Preparing Files for Import by the Aurora Translator

The following short tutorial will help you correctly prepare your files for import into Aurora. While Aurora itself is a fully-capable scheduling program, the Aurora Translator can sometimes encounter difficulties when converting from other formats, e.g., MS Project. Here is how to correctly format your file so that the conversion is seamless.

Formatting MS Project files:

1.     Open or create file in MS Project 2003 or 2007

These versions of MS Project will give you the most compatibility with the Aurora Translator.

2.     Verify that all activities or tasks within a project are linked together

a.    All tasks must have a predecessor (with the exception of the first task)

b.    All tasks must have a successor (with the exception of the last task)

All activities or tasks must be linked to one another and originate from an initial task, usually the “Start Project” task. Similarly, the tasks should all have another task following it, with the exception of the final task.

If you are using a multi-project network, then you must verify that each of the tasks in each project has a predecessor and successor (with the exception of the initial and final project tasks).

This can be easily verified in the Gantt Chart view by selecting the Predecessors column header, right-clicking then selecting the Insert Columns … option, then selecting ‘Successors’.

3.     Verify that all the tasks with 0 duration (also called milestone tasks), do NOT have a resource associated with them.

This can be expedited by clicking on the menu bar, Project -> Sort -> Sort By… and selecting “Duration” in the dialogue box.

To return to the default Task Name sorting later, click on the menu bar, Project -> Sort -> by ID.