Using PowerBI with Project for the Web - Reporting on Summary Tasks and associated SubTask progress

[jchapmanICT]

Hi All:

Hoping someone can help guide me as a relative noob to both Project for the Web and PowerBI.

I need to be able to report on progress on completion of subtasks for each Summary Task in my project.

In essence the project plan is setup as follows:

Site 1

SubTask 1

SubTask 2

Site 2

SubTask 1

SubTask 2

etc etc...

In the PowerBI template for Project for the Web, there doesn't appear to be any way to visualise this. Can anyone help please? Treat me as a complete noob! 🙂

Thank you

J

[jchapmanICT · Accepted solution]

Hey Amit,

Thanks for the response. I have now realised that the tables and fields pulled in by the PowerBI template for Project on the Web are not complete. Pulling in the full dataset allows me to use a parent task field which effectively gives me a workaround for this. 

Thanks again

J

[Nozama]

How do you mean "pull in all data" - please can you elaborate? I am having the same problem. Thanks.

[jchapmanICT]

Hi Nozama,

The default PowerBI template does not include all database tables. Changing this and adding in all tables (initially and while you're building your dashboards) allows you to access all of the fields used in Project for the Web.

Does that help? Happy to try to elaborate if you need me to.

J

[Nozama]

If you could please elaborate that would be great! Currently the Project Dashboard takes input from PWA workspace (Project Online) and the respective Dataverse URL. So if there are tables missing - what additional source did you add to add those tables?!

[jchapmanICT]

Hi!

I admit I find the current mix of Microsoft Project versions confusing. We are using Microsoft Project for the Web, not Project Online and not Project Web Access - unless they've now changed the naming convention for these products. Really needs a Microsoft Licensing expert to answer any questions around the differences. 

What I do know is when I used the Powerbi Template, not ALL of the Project for the Web tables or fields were included. Looking at the PowerBI Data, you can choose additional tables and fields - so in this screenshot, any tables starting with "msdyn" are additional tables I added in. 

Not sure where you are in the world but if times match, I'd be happy to have a quick Teams call. I'd not call myself a complete expert though so it might end up feeling like the blind leading the blind... 🙂

J

[Nozama]

Was able to do it, thanks! Haven't tried to see if that resolves the original issue of adding sub-tasks to tasks but will try!

[Nozama]

I looked left, right and centre and honestly could not find any task which even had the word "parent" in it - unless there is a clever way to play with the IDs etc. 🤷‍♂️

[jchapmanICT]

Hey Nozama,

Sorry to hear you're still having problems. It took me a while and I am really no expert so I would hate to describe to you a method which is not as Microsoft intend it to be......

My advice to you is to log a ticket with Microsoft. You can do this via your tenancy - https://admin.microsoft.com/AdminPortal/#/support

Alternatively I'd be happy to have a quick Teams call to see if I can talk you through this...

What I will say is that there is a field entitled "msdyn_parenttask" which you can use as a filter - i.e. "Only show me records where "msdyn_parenttask" is not blank" - then use the "Project Task Name" field to display the Task name etc etc. 

If that doesn't work - a Teams call, or log a ticket with Microsoft - they were pretty responsive to my queries.

Best wishes (and good luck)

John

[amitchandak]

@jchapmanICT , Can you share more details, have you tried Matrix Visual ?

or

Gantt Chart, project time line visual
https://appsource.microsoft.com/en/product/power-bi-visuals/WA104380765?tab=Overview
https://www.mpug.com/articles/how-to-create-an-amazing-gantt-chart-in-power-bi/
https://blog.pragmaticworks.com/power-bi-custom-visuals-as-timeline
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO4mk1H94OA
https://xviz.com/visuals/gantt-chart/