Migrate from Baton to Microsoft Project

Baton Projects map directly to a Microsoft Project file (MPP) or a Project Online project plan. The Project Name, Description, Start Date, and Finish Date migrate as the project's Title, Notes, and date range. We set the Project Summary Task as the top-level outline row. If the destination is Project Online, we create the project via the PWA REST API (/_api/ProjectServer/Projects) and publish it before task import begins.

Baton Tasks map to Microsoft Project task rows in the outline. Name, Start, Finish, Duration, and Percent Complete migrate directly. Baton's task Status (Active, Completed, etc.) maps to the Microsoft Project Percent Complete field. Assignee maps to the Resource Names field on the task, which requires a matching resource in the destination resource pool. Task ID from Baton is stored in a custom Text field for audit traceability.

Baton subtasks at arbitrary nesting depth map to a two-level outline in Microsoft Project: the parent Baton Task becomes a Summary Task (with the Outline Level set to 1) and each Baton Subtask becomes an indented sub-task row (Outline Level 2). If Baton subtasks themselves contain subtasks (three or more levels), we flatten the third and subsequent levels into the second outline level with a naming prefix that preserves the original hierarchy label. The customer decides the flattening convention during scoping.

Baton Milestones map to Microsoft Project milestones — a task row with Duration set to zero days and the Milestone field set to Yes. The milestone name, start date, and due date migrate as the task Name, Start, and Finish fields respectively. Date filtering in Baton is milestone-scoped, so milestone accuracy is critical for teams migrating from a milestone-oriented planning workflow.

Baton task dependencies map to Microsoft Project Predecessor links. We extract the dependency type from Baton (Finish-to-Start is the most common) and write it as a Predecessor column entry on the successor task (e.g., '10 FS' means task 10 is a Finish-to-Start predecessor of the current task). Lag time migrates as a positive or negative integer in the Predecessor field. We validate the dependency graph post-import by checking for circular references, which Microsoft Project flags as an error if present.

Baton's Date Formula custom fields compute days between two named date pickers (e.g., Project Start Date minus Milestone Due Date) and auto-update whenever either date changes. Microsoft Project has no native computed date-formula field type. We export the current computed value as a static Number or Text custom field in the destination project. We flag this during scoping: the customer chooses whether to preserve the static value only or to rebuild the calculation logic in Microsoft Project using a VBA macro or Power Automate flow post-migration.

Baton custom fields of type free text, dropdown, and date map to Microsoft Project custom fields at the task level (Custom Fields dialog in Project). Dropdown values in Baton map to the Values from Lookup Table in Microsoft Project's Custom Fields definition. We create the custom field schema in Microsoft Project before data import begins. Custom field values are attached to task rows via the field mapping during import.

Baton document attachments (file metadata including filename, upload date, and associated task or project) migrate as a Hyperlink entry on the relevant task row in Microsoft Project, pointing to the file's original storage location (SharePoint, Google Drive, or the customer's document management system). Actual file blobs do not transfer; we flag this for the customer to validate document availability post-migration. If the customer uses Project Online, documents may link to SharePoint document libraries associated with the PWA site.

Baton's client-facing portal is a permissioned view layer over existing Projects and Tasks, not a separate data object. The portal's shareable links and permission settings do not have a direct Microsoft Project equivalent. We deliver a written inventory of current portal access configurations (which projects are shared, with which external users, at which permission level) as a reference for the customer's admin to recreate sharing via SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, or a Project Online PWA site.

Baton Assignees on Tasks map to Microsoft Project Resources. We extract all distinct assignee email addresses from the Baton task records and create Resource records in the destination project (either as Material resources or as Work resources depending on whether the assignee represents a person with a calendar). If the destination is Project Online, resources are provisioned in the Enterprise Resource Pool (ERP) via the PWA REST API. Assignee-to-resource mapping is validated by email match; unresolved assignees are held in a reconciliation queue.

Baton task status labels (e.g., Not Started, In Progress, Review, Complete) and any custom status values defined in a Baton pipeline map to a custom task-level Text or Flag field in Microsoft Project if they are not natively supported by the standard Status column. We document the full Baton status taxonomy during scoping and the customer decides whether to map statuses to Microsoft Project's built-in Status column (which drives the Gantt bar color) or to a separate custom field that preserves the original Baton status labels.