Search icon CANCEL
Arrow left icon
Explore Products
Best Sellers
New Releases
Books
Videos
Audiobooks
Learning Hub
Conferences
Free Learning
Arrow right icon
Oracle Primavera P6 Version 8: Project and Portfolio Management
Oracle Primavera P6 Version 8: Project and Portfolio Management

Oracle Primavera P6 Version 8: Project and Portfolio Management: For project managers and consultants, this book will help you master the main elements of Primavera P6, together with the new features in Version 8. Lots of screenshots and clear explanations make for an easy ride.

eBook
$27.98 $39.99
Paperback
$65.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at $19.99p/m

What do you get with eBook?

Product feature icon Instant access to your Digital eBook purchase
Product feature icon Download this book in EPUB and PDF formats
Product feature icon Access this title in our online reader with advanced features
Product feature icon DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want
Table of content icon View table of contents Preview book icon Preview Book

Oracle Primavera P6 Version 8: Project and Portfolio Management

Chapter 2. Getting Around: Understanding and Customizing the P6 Interface

In this chapter, we introduce readers to both the P6 Web Client and the P6 Professional Client. We first give a brief overview of P6 EPPM Web Client and point to the relevant chapters where the reader can learn more. Then we take a detailed walk through P6 Professional. After that, users will learn how to customize and save screen layouts. In general, we'll cover the following topics in this chapter:

  • EPPM Web Client overview

  • Logging into P6 Professional

  • Screen overview

  • Main menus

  • Customizing screens and saving layouts

By the end of the chapter, readers should be comfortable navigating in Oracle Primavera P6 R8 EPPM and customizing the interface to suit their needs.

EPPM Web Client overview


When you log into P6 Web Client, you will see a screen similar to that shown in the following screenshot:

The screen can be divided into four main areas:

  1. Application menus

  2. Tabs

  3. Modules

  4. screen

Application menus

The Application menus are always present. Administer lets you manage your own application settings. If you have the right privileges, then you may also use this menu to access application-level settings and data.

Print will print the current screen. In Appendix B, Reporting, we will discuss screen printing and reporting in more detail.

The Help menu offers three options:

  • P6 Help is a set of web documents describing how to use P6. The content of that help is much like the content of this book.

  • P6 Library is a set of web documents that describe how to set up and administer P6.

  • Support takes you to the main website for Oracle Support.

Logout logs you out of the system and returns you to the main login screen.

Tabs

The tabs across the upper left side of the page are always...

Logging into the P6 Client


Let's start with logging into the system. If you have installed the windows client, you may already have a shortcut icon to it on your machine. If not, go to Start | Oracle | Primavera Professional.

You should see a screen as shown in the following screenshot. If you have an account, enter your login name and password in the displayed boxes:

If you do not already have a connection set up, click on the Database ellipse button near the bottom of the screen to add and edit database connections. This will show the database connections that P6 knows about. If you are running the client for the first time, it is likely that there will be no items on this list.

Click Add and you will get a dialog asking for two pieces of information.

Database alias: This is a name for your own use to identify the connection. It can be anything. It is helpful to make the alias descriptive enough to remind you to which system it connects. A good practice is to identify the name of the server...

Screen overview


When you log into P6 the first time, you should be presented with a screen similar to the following screenshot:

At the very top is the set of application menus that are standard to most Windows applications, such as File, Edit, View, and Help, plus a few that are specific to P6: Project, Enterprise, and Tools.

In the Professional Client, there is also an Admin menu:

The main screen also contains toolbars across the top, left, and right-hand sides. These toolbars contain icons which provide quick ways to access parts of the program. They are highly customizable. You can move any set of tools to any other toolbar, create a toolbar across the bottom of the page, or even detach a toolbar from the side and make it float!

Floating toolbar: This toolbar will remain on top of the screen while you work on the main screen, and can be moved around as desired.

The central portion of the screen is filled with a set of screens which appear as tabs as you open up different modules. These are...

Main menus


Before we begin our overview of the menu items, let's address the issue of what shows up in the menu. By default the menu items only include recently chosen items with a set of arrows at the bottom which you can click on to see the menu items that have been hidden. This can be convenient if you have a small screen or if you don't use certain items. Personally, I prefer that the menu always shows all of the items every time.

If you desire this behavior, you can set it easily. Right-click on any toolbar or on the menu bar, and choose Customize…. Then choose the Options tab as shown in the following screenshot:

Simply uncheck the item Menus show recently used commands first.

Then you will see the exact same menu every time, which is convenient if you want to use the application quickly.

This menu also allows you to use larger icons, which can be helpful when learning the application and the smaller icons may all look the same to you. The menu animations are cute, but not worth bothering...

Customizing screens and saving layouts


There are a number of ways to view P6 data. In order to help make it easy to compare "apples to apples", P6 allows you to create and save customized views that can be shared by one or more people.

