Complete data export before Sept 30 2026 retirement. Export order, format, verification, retention. Regulated-industry ready.
Last updated by Errin O'Connor, Founder & Chief AI Architect, EPC Group
Microsoft retires Project Online Sept 30 2026. Before that date, tenants must export: (1) tenant configuration, (2) all active project schedules, (3) resource pool, (4) timesheet history, (5) Portfolio Analysis data, (6) audit log. Multi-format export (.mpp + CSV + JSON) with hash-chain verification. Regulated industries (HIPAA/CJIS/IRS 1075) require WORM-storage archive + 7+ year retention.
Enterprise Project Types, workflow definitions, project detail pages, custom fields, lookup tables. Export via PowerShell + PWA admin center CSV.
All enterprise resources, custom resource fields, resource skill catalog, resource plans. Export as CSV; validate row count matches admin center.
Every open + in-flight project as .mpp AND CSV. Include tasks, assignments, baselines, dependencies, custom field values, calendar exceptions.
Full actual-work history for the retention window (typically 3-7 years). CSV export via Graph API or Project Online reporting endpoint.
Portfolio scenarios, driver prioritization matrices, strategic alignment scores. Export via Portfolio Analysis Optimizer.
Full audit trail — captures the export activity itself. Regulated tenants (HIPAA / CJIS / IRS 1075): export to WORM-policy Azure Blob storage with SHA-256 chain of custody.
After Sept 30 2026, Project Online tenants lose access to the interface. Data not exported before that date becomes inaccessible via normal paths. Contact EPC Group for a fixed-fee data-export engagement.
Microsoft retires Project Online commercial tenants Sept 30 2026. GCC follows the same timeline. GCC-High + DoD may get a 90-180 day extension but customers should plan for the commercial deadline. After retirement, tenants lose ability to open the Project Online interface — data becomes inaccessible if not exported first.
Six categories: (1) Enterprise Project Types, workflow definitions, project detail pages, custom fields, lookup tables — the tenant configuration. (2) All active project schedules (.mpp OR CSV), including tasks, assignments, baselines, and dependencies. (3) Resource pool + resource custom fields + resource plans. (4) Timesheet history — actual work hours. (5) Portfolio Analysis + Business Driver data. (6) Audit log (7+ year retention for regulated tenants).
Export in this order to preserve referential integrity: (1) Tenant configuration snapshot first (custom fields, lookup tables, workflow definitions), (2) Resource pool + resource custom fields, (3) Enterprise Project Types, (4) All active project schedules, (5) Closed project archive (may go to read-only long-term storage), (6) Timesheet history, (7) Portfolio Analysis data, (8) Audit log (last — captures all export activity itself).
Multi-format strategy: (a) Native .mpp for active projects that will migrate to Planner Premium or a third-party PM tool (preserves task hierarchy + dependencies), (b) CSV for tabular data (custom fields, lookup tables, timesheets) — human-readable + tool-agnostic, (c) JSON for API-driven target migration (Graph API compatible), (d) SQL BAK files for on-prem archive tenants only. Do NOT rely on any single format — export in at least 2 formats for the highest-value active projects.
Three paths: (1) Microsoft native — Assistant tool from the Microsoft 365 admin center + PowerShell modules (Project Online PowerShell cmdlets deprecated but still functional through the retirement date). (2) Graph API — for automated bulk export, particularly useful when you have 200+ projects. Requires Application permission on Microsoft Graph. (3) Third-party tools (Sensei, PPM Works, EPM Live) — most have Project Online migration tooling but validate they still work post-retirement announcement.
Three-layer verification: (1) Row count reconciliation — export logs should show project count, task count, assignment count, resource count. Match against Project Online admin center reports. (2) Sample validation — pick 5-10 high-value projects, open the .mpp export in Microsoft Project Desktop, verify tasks + assignments + baselines are intact. (3) Hash chain — SHA-256 all export files and preserve the hash chain. Any post-export tampering is detectable.
Three tiers: (1) Active projects → migrate INTO Planner Premium (or replacement PM tool) as the source of truth. (2) In-flight closed projects (past 12 months) → import to Planner Premium as read-only reference OR keep in a read-only archive tenant. (3) Historical closed projects (over 12 months) → archive to Azure Blob storage with WORM policy for regulated industries; simple compressed archive for others. Retain per your records retention policy (typically 7+ years for regulated industries).
Fixed-fee Project Online data export + migration engagements. Federal + commercial + regulated industry.
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