Primavera's archive functionality allows exporting an entire project including its baselines and history to another database. However, the process of exporting and importing each baseline individually makes the archive process time consuming. The archive was developed to address the need to move completed projects and their data to a separate database. It improves performance by queuing export jobs and preventing interference between concurrent jobs. The archive also includes administrative modules to map databases, assign administrators, and control user access for data security and integrity when accessing archived projects.

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Project Archive: What to do With Those Projects That Have
Completed or Placed On-Hold?
Darren Cox - Presenter
CB&I
Abstract:
The ability to archive a completed project from the existing production database is compounded by the
application itself. When exporting a project from Primavera, all the baselines do not carry over in the
export, thus requiring the user to un-attach all baselines and restore them as active projects. Once that
has been completed the main project and all associated baselines must be exported and save to the
predefined location. The ability to review the completed project with its associated baselines would
require the user to import the project and baselines into a database, restore all baselines to the project.
Archive Summary
Primavera currently does not possess the functionality to export an entire projects history in a single file.
In most corporate Primavera infrastructures, the use of multiple databases has become the norm for
housing projects. The archive provides the user with the functionality for transferring project data
between these databases. To further this complexity, those databases may reside on separate servers
and different database technologies. Based on the previous, multiple connections in the application are
required. Regardless of the infrastructure, the archive could accommodate most scenarios.
The archive backs up a project by exporting it, and then importing the exported file(s) into a separate
database. The more baselines a project has, the longer the entire process takes. The system performs
one job at a time and saves the succeeding jobs in a queue. You can queue up additional jobs to run, as
long as the current job is still in the Export phase. The system is “locked” during the Import phase of the
archive process and no jobs can be queued at that time. To maximize performance of this process, the
archive should be scheduled during non-peak times.
Archive Requirements
The archive was built on the need of a solution for housing closed and completed projects. The
requirements were simple; provide the users with functionality that would take an entire project and all
associated data and move it to another database, as well as delete the project within the upon transfer.
Furthermore, if a closed project was resurrected, the interface could take an archived project and move it
back into production, using the same method of the archive.
Understanding the complexity of these projects, performance became another consideration. At the time
the interface was developed, Primavera was in the midst of releasing their first version of Web Services.
After reviewing what Web Services provided, it was determined to move forward with using the API.
During the IT testing phase, performance became an issue. The ability to run multiple jobs at the same
time was causing the interface to collapse and fail. It was apparent that there was a need to cue the jobs
to allow those requiring additional system resources to run without any interference. After cuing the jobs,
the performance of the interface increased and all jobs completed without error.
One of the final requirements was to build an administration module that would interface with the Active
Directory (AD) and the administration module within the Primavera application. This would allow for
controlling the use of the interface. The archive administration was developed into 3 separate modules;
Division/Database Mapping, Add Admin & User Login Mapping. These 3 sections allow the administrator

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to map divisions to databases, add administrators and to provide user access to the interface. The
security module is very simple but provides the tools needed to secure the functionality.
Archive Data Integrity & Security
The archive provides many benefits to exporting the files and saving in a remote location. First, the
database is Primavera, so no development is required. All projects that reside in the archive database(s)
can be accessed 24/7 providing access has been granted. The database can be backed up on a
reoccurring basis and stored for recovery purposes.
Second, the user’s access can be limited to those that require access. The only users that have access
all the time are the ‘Admin-Superusers’ of the owning division. All other access is on a need be basis
and usually granted as ‘Read-Only’. This is enforced to maintain data security and integrity of the
projects. We have found that the most frequent customers in this environment are requesting access for
claims and legal issues.
Third, the data is live and accessible on a 24-hour a day. This provides for quick access of the data for
claims and legal related activities. The projects are stored in an active production environment that is
being backed up on a 24/7 basis. Being that this is a production environment; the database is listed in
the company’s disaster recovery plan and can be accessed within minutes if the active environment fails.
Not Just an Archive!
We have found that the archive interface has become most helpful in the realm of just moving projects
from one location to another. Most of our databases were created back in version 5.0 and have been
upgraded and patched over the years to version 8.2. We have found that many of these databases
experience more issues than those that are relatively newer. The archive can be used to move projects
from an older database to its new database with minimal effort. This also allows a project that is coming
from a client and/or contractor and would require scrubbing prior to importing into the production
database. The file can be imported into a quarantine, scrubbed then moved into production with the
interface.
We are currently designing additional functionality to be added to this interface. The Primavera
application does not provide any Global import functionality for items such as codes, cost accounts, OBS,
EPS, etc. The new design will allow for users to mass import all Global data into a selected database and
also allow moving it from one database to another. This would provide the divisions with a tool to create
a template database that houses all the dictionary data and all template schedules. This new template
database could also be copied and restored as a new database within a short period of time.

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Archive
Start Process
Update Options
End
Of
Process
Yes
Project
Archived
Select Project
**Exceptions
Yes Yes
No
View Error &
Exception Logs
Cancel?
Yes
End
Of
Process
View Error &
Exception Logs
Cancel?
Yes
End
Of
Process
No
Does Project Exist
in Archive?
Select
Database
No
No
Select
Database
ARCHIVE
Select EPS