what’s new in prolog manager? - darren barefoot 5 what’s new in prolog manager? 47 project...

GSG.book Page 45 Tuesday, November 14, 2000 12:54 PM

5
What’s New in Prolog Manager?
This latest version of Prolog Manager is the most robust, flexible and feature-rich version ever. With new features like support for multiple projects and Microsoft SQL Server, Prolog Manager 6 will save you more time than ever before.

This chapter provides an overview of the new features in Prolog Manager 6. For detailed information about a particular feature, see the Help system or online manuals.

Support for Multi-Project DatabasesProlog Manager 6 expands upon the functionality of previous versions by enabling you to access and manage multiple projects in the same Prolog Manager multi-project database. Now, when you start Prolog Manager 6, you will be prompted to choose a project from your multi-project database.

The following are new features related to Prolog Manager's multi-project capability.

Portfolio ManagerUsers of Prolog Executive will be familiar with Portfolio Manager. This new window functions as the bridge between projects, displaying information for each project in a tree view. It shows data about projects previously found on the Project Identification form.

From Portfolio Manager, you can view a summary of budget and contract information for any project or combination of projects in the database. The Budget tab displays budget values and generates pie charts to show the phases of the budget as a percentage of either the projected budget or projected cost. The Contracts tab displays project contract information in a non-editable spreadsheet format. Using Portfolio Manager, you can also view details of the companies and contacts associated with each project, and add and remove

46 Getting Started Guide


contacts to maintain an up-to-date contact list for all the projects in your portfolio.

Portfolio Manager displays three projects

Multi-Project Reports and QueriesYou can now report or query across multiple projects. On the new Projects tab in Report Manager and Query Manager, you can select a single project, or any combination of projects on which to generate a report or run a query.

To reflect the new multi-project reporting capability, cost controlling reports now show totals for each project, as well as for all the projects you selected.

Data Entry Forms with Access to All ProjectsSeveral data groups are now shared among projects within a multi-project database. As a result, some data entry forms will enable you to access data from all of the projects within the multi-project database. The data groups that are shared among projects are:

So, for example, you might have three projects within a particular city which share construction crews. This feature enables you to access information about those crews from any of the three projects without importing or re-entering data from project to project.

Company Setup Lookup TypesCrew Setup Purchase Order CatalogueEmployee Setup Budget Code Structure Setup

Chapter 5 What’s New in Prolog Manager? 47


Project TemplatesYou can now create a project based on either your default template or a customized template created by your Prolog Administrator. This enables you to create projects based on company standards.

Company Setup EnhancementsA new tab has been added to the Company Setup form to indicate which companies are associated with a given project. This enables you to maintain a large number of companies, yet easily identify which companies are working on a project.

Users of previous versions of Prolog Manager will remember the Vendors form, which provided a profile for all the companies your company worked with, such as subcontractors, consultants, and suppliers. For simplicity, this form has been removed and all vendor companies now appear in the Company Setup and Advanced Company Setup forms.

SQL Server SupportInstead of the Microsoft Access database management system, Prolog Manager 6 now supports Microsoft SQL Server, increasing performance, reliability and scalability. SQL Server is the leading Microsoft Windows client-server database management system, bringing scalable business solutions and powerful data warehousing to your enterprise.

The SQL Server normally occupies a dedicated server computer that processes data operations for many clients, which access the database from different computers across the network. SQL Server technology makes this choice of database management system ideal for organizations with very large project databases and/or many concurrent users of project data.

Prolog Manager AdministratorThe Prolog Manager Administrator is a stand-alone utility that enables Prolog Administrators to create, archive and delete multi-project databases. Administrators will use this utility to import databases from Prolog Manager 5.1 or earlier or archived Prolog Manager 6 databases (.PMB files) into a Prolog Manager 6 multi-project database. This utility also groups commonly-used administrative utilities such as Language Manager and Customization Manager, separating them from the Prolog Manager interface.


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For more information about this utility, see the Prolog Manager Administrator Help system or online manuals. Both these resources describe common administrative procedures such as importing and archiving databases.

Prolog Manager Administrator with two multi-project databases available

Prolog TodayProlog Today is an interactive window into your most pressing tasks for the current project, displaying a daily preview of items that require your attention. These items are retrieved automatically from the current project, and you can open the record associated with each item directly from the Prolog Today window. Once an item is resolved, the display in the Prolog Today window can be updated to remove items that are no longer open. You can set the Prolog Today window to appear when you open a project, and you can customize Prolog Today to display only the type of items that concern you.

