EPM2013 – My Favourite NEW Features/Enhancements (Updated)

First off, Project Centre and detail timeline view. Add Milestones/tasks across different projects to your timeline view. Get the holistic view of the key deliverables all in one place!! Halleluiah…..  

Secondly, the PWA project editing i.e. so much easier and smoother with auto calculation/scheduling i.e. you do not have to keep pressing the Calculate button.

Thirdly, having a single project server database. This has always been a concern of IT admins on sites. Granted that the single database contains all the necessary tables and will GROW. But, it will be easier to manage. More on this later….

Finally, ever wanted to set baseline on PWA projects? well, you will soon be able with the new version. See figure below.

Have fun, if like me you have your head stuck in the ‘bonnet’ to have a good look around the new toy!!

Project & SharePoint Server 2013 Preview – How does this affect you?

This week has been quite exciting with the preview release of Project Server and SharePoint 2013!!

A few key things to bear in mind for existing users of Microsoft Project Server & SharePoint 2007 and 2010. What should you be aware of and plan for?

Project Server & SharePoint 2007

The mainstream support of Project Server & SharePoint 2007 will end Oct 2012. see fig below. You should consider moving on to 2010 version.

Project Server & SharePoint 2010

When considering hardware refresh of your platform, consider upgrading to a platform that meets the minimum pre-requisites for Project Server & SharePoint 2013. See below. This will future-proof your environment when you are ready to move to 2013 version. 

Database Servers

• 64-bit edition of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1
• 64-bit edition of Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) Standard, Enterprise, Data Centre, or Web Server

Web & Application Servers

• 64-bit edition of Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) Standard, Enterprise, Data Centre, or Web Server