Oracle Primavera P6 R8.3 Is Released

Thanks Emily - nice 'heads-up' and review.  Anyone reported any issues?  SQL interface still good?

 The new ‘Visualizer’ Tool is actually a very powerful program that can be run apart from P6, as long as you have access to the P6 database.  It creates very good time-scaled logic diagrams and Gantt Charts.  The operation of the thing is daunting.  The manual says to look to the Help files for information on how to use it and the Help files are terrible (what’s new?)  In other words, you are on your own.

 The time-scaled diagrams only use one ‘gutter’ between activities so relationship lines tend to all run over each other.  On the other hand, you can completely customize critical, driving, and not-driving relationship lines, so this helps out tremendously.  It still does not have the P3 option of placing sequential activities end-to-end, so it is not perfect but is a much better replacement for the new-to-Version 8.1 time-scaled logic diagram. 

 I wonder why Oracle/Primavera went to all of the work of inventing a time-scaled logic diagram routine inside of P6 for Version 8.1 only to replace it with another one outside of P6 only a couple months later with Version 8.3?  Obviously one department is not talking to the other. 

I second Ron's observations on the Visualizer - the first template is going to be a bear.  It is nicely scalable (horizontally) via page size, but beyond that everything is a chore - hardly any interactive elements, like manual adjustment of the timescale via the mouse.  I am thinking this might be great for presentations - nice graphics, but do not know for sure.

I was only able to access it through the TOOLS menu.  Any insights into other access appreicated.

BTW:Upgrading went without a hitch on a 64 bit (there is a 64 bit version) Windows 7 system with SQL servers/databases.  Seems a little slower, but that just could be a perception problem.  No operational problems so far, and if you want to play around with the Visualizer, now would be the time.

If it's any help, we've just released a 7 minute video showing Primavera P6 Visualizer http://ow.ly/jJLGZ