Increased SecurityNow, in addition to enabling Prolog Administrators to control user access to features, records, and databases, they can manage user access to different projects within a multi-project database.

Furthermore, a change has been made to how Prolog Manager handles and displays restricted features. Now, if a user does not have access to a particular feature, menu items and toolbars that relate to that feature are not displayed. In fact, unless they have previously seen them, Prolog users with restricted access may never be aware of the features that are unavailable to them.

Chapter 5 What’s New in Prolog Manager? 49


Installation FlexibilityThe Prolog Manager installation is now managed by the popular Microsoft Windows Installer. This, combined with changes to the available setup options, makes installing Prolog Manager easier than ever before. For example, you can now install each component separately (for example, a Help system or Prolog Manager Administrator), without having to install the entire program.

Miscellaneous EnhancementsThis section describes other minor feature enhancements and modifications that make Prolog Manager easier to use:

• With the transition to SQL Server architecture, separate messaging, word processor and archiving databases are no longer necessary.

• The messaging address books are no longer separately-maintained parts of the database. Instead, they are generated dynamically whenever you want to send a message. For external messages, the address book displays any applicable recipients from the Contacts tab of the Company Setup form. For internal Prolog Messaging, the address book displays all of the users available on your local area network.


6
Installation
This chapter describes how to install Prolog Manager 6. It also includes some recommendations for what type of installation you can choose. For changes to these procedures and the latest information regarding installation, refer to the document called “Install.htm” in the Prolog Manager folder on your Meridian Project Pack CD.

You should have an intermediate understanding of database and client/server technology to install Prolog Manager 6. For more information about working with databases, see the Prolog Manager Administrator Help system or online manuals.

For information about licensing your copy of Prolog Manager, see “Licensing” on page 21 or the document called “License.htm” in the Prolog Manager folder on your Project Pack CD.

Understanding SQL and MSDEOne of the most significant changes in this version of Prolog Manager is that you can now use either Microsoft SQL Server or the Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) as the database management system for Prolog data. Previous versions of Prolog Manager use the Microsoft Access Jet database engine to manage project data. However, with ever-growing amounts of project data to manage, and greater numbers of users requiring quick access to that data, we have shifted to these more powerful data management services.

During installation, Prolog Manager checks to see if SQL Server is running on the computer that you are installing on. If SQL Server is not found, MSDE will be installed.

What's a Database Management System?A database management system is like a very fast file clerk who files and retrieves documents. In the same way that a file clerk relieves others from



needing to know the best way to store and locate documents, a database management system saves other applications from having to re-invent data management for each software product that stores information in a database.

A database management system can ensure that multiple concurrent users can read and write information into the database without erasing each other's work and causing chaos. The term “concurrent users” refers to the number of people who can access the database at the same time. A database management system may support any number of total users, each with a unique name and password to access the database, but only a subset of that total group of users can access the database concurrently.

About SQL ServerMicrosoft SQL Server is a robust and powerful client-server database management system. It normally occupies a dedicated server computer that processes data operations for many clients, which access the database from different computers across the network. SQL Server technology makes this choice of database management system ideal for organizations with very large project databases and/or many concurrent users of project data. Several different editions of SQL Server are available to meet different usage and hardware scenarios. For more information, see www.microsoft.com/sql.

The following are some of the benefits of using SQL Server with Prolog Manager:

• High performance

• Full scalability (you can add more computers to support the database as it grows)

• Handles hundreds of concurrent users

• Handles very large amounts of data (at least one terabyte, or 1000 gigabytes)

• Available in different editions based on data, user and hardware requirements

About MSDEThe Microsoft Data Engine, or MSDE, is a SQL Server-compatible database management system that is designed for small workgroups. MSDE runs with other programs on standard computers such as laptops or desktop PCs, and can manage data operations for up to five concurrent users. Although less powerful than SQL Server, MSDE can manage databases up to two gigabytes (equivalent to 2000 megabytes) in size. If database requirements grow beyond that size

Chapter 6 Installation 53


limit, MSDE databases can be moved to SQL Server with minimum effort. MSDE is a good choice for a database management system if you are using a stand-alone installation of Prolog Manager, or if you are working on a network installation of Prolog Manager as a member of a small workgroup.