At the top left of almost every screen is an inverted triangle with the label Layout.

This feature lets you alter the appearance of the data screens. While the specific items in the list will change depending on the kind of data you are viewing, there are some common elements.

When you save a layout, a screen appears offering a number of options:

Layout Name is a name to assign to this layout.

Available to lets the user choose who may use this layout. Layouts can be saved at three levels:

  • Global: Everyone in the system has access to the layout. This is a good practice for establishing a common set of layouts to be used across the company.

  • Project: The layout is only available to a specific project. This can be helpful if a project must be viewed consistently by...

Summary


In this chapter, we have given a grand overview of P6, from how to log into the system, to all of the main menu items, and to customizing screens. Although there is much more depth in following chapters, we hope that the reader will now have a feel for what capabilities are present in the product and where to find things.

At this point the experienced P6 user who is mainly interested in how things have changed in version 8 may wish to skip ahead to specific topics of interest. Novice users will wish to continue to the next chapter, where we begin to lay out the foundations for managing projects in P6.

In Chapter 3, Organizing your Projects with EPS, OBS, and WBS, we discuss three key structures for organizing information across and within projects: Enterprise Project Structure, Organizational Breakdown Structure, and Work Breakdown Structure.

Left arrow icon Right arrow icon

Key benefits

  • Get a detailed overview of Oracle Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management.
  • Manage your projects from just anywhere using simple e-mail and the P6 iPhone app.
  • Learn to create a new project in the P6 Professional Client
  • Integrate Primavera P6 with three main ERP systems: Oracle EBS, JD Edwards, and PeopleSoft.

Description

In 2008 Oracle acquired Primavera Software, Inc., a leading provider of Project Portfolio Management (PPM) solutions for project-intensive industries.Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management is an integrated project portfolio management (PPM) solution comprising role-specific functionality to satisfy each team member's needs, responsibilities, and skills. It provides a single solution for managing projects of any size, adapts to various levels of complexities within a project, and intelligently scales to meet the needs of various roles, functions, or skill levels in your organization and on your project team.Oracle Primavera P6 Version 8: Project and Portfolio Management aims to show you all the features and functionality of the software thoroughly and clearly.With Oracle Primavera P6 Version 8: Project and Portfolio Management, readers will master the core concepts of Primavera P6 and the new features associated with version 8.This book is divided into two sections, in the first section we learn the fundamental concepts behind managing projects which include organizing projects, adding activities and relationships, assigning roles and resources, scheduling a project, and much more. In the second section we cover portfolio management and how to make the best use of the web client that includes working with portfolios, portfolio analysis, portfolio capacity planning, ROI, tracking performance, and lots more.

Who is this book for?

If you are a Project manager or a consultant, who wants to master the core concepts of Primavera P6 and the new features associated with version 8, then this is the best guide for you. This book assumes that you have a fundamental knowledge of working in the Primavera P6 environment.

What you will learn

  • Learn the powerful calculations behind a P6 CPM schedule
  • Master the real-time reporting features of Project Dashboards and the data behind them
  • Create Portfolio Scenarios to capture data for comparison and analysis
  • Learn how to use P6 features as well as best practice Project Management using P6
  • Make effective use of calculated User Defi ned Fields
  • Master organizational features of P6 such as the EPS, OBS, WBS, Roles, and Resources

Product Details

Country selected
Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Aug 22, 2012
Length: 348 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781849684699
Vendor :
Oracle
Tools :

What do you get with eBook?

Product feature icon Instant access to your Digital eBook purchase
Product feature icon Download this book in EPUB and PDF formats
Product feature icon Access this title in our online reader with advanced features
Product feature icon DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want

Product Details

Publication date : Aug 22, 2012
Length: 348 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781849684699
Vendor :
Oracle
Tools :

Packt Subscriptions

See our plans and pricing
Modal Close icon
$19.99 billed monthly
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Simple pricing, no contract
$199.99 billed annually
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just $5 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts
$279.99 billed in 18 months
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just $5 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts

Frequently bought together


Stars icon
Total $ 104.98
Oracle Primavera Contract Management, Business Intelligence Publisher Edition v14
$38.99
Oracle Primavera P6 Version 8: Project and Portfolio Management
$65.99
Total $ 104.98 Stars icon

Table of Contents

16 Chapters
Getting Started with Oracle Primavera P6 Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Getting Around: Understanding and Customizing the P6 Interface Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Organizing your Projects with EPS, OBS, and WBS Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Creating a New Project and Work Breakdown Structure Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Adding Activities and Relationships Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Resources Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Scheduling and Constraints Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Issues and Risks Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Baselines and Statusing Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Project Templates Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Portfolios Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Portfolio Analysis Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Measuring and Scoring Projects Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Capacity Planning and ROI Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Dashboards Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Resource Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Top Reviews
Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.1
(15 Ratings)
5 star 60%
4 star 20%
3 star 6.7%
2 star 0%
1 star 13.3%
Filter icon Filter
Top Reviews

