Migrate from Allegra to Microsoft Project

Allegra Items map 1:1 to Microsoft Project Tasks. Standard Item attributes (Name, Description, Start Date, Due Date, Status, Priority) map to Task Name, Notes, Start, Finish, and custom flag or text fields. Item-level attributes migrate to Microsoft Project custom fields (Text1-30, Number1-20, Date1-10) based on data type. We query the Allegra schema endpoint to retrieve all attribute definitions before migration so that Item attributes and form fields are classified correctly and never conflated.

Allegra Items with parent-child relationships (sub-items) map to Microsoft Project Summary Tasks and their subordinate Tasks. We extract the parent-child hierarchy from Allegra's item structure and construct the Task hierarchy in Microsoft Project, where Summary Tasks roll up dates and durations from their child Tasks. Milestone items map to Tasks with zero duration and the Milestone flag set.

Allegra item relationships that represent dependencies map to Microsoft Project Predecessor links. We parse the relationship type (Finish-to-Start, Start-to-Start, etc.) if available in the Allegra export and construct the corresponding predecessor link type in Microsoft Project. Relationships without a defined type default to Finish-to-Start (FS), which is the most common dependency type in project scheduling.

Allegra attributes that belong to Items (not forms) map to Microsoft Project custom fields. We classify each attribute by data type (text, number, date, dropdown, boolean) and map to the closest Microsoft Project built-in custom field type. Custom attributes that use Allegra custom lists map to Microsoft Project custom fields with lookup tables or drop-down values populated from the custom list entries.

Allegra form fields (which belong to input forms, not Items) require a separate mapping from item attributes. We extract the form definitions and field definitions via the Allegra REST API, then map form fields to Microsoft Project custom fields on a per-project basis, noting that form fields may not have values for every Item unless the form was consistently applied. We flag any form fields that have sparse data coverage before migration so the customer can decide whether to include them.

Allegra custom lists and their entries are retrieved via GET /v2/lists in the REST API. Each custom list becomes a Microsoft Project custom field with a drop-down list of allowed values. If the custom list is referenced by a custom attribute on Items, the drop-down field is applied to the corresponding Task custom field and the values are pre-populated during migration so that re-assignment is possible in the destination.

Allegra attachments reside on disk in the ALLEGRA_HOME directory, not in the database. We export the attachments directory alongside the database export, preserving the directory structure that maps Items to their attached files. In the destination Microsoft Project file, we re-attach files using relative paths if the destination is a shared network folder, or we generate a written mapping table (Item ID to file path) if the destination uses SharePoint or OneDrive for attachments. We validate that each file exists at the expected path before marking the attachment as migrated.

Allegra Users map to Microsoft Project Resources. We export user records from the Allegra database (including name, email, and role) and create corresponding Material Resources or Work Resources in Microsoft Project based on the user's assignment pattern. Resource names map from the Allegra user display name. If a user has an assigned role in Allegra, we store it in the Resource Notes field for reference.

Allegra item assignments map to Microsoft Project task assignments. We extract the assignment records linking Users to Items, resolve the User-to-Resource mapping, and create Task Assignments in Microsoft Project with the assigned Resource and units percentage. If Allegra tracks assignment hours or effort, we map those to the Assignment Work field in Microsoft Project.

Allegra project-level properties (project name, description, manager, start date, target date) map to the Microsoft Project Summary Task fields and project-level custom fields. The Summary Task Name becomes the project name; project start and finish dates map to the Project Start and Project Finish fields. Any project-level custom attributes migrate to project-level custom fields applied in the General Microsoft Project Information dialog.