Introduction
Microsoft Planner and Microsoft Project Online are essential tools in the Microsoft ecosystem designed for efficient task and project management. Both tools facilitate collaboration, task tracking, and seamless integration with Microsoft 365 applications, enhancing productivity across teams. Understanding the permission structure for these platforms is crucial for users who need access to retrieve and analyze data, especially for integrating it with Power BI.
Microsoft Planner
Microsoft Planner is a lightweight, easy-to-use task management tool that helps teams create, assign, and monitor tasks using boards, charts, and schedules. It allows team members to work collaboratively by assigning responsibilities, setting due dates, and tracking progress visually.
Microsoft Project Online
On the other hand, Microsoft Project Online is a more comprehensive project management solution that enables organizations to plan, track, and manage projects at an enterprise level. It includes features like advanced scheduling, resource management, and detailed reporting to help teams stay on top of their projects effectively.
This document outlines the necessary steps and required permissions for accessing Microsoft Planner and Microsoft Project Online data and integrating it into Power BI for further analysis.
To integrate with Power BI, Microsoft have created a template the link to which is –
GitHub Template Link
Access Requirements and Steps for Microsoft Planner
To retrieve data from Microsoft Planner and integrate it with Power BI, the following steps need to be completed:
1. Create a New Private SharePoint Site
- A dedicated SharePoint site should be created to store and manage Planner data.
2. Assign the Site Owner Role
- The user ID must be assigned the Site Owner role to gain full control over the SharePoint site.
- This role ensures that the user has the necessary permissions to manage site settings, files, and shared resources.
3. Share All Planner Plans with the SharePoint Site Group
- The newly created SharePoint site should be added as a group to existing Planner Plans.
- This will allow the group members (including the Site Owner) to access and extract data from the plans.
- Reference: (Screenshot Image1 shows how to create a SharePoint site and add Owner of the group, and Image2 demonstrates adding members to existing group.)
4. Set Up a Power Automate Job
- A Power Automate flow will be configured to retrieve data from Microsoft Planner and store JSON responses in the SharePoint site.
- The stored data can then be accessed via Power BI by connecting through the SharePoint Folder Connector.
This is how you can share an existing plan with newly created SharePoint site –
Now, for instance you have plans in different groups in MS Planner and you want to access the data for all the plans. In that case, the person needs to be added to all the groups as the ‘Owner’ to ensure that the individual sees all the plans. Let us understand this with the help of an example –
The plans in an organisation are divided into different groups like Sales, Marketing and Finance. If I want to access the plans of all the groups, I would need to be assigned as the Owner of each group to ensure that I see all the plans.
Access Requirements for Microsoft Project Online
For Microsoft Project Online, access to the Project Web App (PWA) SharePoint site is required.
1. Site Admin Access to Project Web App (PWA)
- The user must be assigned Site Admin privileges for the PWA SharePoint site.
- This role grants full control over project data, allowing for data extraction and integration with Power BI.
Conclusion
By following the outlined steps and assigning the necessary roles, users can successfully access, retrieve, and analyse data from Microsoft Planner and Microsoft Project Online. These permissions will facilitate seamless data integration with Power BI, enabling organizations to generate insightful reports and optimize project management processes. Ensuring proper access control not only enhances data security but also improves efficiency in managing and visualizing project-related information.
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