## Crystal Ball Project Macro
for Oracle® Crystal Ball 11.1.2.2.000

## README

March 2012

### Contents

Introduction

Known Issues

Additional Information

### Introduction

Welcome to Crystal Ball Project Macro, an example model. You can use this model with Oracle Crystal Ball 11.1.2.2.000 and Microsoft Project and Microsoft Excel 2003, 2007, or 2010 to create Crystal Ball assumptions and forecasts in Microsoft Project files. Then, you can run Crystal Ball simulations to dynamically change project elements defined as assumptions to predict a range of values of project elements defined as forecasts. You can use the resulting forecast charts to estimate the certainty of each range of forecast values. Displaying forecast results in the Percentiles view presents the probability being above or below different forecast values in one list. Finally, you can generate a report that summarizes simulation results in numeric and graphic form.

Important! This version of Crystal Ball Project Macro runs on 32-bit or 64-bit computers and operating systems. For a complete list of recommended software and for more information about how to install and use Crystal Ball Project Macro, see CB-MSProject.pdf, the Oracle Crystal Ball Project Macro Guide. It is installed in the Documentation folder under the folder where Crystal Ball Project Macro is installed.

### Known Issues

The following notes describe known issues in the current release of Crystal Ball Project Macro.

Crystal Ball Project Macro Requires English or Spanish Software
Crystal Ball Project Macro will only run on English or Spanish versions of Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Project, and Oracle Crystal Ball. Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, and Oracle Crystal Ball must all be in the same language, either English or Spanish but not a mix of both.

Administrator Rights Required for Installation
Because Crystal Ball Project Macro is installed to the %programfiles% folder by default, whoever is installing Crystal Ball Project Macro must have administrator rights or log in as an administrator if the default settings are used. Otherwise, an error message will be displayed during installation and the installation will stop, indicating that sufficient privileges are not available for that folder. If the user performing the installation is not an administrator, an installation folder where that person has write privileges should be selected.

Crystal Ball Project Macro Startup Screen May Open Behind Microsoft Project
If you are starting a 64-bit version of Crystal Ball Project Macro, the startup screen sometimes opens behind Microsoft Project. To display the startup screen, click anywhere in the Microsoft Project window. Workaround: Open Microsoft Project before you click the Oracle Crystal Ball Project Macro icon to start Crystal Ball Project Macro.

Always Reset Simulation Before Closing Crystal Ball Project Macro Models
If you run a simulation in Crystal Ball Project Macro, always remember to Reset before closing to avoid errors when reopening the same project or a different project with Crystal Ball Project Macro.

Crystal Ball May Become Disabled on Windows Vista
The Oracle Crystal Ball add-in to Microsoft Excel may become disabled after you run Crystal Ball Project Macro on Windows Vista. You can enable it again following instructions for enabling add-ins available in the Microsoft help system.

Cell Reference Selection
When you try to select a cell reference for an Oracle Crystal Ball assumption parameter using the cell reference selector in the Define Assumption dialog, a Switch To/Retry error is displayed.

Base Value Restoration
Normally, original cell values (base values) are restored when a Crystal Ball Project Macro simulation is reset. However, if you define an assumption and then change the value in that cell, the changed value is not restored when the simulation is reset. You must first clear the defined assumption, then change the value and define a new assumption to ensure that the correct value is restored when the simulation is reset.

Activating Microsoft Project while Defining Assumptions or Creating Reports
If you click within the Microsoft Project window while defining a Crystal Ball assumption or creating a report, the Switch To/Retry dialog is displayed. Use Alt+Tab to return to the Define Assumption dialog.

Activating Microsoft Project while Running a Simulation
If you click within the Microsoft Project window while running a Crystal Ball simulation, the Switch To/Retry dialog opens.

Persistence of Preference Changes
If you change Crystal Ball assumption, forecast, chart, or run preferences while using Crystal Ball Project Macro, these changes are not saved for future use.

Run Preferences Button
To set run preferences in Crystal Ball Project Macro, use only the dialog displayed by clicking the Run Preferences button in the Crystal Ball Project Macro toolbar. If set through any other Run Preferences dialog (displayed through the Crystal Ball Control Panel, for example), the changed settings are not used.

Moving Tasks with Assumptions to the Summary Level
You cannot define assumptions on summary tasks. If an assumption is defined on a task and the task is then moved to the summary level, no warning is given. However, the assumption is not included in simulations.

Data Can Be Cleared Before Reset
Crystal Ball data in the Crystal Ball Project Macro can be cleared following a simulation before the data is reset. However, users should avoid doing this and always perform a reset before clearing data.

Assumptions Can Only Be Defined As Positive Values
The following fields in Microsoft Project can have negative values entered into them, but Crystal Ball does not allow an assumption to be defined on them if the selected distribution can generate negative values: Fixed Cost (Task sheet), Std Rate (Resource sheet), Ovt Rate (Resource sheet), and Cost/Use data (Resource sheet). Also, if you attempt to define an assumption on a field on a Resource sheet with a negative value, the following error is displayed: "Error defining assumption".

Uninstall Crystal Ball Project Macro Before Installing Again
Always uninstall the existing version of Crystal Ball Project Macro before installing a different version or the same version again. To uninstall, open Add or Remove Programs in the Windows Control Panel and then select Oracle Crystal Ball Project Macro or CB Project Macro (for Crystal Ball version 7.x) and click Remove.

Close ProjectHelper.xls Manually on Windows Vista
If you run Crystal Ball Project Macro on Windows Vista and then close Microsoft Project, the Microsoft Excel process containing ProjectHelper.xls does not exit. To exit this component of Crystal Ball Project Macro manually, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and then select Start Task Manager. In Task Manager, locate excel.exe, and click End Process.

Activate Forecast Charts Manually on Spanish Versions of Windows XP and Office 2003
If you are using Crystal Ball Project Macro on Spanish versions of Windows XP and Microsoft Office 2003, the forecast chart windows do not move to the front of the window stack when you click the Forecast Charts button in the Crystal Ball Project Macro toolbar. To display the charts, click the Crystal Ball icon in the Windows taskbar.

### Additional Information

For additional information about Oracle Crystal Ball software, see http://www.oracle.com/crystalball .

Copyright © 2006, 2012, Oracle. All rights reserved.

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