Filter reviews by




LizR Jan 10, 2013
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
A great reference, with nice tips and good correlations to MS Project. I have recommended that my team of 15 project managers purchase this book.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
J. Campbell Sep 17, 2012
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
One of the refreshing aspects of this book is that it is written by people that have used the products for years in a real world environment. They have taken the lessons learned and incorporated it into one manual for the rest of us. This book is well written and will give you insight into a software product that is not always user friendly. I highly recommend anyone that uses Primavera P6 on a daily basis to buy it and keep it by your desk. Even if you have been using the product for years, you will find nuggets of information in here that you may not even had ever thought about.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
BigM Oct 22, 2012
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
At PlannerTuts.com, we're delighted when new books on Primavera P6 are published, especially this one.The author's have taken on a wide scope and have done so well. Written to be "a gentle introduction to P6″, Williams and Krazer cover Oracle's Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management tool from end to end. The focus is on 3 main areas:How to use P6 to build schedulesBasics of Portfolio Management and AnalysisResource ManagementThere is even an appendix chapter on integration of P6 with cost management systems like Peoplesoft or JD Edwards.I recommend Oracle Primavera P6 Version 8: Project and Portfolio Management to any user, new or seasoned, of Primavera P6 EPPM. It's a valuable and detailed reference for a complex and sophisticated project management tool.Goto [...] for the full book review.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
sangjukta Jun 16, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Good one
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Jon Swain Sep 07, 2012
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Our company has done a full 950 word review here [...]Extract:"In summary I'd say this book is a `must have' resource for any P6 user whether you're a novice or a seasoned veteran. I have to admit that I learned a few things myself while reviewing it and will definitely be purchasing my own copy. It's loaded with abundant details and facts that I can never seem to keep in my head, so for me it will be an invaluable tool for reference and research whenever I might find myself stumbling down amnesia alley."
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Get free access to Packt library with over 7500+ books and video courses for 7 days!
Start Free Trial

FAQs

How do I buy and download an eBook? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Where there is an eBook version of a title available, you can buy it from the book details for that title. Add either the standalone eBook or the eBook and print book bundle to your shopping cart. Your eBook will show in your cart as a product on its own. After completing checkout and payment in the normal way, you will receive your receipt on the screen containing a link to a personalised PDF download file. This link will remain active for 30 days. You can download backup copies of the file by logging in to your account at any time.

If you already have Adobe reader installed, then clicking on the link will download and open the PDF file directly. If you don't, then save the PDF file on your machine and download the Reader to view it.

Please Note: Packt eBooks are non-returnable and non-refundable.

Packt eBook and Licensing When you buy an eBook from Packt Publishing, completing your purchase means you accept the terms of our licence agreement. Please read the full text of the agreement. In it we have tried to balance the need for the ebook to be usable for you the reader with our needs to protect the rights of us as Publishers and of our authors. In summary, the agreement says:

  • You may make copies of your eBook for your own use onto any machine
  • You may not pass copies of the eBook on to anyone else
How can I make a purchase on your website? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

If you want to purchase a video course, eBook or Bundle (Print+eBook) please follow below steps:

  1. Register on our website using your email address and the password.
  2. Search for the title by name or ISBN using the search option.
  3. Select the title you want to purchase.
  4. Choose the format you wish to purchase the title in; if you order the Print Book, you get a free eBook copy of the same title. 
  5. Proceed with the checkout process (payment to be made using Credit Card, Debit Cart, or PayPal)
Where can I access support around an eBook? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
  • If you experience a problem with using or installing Adobe Reader, the contact Adobe directly.
  • To view the errata for the book, see www.packtpub.com/support and view the pages for the title you have.
  • To view your account details or to download a new copy of the book go to www.packtpub.com/account
  • To contact us directly if a problem is not resolved, use www.packtpub.com/contact-us
What eBook formats do Packt support? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Our eBooks are currently available in a variety of formats such as PDF and ePubs. In the future, this may well change with trends and development in technology, but please note that our PDFs are not Adobe eBook Reader format, which has greater restrictions on security.

You will need to use Adobe Reader v9 or later in order to read Packt's PDF eBooks.

What are the benefits of eBooks? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
  • You can get the information you need immediately
  • You can easily take them with you on a laptop
  • You can download them an unlimited number of times
  • You can print them out
  • They are copy-paste enabled
  • They are searchable
  • There is no password protection
  • They are lower price than print
  • They save resources and space
What is an eBook? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Packt eBooks are a complete electronic version of the print edition, available in PDF and ePub formats. Every piece of content down to the page numbering is the same. Because we save the costs of printing and shipping the book to you, we are able to offer eBooks at a lower cost than print editions.

When you have purchased an eBook, simply login to your account and click on the link in Your Download Area. We recommend you saving the file to your hard drive before opening it.

For optimal viewing of our eBooks, we recommend you download and install the free Adobe Reader version 9.