Updating - Global Changes

OVERVIEW - The Global change feature enables you to make changes to all activities, or a selected group of activities, at one time. You can use Global change to edit existing values or assign new values. For example, you can create a statement to assign resource assignments to a group of activities. - Primavera

When you run Global change, data exclusively locked by another user does not change. To obtain exclusive access, before opening the project, choose Exclusive in the Access Mode section of the Open Project dialog box.
Note

1. You must have access to the activities to which you want to make Global changes. If your security profile does not enable you to access all the activities, you will not be able to commit the changes you make.
   
   
2. You cannot run Global change on Microsoft Project (MSP)-managed projects.
   
   
3. If you manually plan future period resource/role allocation, changing data globally may change or delete manual future period values. How?
   
   
4. Before starting this tutorial copy the project FLT – Filters and paste the new project under the UPD – Updating EPS.  Name it as follows:  Project ID – GLB, Name – Global Changes.  Open the project.
   
   
5. Re-open the Rm. 201 – Standard layout.  Click the Status tab on the Activity Details panel.  Notice that we currently are using Duration % Complete.  We want to be using Physical % Complete however in order to be able to status our resources correctly.  Although we can change this in the Project View in the defaults tab for this project, the change will only help to make future activities use physical % complete and not pre-existing ones. 
   
   
6. Luckily for us though, there is a way to change this setting on all existing activities without having to re-add all of the activities.  To do so we are going to have to use a Global Change.  To do so let’s click on “Tools” on the menu bar and select Global Change.
   
   
7. On the Global Change window click New.
   
   
8. The Modify Global Change window pops-up.  Let’s name the global change % Complete Type – Duration to Physical.
   
   
9. In the subject area drop-down menu, we are given three choices:  Activities, Activity Resource Assignments, & Project Expenses.  Since we are looking to change a setting within our project’s activities, let’s leave the Subject Area on Activities. 
   
   
10. We now need to create the “If” statement that will determine which activities will be effected by the global change.  This section acts just like a filter from the previous section.  However, since we are looking to change the % Complete type for all activities, we need to create a filter that includes all activities.  Give the following cells the following values:  Parameter = Activity ID, Is = is not equal to, & Value = [leave blank].  Therefore since all of our activities have the Activity ID field populated all of them will be included in the filter.
    
    
11. Now, for all of the activities that pass the If statement we now have the “Then” statement which describes an action that will occur to all of these activities.  Go ahead and click on the Then box in order to activate it and deactivate the If box.  Click Add.
    
    
12. In the Then statement, the value selected in the Parameter cell will determine which field will be changed for all activities that pass the If statement.  In our case, we want to change the Percent Complete Type.  Therefore select this value.
    
    
13. Now we need to select a value to which the parameter field will be equal.  Since we already chose Percent Complete the Parameter/Value cell will give us three options:  Duration, Physical, & Units.  We of course want to choose Physical.
    
    
14. This completes our global change.  The two additional cells, Operator & Parameter/Value, would be used if for example our global change included the use of a mathematical statement where additional information was needed.  Additionally, the Else statement box at the bottom is used if you want something to be done to both the activities that are selected in your filter in addition to the ones that are not.
    
    
15. When everything looks good, click the Change button on the right-hand side.
    
    
16. A Change Log will appear showing the old values next to the new values for each individual activity.  This is your one last chance to cancel the global change.  However, assuming everything looks in order, click Commit Changes.
    
    
17. A windows dialogue box comes up asking if you would like to save the file we were just viewing.  Click No.
    
    Note – Saving the log file can be a good idea if you want to be able to retrace your steps in case something goes awry or just for documentation purposes.
    
    
18. Now, back at the Modify Global Change window, click OK to close the window.
    
    
19. Back at the main Global Change window, we see our newly created global change.  Click Close.
    

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