assign resources to tasks, they must be added to Project Online or Project Server. They can be added via Active Directory synchronization or by adding them manually.

Manually entering resources one by one can be quite cumbersome. Another manual option is to import the resources using an external data file. You can also update the existing resources in the same manner, by importing the changes from an external data file.

Project Professional is used in conjunction with Project Online or Project Server to import data from an external file. Project Professional can import files in the following file formats:

• Project file formats: .mpp and .mpt

• Excel file formats: .xlsx, .xlsb, .xls

• .txt

• .csv

• .xml

Regardless of format, the file should contain at least the Display Name for the resources you want to add to the enterprise resource pool. The file can contain any other resource information that is important to your organization. You will then map the fields in the external file to fields in the Resource Center in Project Online or Project Server.

Note: If you have fields that aren't available by default in Project Server or Project Online, create custom fields first, before mapping the data. Once the custom fields exist in Project Server or Project Online, you can map the fields in the external data file with those custom fields.

To import new or modify existing resources in an enterprise resource pool:

1. Go to the Resource Center in Project Server or Project Online.

2. Select the resources you want to modify, or select at least one resource if you plan to add additional resources to the pool.

3. Click Resources > Open. This opens Project Professional to the Resource Sheet view.

   Note:  If you're connecting to Project Online, you may be prompted for your account and password when Project Professional launches.

4. In Project Professional, click File > Open, and then choose the external data file with the resource information you're importing.

5. Click Next in the Import Wizard.

6. Select New map and then click Next.

7. Do one of the following:

   • If you're modifying existing resources, choose Merge the data into the active project, and then click Next.

   • If you're adding new resources, choose Append the data to the active project, and then click Next.

8. Click Resources, and then click Next.

9. Select the source worksheet name if you're using an Excel file, otherwise the field will be grayed out.

10. Map the fields in the external file with the Project Professional fields, and then click Next.

    Note: The preview will show you what the data will look like when it comes into Project Professional.

11. If you're modifying existing resources, select the field that will be used to merge the data from the external file into Project Professional, click Set Merge Key, and then click Next.

    For example, if you set the Name field as the merge key, data associated with that name in the external file will be used to modify the record with that name in the enterprise resource pool.

    Tip: If you want to reuse the field mappings when adding or updating resources later, choose Save Map.

12. Click Finish

The resources are now listed on the Resource Sheet. When you close the file, click Yes when you're prompted to Save your changes to Checked-out Enterprise Resources.

In Project Online or Project Server, go back to the Resource Center to see that the resources have been added to the enterprise resource pool.

To learn more, take a look at Managing resources in Project Professional.