The following are some of the benefits of using MSDE with Prolog Manager:

• Lower cost

• Full compatibility with SQL Server

• Runs on Windows 95/98/NT/2000, on Intel and Alpha platforms

• Handles up to two gigabytes (2000 megabytes) of data

Installing Prolog ManagerProlog Manager 6 can be installed on a single computer, called a "stand-alone," or on a computer that is part of a network, as either a client (previously known as a "workstation" installation) or server.

The new client/server capabilities and multi-project database structure of Prolog Manager 6 provide you with several installation options. Users who are already using Microsoft SQL Server may have different requirements than those who want to install Prolog Manager 6 on a single, stand-alone computer. There are four setup types to choose from.

Stand-aloneUse this setup type to implement Prolog Manager 6.0 on a single computer, independent of other computers or a network. This installation will include all of the files necessary to run Prolog Manager on your computer. MSDE will only be installed if SQL Server is not already installed, and the Prolog Manager 6 sample database will automatically be installed and attached to your computer.

ClientUse this setup type to install workstation computers on a local area network. You must have first completed a Server installation before you can use Client installations. Neither MSDE nor Prolog Manager Administrator will be installed, as this setup type will access a database server installed on another computer.



ServerThis setup type installs a database server and the files necessary to complete Client installations from your computer. Use this installation type if you are already running SQL Server (or want to run MSDE) and want to install Prolog Manager across a network. The sample database will be installed and attached using this setup type. Note that this setup type does not install the Prolog Manager program files, so you cannot start and use Prolog Manager from the computer on which you use the Server setup type.

CustomThis setup type only installs the components you select. Each feature, such as License Manager or Prolog Manager Administrator, can be installed independently of any other feature.

The following table summarizes the components that the Stand-alone, Client and Server setup types install. “Yes” indicates that a particular component is installed, while “No” indicates that it is not installed by default. If none of these setup types are appropriate for your installation needs, use the Custom setup type to determine which individual components will be installed.

! To install Prolog Manager

1 Close all running applications.

2 Insert the Meridian Project Pack CD in your CD-ROM drive. When prompted to select the Prolog product that you want to install, select Prolog Manager.

Component Stand-alone Client ServerProlog Manager program files Yes Yes No

Online Help system Yes Yes No

PM Administrator utility Yes No Yes

PM Administrator Help system Yes No Yes

MSDE Yes Yes Yes

Report files Yes Yes Yes

Sample multi-project database Yes No Yes

Online manuals (PDF format) No No No



– or –

If the Prolog Manager 6.0 Setup wizard does not start automatically, on the Task bar, click Start, and then click Run. In the Open field, type the following (where "x:\" identifies the CD-ROM drive on your computer).

x:\Meridian Project Pack 6\Prolog Manager 6\setup.exe

Prolog Manager starts the Prolog Manager 6.0 Setup wizard.

3 Follow the steps in the Prolog Manager 6.0 Setup wizard.

4 When the Prolog Manager 6.0 Setup wizard prompts you for your product’s serial number, you can find it on the CD jacket that your Meridian Project Pack CD came in.

Tip For organizational and technical support purposes, in the Destination Folder step of the Setup wizard, Meridian recommends that you use the default destination folder for installation.

5 After installation is complete, you may be prompted to restart your computer.

If you are not already running SQL Server, you will see a new icon in your System Tray on your Windows Taskbar.

When you use the Stand-alone or Server setup types to install Prolog Manager, it automatically installs and attaches the sample database, called "PM6Sample”.

Where to Next?Once you have installed Prolog Manager, you can either create and set up a new multi-project database, connect to an existing database or import a project database from previous versions of Prolog Manager.

To create a new database, see “Creating Databases” in the Prolog Manager Administrator Help system or online manuals, as well as “Starting a Project” on page 59.

To connect to an existing database, see “Logging on to Prolog Manager 6” on page 56.



To import a project database, see “Importing Databases” in the Prolog Manager Administrator Help system or online manuals.

Logging on to Prolog Manager 6By default, Prolog Manager installation adds a new folder to the Meridian folder on the Windows Start menu. This new folder, called Prolog Manager 6, contains shortcuts to both Prolog Manager Administrator and Prolog Manager 6. The first time your start the program, you have to set up a connection to a multi-project database to log on.

! To set up a database connection

1 On the Start menu, point to Programs, then point to Meridian, then point to Prolog Manager 6 and click Prolog Manager 6.

