Frequently Asked Questions

Got a question about how to use Pipercove System Analysis?

1. What is Pipercove System Analysis?
   Pipercove System Analysis is a software plugin for Microsoft Project; it provides enhanced and powerful project planning capabilities including Life Cycle Costing. For more information see our products page.
2. How do I run PSA, I cannot find the icon
   Pipercove System Analysis runs as a plugin for Microsoft Project. To run PSA you simply open Project as you would normally. If this is your first time running PSA you should see a form asking you to register. Once you have registered your copy of PSA you can continue to use Project in the normal fashion and you can access the advanced features offered by PSA from the PSA View (select PSA under the View menu).
3. When I add a resource or task in Project I get a window asking me to add the item to PSA, what does this mean?
   In order to calculate the project costs, PSA must keep track of the tasks/resources that the project uses. As project and PSA calculate the project cost in different ways it is possible to include tasks/resources in Project and not in PSA or vice versa. If you answer Yes then the task/resource will be added to both Project and PSA, if you answer no it will not be added to PSA. We recommend that you add all items to both Project and PSA: this can be achieved by clicking Yes every time you are asked or by clicking "Make This The Default Action". If you click "Make This The Default Action" and choose Yes all tasks/resources will be automatically added to both PSA and Project. This setting can be changed at a later date through Options dialog in the PSA menu.
4. When asked if I wanted to add a task/resource to PSA I chose No, how can I change this?
   You can add any tasks or resources from Project into PSA by choosing the relevant option form the Import submenu under Revisions in the PSA menu. This is also useful when you are using a Project file with PSA for the first time.  Note that you will need to be in the PSA view to access this feature (select PSA from the View menu).
   
5. Why don't I get asked if I want to add Parts to Project?
   Parts are used by PSA to assist in calculation for Life Cycle Costing. Project does not have parts or understand what they are for, so you cannot add/remove parts to Project.
6. Why are all the items in the PSA menu disabled?
   Most of the power of Pipercove System Analysis is only available from the PSA view. You can access this by clicking on PSA in the View menu. All of the menu options should now be enabled. Note it may take a few seconds for the menu to be updated.
7. When I try to create a report nothing happens
   Pipercove System Analysis requires a large amount of information to correctly calculate the costs for reports, you may not yet have entered all the necessary information. The window at the bottom of the screen will contain a list of questions that need answering (see the next question for more information).
8. What do the warnings in the bottom of the screen mean?
   These are used to indicate that PSA requires more information to calculate the project cost. The questions are listed in order of importance, with the most vital at the very top. You can double click on a question to be taken to the relevant data. The property window on the right of the screen gives a description of what the data means.
9. What is a revision?
   A revision is a record of the planned project. A PSA file may contain several revisions, each containing a different version of the project. This is useful for comparing several project plans or for comparing project progress. Each revision includes data from both PSA and Project.
10. I have created several revisions but I can only change one, what is wrong?
    Only one revision may be active at a time (synchronized) because the revision includes all the Project data as well. When a revision is not active you may only view its contents and not change it in any way. You may synchronize an inactive revision by choosing Synchronize from the Revision submenu in the PSA menu; this will cause the current Project data to be saved and to be replaced with that from the inactive revision.
11. How do I create a new library file?
    You can create a new library file from the Library Manager which is accessible from the Tools submenu of the PSA menu. A new library file can then be created by clicking on the button labeled "Create New" and entering a name for the library. You can include data from another library in your new library by selecting the name of the library before clicking "Create New" and then choosing "Use selected library as template" in the "Create New" form.
12. How do I add items from a library to my project file
    To add data from a library file to the open project file you must first open the library file from the library manager. The library manager can be accessed from the Tools submenu in the PSA menu. You then need to "Browse" to the directory where the library is located. Once you have browsed to the correct directory the library file should be visible in the top pane of the library manager. Click "Select" and "Ok" to open the file. Now the contents of the library should be visible in the "Library" tab in the bottom right corner of the screen. You can add data from the library to the project file by dragging it with your mouse or by right-clicking and choosing "Add to Revision".
13. How do I update my data in PSA when data in a library file has changed?
    You need to open the library file using the process outlined in the previous question. Right-clicking on the open library and choosing "Update Revision" will cause a dialog with a list of changes to appear. Clicking Ok will update the data in the revision to be the same as that in the library. Note that this will only work with data that has been added from the same library, creating items individually or from a library created from template will not work.