Project Server Architecture and Programmability

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Microsoft Office Project Server 2007 is built on the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 to provide a true multitier architecture. All client applications can access the server business layer through XML Web service calls to the Project Server Interface (PSI). The PSI is a complete interface to Project Server that enables efficient remote access using datasets. External applications can define handlers for server-side events. Business objects access multiple Project Server databases through the data access layer.

Project Server integrates deeply with Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 to take advantage of Web Parts in Project Web Access and easy site management and report generation, and to enable workflow solutions.

Introduction to Project Server Architecture

Project Server 2007 uses the .NET Framework 2.0 for improved security, performance, extensibility, and stand-alone—as well as enterprise—project management features. This section describes the overall architecture of the Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management (EPM) Solution, composed of Microsoft Office Project Professional 2007, Microsoft Office Project Server 2007, Project Web Access, and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.

Project 2007 provides many new benefits for EPM, including the following:

  • Increased performance and reliability when using Project Professional over a wide area network (WAN).

  • Greater scalability that includes the ability to concurrently handle high-volume transactions such as timesheet submissions with the Project Server Queuing Service.

  • Greatly improved extensibility and programmability, with the PSI Web services and server-side events.

  • Ability for Project Server to update project plans without sending timesheet submissions through Project Professional.

  • Advanced reporting features for analysis of business intelligence.

  • Infrastructure built on Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 that includes a workflow engine for developers to create custom workflow scenarios.

In This Section

Office Project 2007 Platform provides an overview of the features of Project Server and the Project client applications for developers, with links to relevant parts of the Project SDK.

Project Server Architecture describes the major parts of the Project platform, including the clients and servers. Includes a summary of the programmability features of Project Server.

Integration with Office SharePoint Server 2007 describes the integration of Project Server with the basic components of Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Forms Server 2007.

Project Server Programmability describes the main features of Project Server programmability, compares scheduling in Project Professional and Project Server, and explains what the PSI can and cannot do.

Alternatives to ODBC for Project Data explains the choices available to replace ODBC-based solutions for earlier versions of Project Standard and Project Professional.

Topics Not Covered

The Architecture and Programmability section does not document features of the Project desktop clients (Project Standard and Project Professional) or Project Web Access.

Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) help is available in the Visual Basic editor within Project Standard 2007 and Project Professional 2007. A VBA reference for all of the 2007 Microsoft Office system client applications will also be available together in the MSDN Library online.

Project Server Security Primer describes the architecture for Project Server authentication and authorization, and the use of security categories, templates, groups, and global security settings.

VBA Object Model Changes describes the use of new VBA classes, methods, properties, events, and enumerations that support major new features in Project 2007.

Project Server Integration includes the integration of Project Server and Windows SharePoint Services and explains how to create Project Server Web Parts.

Project Server Interface (PSI) Overview shows how to program with the PSI and DataSet objects, use Project Server events, and programmatically log on to Project Server. Includes a section about parity of the PSI with Microsoft Office Project Server 2003 Project Data Service (PDS).

See Also

Other Resources

Project Server 2007: Getting Started with a New Platform for Developers