Prolog Manager 6 starts.

2 On the File menu, select Open Database.

The Log On dialog box appears.

3 Click Setup.

The Connection Setup wizard appears.

4 In the first field under Connection Profile, type or select a name to identify the new connection to the database.

5 In the Server Name field, type or select the name of the computer that is hosting the Prolog Manager multi-project database. In a stand-alone installation, this is the name of your own computer.

Tip If you are using Windows NT with Microsoft SQL Server's client installed, you can click the Refresh button beside Server Name to list all of the database servers on your network. Click the Refresh button beside Database Name to display all of the databases on the database server you selected.

6 In the Database Name field, type or select the database that you want to connect to.

The Prolog Manager sample database is called “PM6Sample.”



7 Click Test Connection to verify that you can successfully connect to the multi-project database.

Prolog Manager informs you if the connection test is successful.

8 Click Save to complete the connection setup.

9 Click OK.

Once you have set up a connection to a Prolog Manager multi-project database, you can log on.

! To log on to Prolog Manager

1 On the Start menu, point to Programs, then point to Meridian, then point to Prolog Manager 6 and click Prolog Manager 6.

Prolog Manager 6 starts.

2 On the File menu, select Open Database.

The Log On dialog box appears.

3 In the Connection Name field, type or select the name you want to use to log on. If you have not set up a database connection yet, follow steps 3-9 under “To set up a database connection” on page 56.

The User Name field will be completed when you select a connection.

4 In the Password field, type your password.

5 Click OK.

Once successfully connected to the multi-project database, the Switchboard and toolbars appear in the main window. You can begin using Prolog Manager.


7
Starting a Project
Once you have installed and licensed Prolog Manager, you are ready to start using it to manage your construction projects. The goal of this chapter is to provide you with some basic instructions about setting up a project in Prolog Manager 6. This information is intended as an outline only. For more detailed information, see particular topics in the Help system or online manuals. See “Getting More Information” on page 13 for information on how to use these document systems.

Note To follow the steps in this chapter, you should be a Prolog Administrator who sets up multi-project databases and has complete security access to Prolog Manager.

Setting Up a ProjectIf you would like to use project databases from previous versions of Prolog Manager, refer to “Importing Databases” in the Prolog Manager Administrator Help system or online manuals. To create new projects “from scratch,” follow the instructions in this chapter.

Step 1 - Create a new multi-project databaseUsing the Prolog Manager Administrator, you can create a new database to contain any number of projects. Some Prolog users may wish to include all of their projects within a single multi-project database. Others may wish to sort their projects into separate databases based upon geography or project type.

Keep in mind when deciding how to organize your projects that certain data groups are shared among all the projects in a given database. A Prolog Administrator could take advantage of this, for example, by maintaining a “Northern California” database that contains all of the projects for that region. Additionally, that database could contain all of the companies and crews that those Northern California projects make use of. For more information about



shared data groups, see “About Shared Data” in the Help system or online manuals.

To learn more about creating a new database, see “Creating Databases” in the Prolog Manager Administrator Help system or online manuals.

Step 2 - Connect to your multi-project databaseOnce you have created a database, connect to and open it in Prolog Manager. For more information about this process, see “Setting up a Database Connection” and “Opening a Multi-Project Database” in the Prolog Manager Help system or online manuals.

Step 3 - Create a new projectOpen Portfolio Manager and use either the default or a customized template to create a new project. For more information on using this feature, see the section called “Portfolio Manager” in the Help system or online manuals.

Step 4 - Enter project informationUsing the various tabs on Portfolio Manager, enter basic information about your project. This task was previously carried out using the Project Identification form. Like any form in Prolog Manager, you do not have to complete every field before saving. For more information, see the section called “Portfolio Manager” in the Help system or online manuals

Step 5 - Enter company informationUsing the Company Setup and Advanced Company Setup forms, you can enter information for companies working on a project, such as the company name, company code, and company contacts. After you have entered company information in this form, it is available for use in other Prolog Manager forms without having to re-type this information. Be certain to set up a company record for your own organization as well. You can actually add, modify and delete the same information on both the Company Setup and the Advanced Company Setup form. However, the Advanced Company Setup form enables you to track more detailed company information such as certifications and work history.

When setting up companies, you can use codes or abbreviations to speed up data entry by allowing you to enter a particular company using only a few letters. An example of a coding system is to use the first two letters of the first word in the company name and the first letter of the second word in the name. For example, the code for Irish Concrete would be IRC.

