I have an existing dropdown field with 5 text options for project size/effort. I am trying to assign numeric values to each option so I can generate reports and charts that show the impact on the team by program, deliverable, etc. We don't track time, so it is the only way we currently have to measure this. I have been testing the change in the Preview environment before making the update in Production. When I add the numeric values and change the field format to number, it is replacing the text values in my report detail with some numbers and some text. Unfortunately, it isn't replacing them consistently so I am losing my existing data.Three of the values are replaced with unique numbers, but two of the values are replaced with the SAME text option (and not the original text value). If I manually update the field on all projects after the change to number format, the charting is working fine and the field appears stable (at least in preview). I am fine updating the field on the 500+ existing projects after making the change if it is a 1:1 update, but I'm not sure why 2 of the fields have the same value. I'm also concerned that I might continue to have problems with the field after I make the change in Production. Has anyone experienced this type of issue before when they changed the format of a field from text to number? Would it be better to start with a new field? Are there other suggestions on how to measure this? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! Theresa Kiernan
