Minitab .mpj project open failure when embedded worksheet paths are unavailable

A repeatable Minitab development environment usually means the same .mpj project, worksheets, graphs, and macros open and run identically on another workstation, drive letter, or locale. A documented failure condition is that .mpj project files can embed absolute file paths for referenced worksheets and graphs; when those paths are unavailable, the project may fail to open the referenced component rather than relocating it.

This creates an unresolved decision for teams that version-control or share Minitab projects. Should portability be handled by keeping all referenced files in a fixed relative layout, by exporting worksheets separately, or by accepting that the .mpj is machine-specific? Macro security defaults add another variable: if execution is set to Prompt, unattended macro runs may pause for confirmation, which conflicts with repeatable automation.

Locale-dependent decimal separators and version-specific graph formats further complicate reproducibility. For Minitab releases that store graph definitions inside the project, upgrading versions may require graph conversion before the project behaves consistently.

Assuming a current Minitab release with .mpj projects:

• Does the .mpj format provide a supported way to store relative worksheet or graph paths?
• Should macros be stored outside the project to avoid security-prompt interruptions?
• Should graph format upgrades be treated as part of project portability, or as a separate migration step?