This guide outlines how to prepare your Asta Powerproject file before importing into Aphex. We've included known quirks, export tips, supported file types and small adjustments that can make a big difference once the file is uploaded into your Aphex Project.
Once you've exported your file, see how to run the import into Aphex:
XER
XML (Primavera P6 Schema)
XML ( Microsoft Project Schema)
MPP
Visit the Asta Documentation for guidance on how to export to &
Often, your delivery team won't need to see every single task in the Master Schedule in Aphex - they just need the right slice of it. Filtering before you export from Asta means the plan you import into Aphex includes only relevant tasks, not cluttered with everything else, like Procurement or Design. There are three main ways to filter, let's take a look at each below.
Best For: Quick exports of exactly what’s on screen
Supported Export Formats: MS Project XML or MPP
For full details, visit the Asta Documentation to see how to and learn more about the
Best For: Selecting a complete phase/area/discipline directly from the WBS (one or several branches) and bringing it across intact.
Supported Exported Formats: MS Project XML or MPP
For full details, visit the Asta Documentation for
Best For: Granular control over exactly which tasks you want to import, regardless of where they sit in the overall structure.
Supported Exported Formats: MS Project XML, MPP, P6 XML, XER
For full details, visit the Asta Documentation to see how to work with
See also: apply your Custom Filter during the
Aphex can build your folder structure from your Asta hierarchy. It only creates Folders for WBS levels that have Tasks included in your import (empty branches aren’t created).
Your mapping options depend on the export schema you’re using:.
What it is: The formal WBS code in the exported file
Why pick this: You want folders to follow the project’s formal WBS exactly. Only select this option if you’ve built/assigned WBS codes to activities
Supports: Primavera P6 XML and XER
What it is: A hierarchy built from the chart/summary grouping at export time (the “natural” on-screen order)
Why pick this: You want Folders to mirror the practical on-screen grouping you used when exporting. Select this option when you’re organising by visible grouping and don’t have WBS codes in place.
Supports: Primavera P6 XML and XER
What it is: An automatic path like 1.2.3 that shows a task’s exact position in the outline
Why pick this: You want Folders to mirror the on-screen outline from an MS Project-schema export
Supports: MS Project XML and MPP
What is it: Asta’s Work Breakdown Number assigned to each task. It’s a hierarchical, generated identifier (often looks like 1.2.3). It isn’t the formal WBS code; it’s Asta’s task ID scheme
Why pick this: If your team already references WBNs and wants that familiar structure reflected in Aphex
Supports: MS Project XML
By default, Aphex imports all core task & relationship data from your export.
If you've already captured extra information in Asta, like Owner, Location, Subcontractor or Notes, you can pull these into Aphex too, using Asta's Task-level User Fields.
If you don't - that's no problem! It's easy and quick to apply the same edits in the Aphex plan.
Create a User Field in Asta:
Select Task in the Object type dropdown
Choose String as the Field type
Repeat for any other optional property you want to import.
Also: How to map User Fields during the
Asta’s Summary Bars are used to group and structure Tasks in a hierarchical plan. In Asta, they’re a distinct Object Type.
However, when imported into Aphex, Summary Bars are treated as regular Tasks, which can result in duplication if the Tasks they summarise are also imported.
Mid‑Links are a type of logic link in Asta where the dependency connects to or from the middle of an activity, rather than the start or finish.
To keep things as simple as possible for end users, Aphex doesn’t handle mid‑link logic - all links must connect to either the start or end of a task.
Additionally, as mid-links aren’t supported in P6 or MS Project, Asta converts them during export to XML or XER to the closest matching link type.
In Aphex, the smallest possible task duration is one day.
This works well once tasks are in Aphex, but it can cause changes if you’re importing from a Master Schedule where some tasks are shorter than a full day.
Aphex automatically handles these adjustments during the import process, which should result in sequenced tasks remaining aligned on the correct dates, without you needing to do anything.
To keep Aphex as simple as possible, constraints are not supported (e.g., “Must Start On”, “Start No Earlier Than”). When you import from Asta, Aphex will schedule from links, durations, start date and calendars. As a result, tasks that were being “held” by constraints in the source file can move once imported and be a source of variance.
Aphex assumes the lookahead inside Aphex is most up-to-date version of the plan, once tasks are imported. On later imports, existing Aphex tasks are not overwritten. Imports only ever create new tasks (i.e., tasks that don’t already exist in Aphex).
Often, your Master Schedule is contractual, so nothing should change by accident. Aphex shows what’s moved and why; updates back to Asta stay manual, deliberate, and on your terms.
Weekly Published Versions & Import Baselines - snapshots you can compare against.
Variance Reports & Exports - quickly see what changed since the last baseline (date moves, duration changes, new/removed tasks, completion).
External ID
We've suggest naming it something descriptive, like Aphex_Subcontractor
Add this new User Field as a column in your Asta view
For each Task you're importing, add in the value (the Subcontractor name, in this example) in the relevant cell
Make sure this is selected - otherwise, Asta will export the entire schedule.
For Owner, insert the email address of the activity’s owner.
Check that this matches the email address the team member uses for Aphex. This will ensure the Tasks are automatically assigned to the correct user.
If not, the address entered will receive an invite to join the Aphex project.
For Notes, they will automatically be added as a text note to the specific imported activity
<taskUniqueId> is the unique task ID from the fileE.g. if you have a task with ID 123 in a file called "aphex-program-2.0", the External ID would be aphex-program-2.0_123.
Cannot export filtered view
MPP and XML (MS Project Schema)
Exporting specific branches
Exporting filtered views
Using WBN or OutlineNumber
Repeating imports over time is harder if the Asta project name changes, as it affects task identifiers and can cause duplicates
Subcontractor Name
Aphex_Subcontractor
Owner
Owner's Aphex Email Address
Aphex_Owner
Location
Location Name
Aphex_Location
Notes
Free Text
Aphex_Notes