Microsoft KB Archive/61397

{|
 * width="100%"|

Tables Must Coincide with File Being Imported

 * }

Q61397

-

The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Project for Windows, versions 1.0, 3.0, 3.0a, 4.0
 * Microsoft Project for the Macintosh, versions 1.1, 3.0, 4.0

-

SUMMARY
When importing any data file (Microsoft Excel, Lotus 1-2-3, etc.), the layout of the data (column setup) within the file being imported must coincide with the layout of the table that was chosen when opening the file.

MORE INFORMATION
If the data file does not coincide with the layout of the particular table you have chosen, Microsoft Project may return the following error message:

ROW n COLUMN n

Duration not valid

The &quot;n&quot; represents the row number and the corresponding column number of the particular piece of data trying to be imported into (in this case) the Duration field.

The data to which this message is referring will be replaced by the default for the Duration field, which is &quot;1d&quot; (this represents 1 day).

NOTE: The &quot;Duration not valid&quot; message may change depending on the table that is applied, and the data being imported.

For example, set up an Excel spreadsheet as follows:

          Sheet1.xls |  A   | B  | --       1| Task1 | 2d | --       2| Task2 | 3d | -- When importing the file (File Open) into Microsoft Project and you choose to place the data into the Entry table. The file is imported as follows:

            Project1.mpp | ID | Name | Duration| ---       | 1  |  2d   |   1d    | ---       | 2  |  3d   |   1d    | --- In the example, SHEET1.XLS does not have its data set up to coincide with the Entry table of PROJECT1.MPP. The first column is the ID field, which requires a numeric value. Microsoft Project therefore expects the first record to be a numeric value; instead it receives a text value (Task1). Project ignores the text value and replaces it with the next consecutive ID number.

Microsoft Project reads the data being imported one row at time, across in columns. Since there is no ID column in Sheet1.xls, the first column is ignored, the second column is placed in the Name field, the third column is placed in the Duration field, and so on.

SHEET1.XLS would have been imported properly in the above example if it were set up as follows:

             Sheet1.xls | A |   B   |  C | ---       1| 1 | Task1  | 2d | ---       2| 2 | Task2  | 3d | --- For more information on editing tables, query on the following words:

"Creating and Table and Microsoft and Project and Windows" Additional query words: 1.00 3.00 3.00a 4.00 1.10

Keywords :

Issue type : kbhowto

Technology :