PPM Express allows synchronizing additional data between PPM Express and Azure DevOps instances.
PPM Express – Azure DevOps mapping prerequisites and limitations:
- Project mapping will become available if the PPM Express Project is linked to any work item type from Azure DevOps (it should be only one work item, not the whole project or several items).
- Mapping works in a one-way direction: from Azure DevOps to PPM Express
- Mapping is applied per work item type within one Azure DevOps process. For example:
- if you have Epic 1 and Epic 2 from one Process – mapping created for Epic 1 will be applied for Epic 2 as well.
- if you have Epic A and Epic B which belong to different Processes – mapping created for Epic A will not be applied to mapping for Epic 2, i.e. for Epic 2 mapping should be set up separately.
- Data in PPM Express will be updated after each manual or by schedule synchronizations.
Mapping is available for the Project fields and for the Task fields.
Project fields mapping
To set up project fields mapping, perform the following (only for cases when one work item is linked, not the whole Project or several work items):
1. Navigate to Configure Connections menu of the linked/imported Project where you have selected any work item(s) from Azure DevOps for linking.
2. Use the Configure connection button to open the Configure connection menu.
3. On the Project Mapping tab select the PPM Express field and Azure DevOps field for mapping.
- PPM Express field – any OOB or custom field can be selected.
- Azure DevOps field - any OOB or custom field can be selected.
4. Click the Save button.
If PPM Express – Azure DevOps fields mapping is established, and then a user links the same PPM Express Project to Project Online, and mapping is established there as well for the same fields, the information for the fields will be populated from the latest linked system. The previous information will be overwritten with the data taken from the latest linked system (either Project Online or Azure DevOps).
Compatible Project field types
The information for the filed types in this table is applicable for PPM Express custom fields as well.
| PPM Express Field Name | PPM Express Field Type | Azure DevOps field type |
| Project Name | Text | Text, Picklist (string) |
| High-level scope | Text | Text, Picklist (string) |
| Progress | Text | Text, Picklist (string) |
| Project Stage | Select | Text, Picklist (string) |
| Start date/Finish Date | Date | Date/Time |
| Description | Text | Text, Picklist (string) |
| Priority | Impact | Text, Picklist (string) |
| Project score | Slider | Integer, Picklist (integer) |
| Manager | User | Identity |
| Tags | Text | Text, Picklist (string) |
| Benefits | Decimal | Decimal |
| Budget | Decimal | Decimal |
| Client Name | Text | Text, Picklist (string) |
| Cost, Effort, Impact, Revenue, Risk | Impact | Text, Picklist (string) |
| All Statuses, Statuses Descriptions | Text | Text, Picklist (string) |
| Project number | Integer | Integer, Picklist (integer) |
| Sponsor | Resource | Identity |
Tasks fields mapping
To set up tasks fields mapping, perform the following:
1. Navigate to Configure Connections menu of the linked/imported Project.
2. Use the Configure connection button to open the Configure connection menu.
3. On the External Items Mapping tab navigate to the required work item and click on the pencil-like button.
4. Configure task mapping. Use the 'Add Mapping Fields' button to add more task fields.
One Azure DevOps field can be mapped to several PPM Express fields if required.
5. It is possible to create a new PPM Express custom field from this page.
Hyperlink PPM Express field can be mapped to the text field type from Azure DevOps. For correct displaying/opening this link in PPM Express, paste the link to the default or custom TEXT field with the correct structure: protocol (http/https/ftp)://domainName (e.g., https://help.ppm.express/89154-ppm-express/951485-extended-release-notes-ppm-express). Otherwise, the link will not be synchronized. If you don’t have any available fields with hyperlink type, you can create it on the mapping page directly.
6. It is possible to delete any field.
It is possible to delete any field, however, if you delete or change the 'Type' field the items for which this field is deleted will not be displayed in the counters of the Azure DevOps tasks page. If this item is selected for Project progress calculation, the progress will not be calculated. Also, it will not be possible to filter the items by Type.
If the 'Iterations' field is deleted or changed for any of the items, such item won't be displayed in the last tile with counters for Current Iterations.
The field mapping may also affect the Power BI reports.
7. It is possible to edit the fields by clicking on the gear button next to the field.
Using the Configure Transformation rules it is possible to set how exactly the field values should be mapped.
For example, if you need to map two fields of the 'select' type, you can identify what values will be mapped from one system to another.
For example, the Azure DevOps Priority field can be mapped to the PPM Express Priority field. However, these two fields have different values within these two systems. PPM Express provides a default mapping of the values from both systems, however, if you have any additional (custom) values in Azure DevOps, it is required to set the mapping rules for these values.
Configure Transformation rules can be also used to map the incompatible field types (except for the fields of Date, Resources/Users, Tags types).
For example, it is possible to map the Progress field to the State, not only to the State Category (as it is per default), setting up the required values in the Configure Transformation rules.
By Default, the Progress is synchronized according to the state categories:
- All states in the Proposed category will be synchronized with 0% Progress;
- All states in the In Progress/Resolved category will be synchronized with 50% Progress;
- All states in the Completed category will be synchronized with 100% Progress.
To map the PPM Express Progress field to the State field from Azure DevOps perform the following:
Click on the gear button next to this field.
Configure the rules for the State field mapping.
When setting up the rules manually for the Progress field using the State values, it is required to set the values for all states that are used for this item. If there is no value for any state that is used for the item, then the item progress will be 0%. Also, please note that the Progress field mapping affects the Project Progress.
The Completed value should always equal 100%.
Compatible task field types
The information for the filed types in this table is applicable for PPM Express custom fields as well.
| PPM Express Field Name | PPM Express Field Type | Azure DevOps field type |
| Area Path | Text | Text, Picklist (string) |
| Assigned To | User | Identity |
| Completed work | Decimal | Decimal |
| Description | Text | Text, Picklist (string) |
| Due Date | Date | Date/Time |
| Effort | Decimal | Decimal |
| Iteration | Text | Text, Picklist (string) |
| Is Milestone | Flag | Boolean |
| Original Estimate | Decimal | Decimal |
| Parent | Text | Text, Picklist (string) |
| Priority | Text | Text, Picklist (string) |
| Progress | Slider | Integer, Picklist (integer) |
| Remaining Work | Decimal | Decimal |
| Start Date | Date | Date/Time |
| Status | Text | Text, Picklist (string) |
| State | Select | Text, Picklist (string) |
| Story Points | Decimal | Decimal |
| Tags | Text | Text, Picklist (string) |
| Title | Text | Text, Picklist (string) |
| Type | Select | Text, Picklist (string) |
| WBS | Text | Text, Picklist (string) |
| Hyperlink | Hyperlink | Text |