3.7 Planning How to Use the UCM-ClearQuest Integration

Before you can set up the UCM-ClearQuest integration, you need to make some decisions, which fall into two general categories:

• How to map PVOBs to ClearQuest user databases

• Which schema to use for the ClearQuest user databases

Mapping PVOBs to ClearQuest User Databases

This section describes three issues that you need to consider in deciding how many PVOBs to use for projects that link to ClearQuest user databases.

MultiSite Requirement

If you use ClearCase MultiSite, all PVOB replicas must have access to the ClearQuest user database.

Projects Linked to Same Database Must Have Unique Names

Although UCM allows you to create projects with the same name in different PVOBs, you cannot link those projects to the same ClearQuest user database. Figure 15 illustrates this naming requirement.

Figure 15 Projects in Multiple PVOBs Linked to the Same ClearQuest Database

Use One Schema Repository for Linked Databases

If some developers on your team work on multiple projects, we recommend that you store the schemas for the ClearQuest user databases that are linked to those projects in one schema repository, as shown in Figure 16. This allows developers to switch between projects easily. If you store the schemas in different schema repositories, developers must use the ClearQuest Maintenance Tool to connect to a different schema repository whenever they switch projects.

Figure 16 Using the Same Schema Repository for Multiple ClearQuest Databases

Deciding Which Schema to Use

To use the integration, you must create or upgrade a ClearQuest user database that is based on a UCM-enabled schema. A UCM-enabled schema meets the following requirements:

• The UnifiedChangeManagement package has been applied to the schema. A package contains metadata, such as records, fields, and states, that define specific functionality. Applying a package to a schema provides a way to add functionality quickly so that you do not have to build the functionality from scratch.

• The UnifiedChangeManagement package has been applied to at least one record type. This package adds fields and scripts to the record type, and adds the Unified Change Management tab to the record type's forms. Figure 17 shows the Unified Change Management tab.

• The UCMPolicyScripts package has been applied to the schema. This package contains the scripts for three ClearQuest development policies that you can enforce.

ClearQuest includes two predefined UCM-enabled schemas: UnifiedChangeManagement and Enterprise. You can start using the integration right away by using one of these schemas, or you can use the ClearQuest Designer and the ClearQuest Package Wizard to enable a custom schema or another predefined schema to work with UCM. You can also use one of the predefined UCM-enabled schemas as a starting point and then modify it to suit your needs.

Figure 17 UCM Tab of Record Form for a UCM-Enabled Record Type

Overview of the UnifiedChangeManagement Schema

The UnifiedChangeManagement schema includes the following record types:

• BaseCMActivity
  This is a lightweight record type that you can use to store information about activities that do not require additional fields. Figure 18 shows the Main tab of the BaseCMActivity record form. You may want to use this record type as a starting point and then modify it to include additional fields and states.

• Defect
  This record type is identical to the record type of the same name that is included in ClearQuest's other predefined schemas, with one exception: it is enabled to work with UCM. The Defect record type contains more fields and form tabs than the BaseCMActivity record type to allow you to record detailed information.

• UCMUtilityActivity
  This record type is not intended for general use. The integration uses this record type when it needs to create records for itself, such as when you link a project that contains activities to a ClearQuest user database. You cannot modify this record type.

Figure 18 Main Tab of Record Form for the BaseCMActivity Record Type

Enabling a Schema for UCM

If you decide not to use one of the predefined UCM-enabled schemas, you need to do some additional work to enable your schema to work with UCM. Before you can do this, you need to answer the following questions:

• Which record types are you enabling for UCM? You do not need to enable all record types in your schema, but you can link only records of UCM-enabled record types to activities.

• For each UCM-enabled record type:

• Which state type does each state map to? You must map each state to one of the four UCM state types: Waiting, Ready, Active, Complete. See Setting State Types.

• Which default actions are you using to transition records from one state to another? See State Transition Default Action Requirements for Record Types.

• Which policies do you want to enforce? The integration includes policies that you can set to enforce certain development practices. You can also edit the policy scripts to change the policies. See Chapter 4, Setting Policies for details.