For each company you set up, you can also enter data about contacts at that company. This information may include titles, telephone and fax numbers and

Chapter 7 Starting a Project 61


email addresses. For more information, see “Setting Up Companies” in the Help system or online manuals.

Step 6 - Add users and set up securityProlog Manager enables Administrators to control user access to Prolog Manager features, records and databases. According to your needs, you can set a standard, universal level of security for all Prolog Manager users, or create custom security settings for a set of users in a group. You need to add each user as a contact for your company before they can become Prolog users and be added to user groups.

In general, the most efficient approach to security is to establish user groups with the feature permissions necessary to protect the integrity of your project data. Prolog Manager comes with several default user groups set up to assist with this task.

In determining your security requirements, ask yourself the following questions:

• Who will be accessing a multi-project database?

• What role do they have on the project team?

• What features must each role access to perform their job?

• What data do I need to protect from inappropriate changes?

• Can I simplify Prolog Manager by hiding features that will not be used on this project?

For more information about setting up users and maintaining security, see the section called “Security Manager” in the Help system or online manuals.

Step 7 - Setting up templatesProlog Manager enables you to create and customize word processor templates–documents that have pre-defined formatting, text and merge fields–for your business needs. You can then quickly generate frequently-used documents–for example, standard letters or subcontract agreements–using data from the multi-project database. You can modify the content and formatting of these templates to match your company standards.

For more information about document templates, see “Working with PM Writer Templates” and “Working with MS Word Templates” in the Prolog Manager Help system or online manuals.



Note Once you have completed steps 1 to 7, you are ready to use Prolog Manager to manage your projects. If you want to use Prolog Manager’s purchasing and cost controlling features, you should also complete steps 8 and 9.

Step 8 - Set up budget codesCreate budget codes using the Budget Codes form. Budget codes track how much money you have spent or how much money has been committed, while revenue codes track how much money you have earned or have been paid.

Prolog Manager comes with a default budget code structure. This structure, which describes the number, name and make-up of components in your budget codes, can be modified to match your company’s existing budget code structure using the Budget Code Structure Setup form. If the budget already exists in another format, such as a spreadsheet, it can be imported into Prolog Manager. For more information about importing, see “Importing and Exporting Data” in the Help system or online manuals.

For more information about budget codes, see “Creating Budget and Revenue Codes” in the Prolog Manager Help system or online manuals.

Step 9 - Create contractsYou can use the Contracts form in Prolog Manager to set up and track all of the contracts in a project. A contract is an agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to perform work, furnish labor, or provide materials for an agreed-upon price to be paid by the other party.

You can create a schedule of values, write the scope of work, enter substantial and final completion dates, and list inclusions, exclusions, and alternates for the contract. You can also designate the contract attachments, drawings, and specifications to include in each contract. See “Creating Contracts” in the Prolog Manager Help system or online manuals for more information.

Once you have completed these steps, you are ready to use Prolog Manager. For more information about any of these features, see the appropriate sections in the Help system or online manuals.

Chapter 7 Starting a Project 63


Additional Setup OptionsProlog Manager also includes numerous other powerful features which you may want to implement immediately or later on. In order to use some of these features, you should prepare them before you begin to work on a project. The following table provides an outline of some of these features:

To do this Do thisTrack invoices and applications for payment

Set up cost periods using the Cost Periods form. A cost period is an interval used to track costs. In Prolog Manager, you can determine the date range and length of cost periods. For example, a cost period could be weekly, every two weeks or monthly.

Send information, such as meeting minutes, to groups of people working on a project

Set up distribution lists using the Distribution Lists form. You can use these to group people who frequently receive the same information during a project. Distribution lists are often used to create a log entry that shows you have sent a document to someone.

Set up Lookup and List Groups

Use the List Groups and Lookup Groups Maintenance forms to set up these time-saving drop-down lists. Prolog Manager has fields with lists which are used to speed up data entry, and to select, sort, and group data. There are two types of fields with lists–one contains List Items and the other contains Lookup Types.

Set global and project-specific options

You can use these options to “tweak” or customize Prolog Manager to fit your company’s particular demands and business practices.

Track labor in your daily reports

Set up employees and crews using the Crew Setup and Employee Setup forms. Be certain to set up your companies before setting up crews, and to create your crews before assigning employees to them.

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