Tool Mentor: Linking Configuration Management and Change Request Management Using Rational ClearQuest and Rational ClearCase
Purpose
This tool mentor describes how to enable the use of Rational ClearQuest with Rational ClearCase Unified Change Management (UCM) projects.
This section provides links to additional information related to this tool mentor.
Overview
ClearCase UCM projects can be integrated with ClearQuest, a change request management tool. Using ClearQuest, you can submit change requests, view and modify existing change requests, and create and run user or site-specific queries and reports. The UCM-ClearQuest integration adds significant project management and activity management capabilities to UCM projects. For example, ClearQuest records can be linked with ClearCase activities and policies that can be set to govern when you can deliver an activity in ClearCase and when you can close an activity in ClearQuest.
This tool mentor is applicable when running Microsoft Windows.
For
additional information, see the topic titled About the ClearQuest-UCM integration
in ClearCase online Help.
Tool Steps
To set up the UCM-ClearQuest integration:
- Enable a ClearQuest schema to work with UCM or use the predefined UCM-enabled schema
- Create or upgrade a change request database to use the schema
- Enable your UCM project to work with ClearQuest
1. Enable a ClearQuest schema to work with UCM or use the predefined UCM-enabled schema
The following steps tell you how to use predefined UCM-enabled schemas to set up a change request database to work with UCM. The predefined UCM schemas, named UnifiedChangeManagement and Enterprise, include the record type, field, form, state, and other definitions necessary to work with a UCM project.
To set up a change request database to work with UCM:
- Create a user database that is associated with one of the predefined UCM-enabled schemas.
- In the ClearQuest Designer, click Database > New Database to start the New Database Wizard.
- Complete the steps in the wizard; number 4 prompts you to select a schema to associate with the new database. Scroll the list of schema names and select the new schema.
- Click Finish.
For
information on how to enable a ClearQuest schema for use with the UCM-ClearQuest
integration, see the topic “Enabling a Schema to Work with UCM” in
the ClearCase manual titled Managing Software Projects.
2. Create or upgrade a change request database to use the schema
The predefined UCM schemas let you use the UCM-ClearQuest integration right away, but you may prefer to design a custom schema to track your project’s activities and change requests. You may even prefer to use a different, predefined schema. There are several ways to do this, depending on your project’s needs.
We recommend you become familiar with information in “Setting Up a Change Request Database” in the ClearCase manual Managing Software Projects before proceeding. Detailed information on procedures for this task are also presented in this section of the ClearCase documentation set.
For detailed information on this procedure, see “Planning How to Use the
UCM-ClearQuest Integration” in the ClearCase manual titled Managing
Software Projects.
3. Enable your UCM project to work with ClearQuest
- In the left pane of the ClearCase Project Explorer, right-click the project to display its shortcut menu. Click Properties to display its property sheet.
- Click the ClearQuest tab and then select the Project is ClearQuest-enabledcheck box.
- Select the user database from the “Link to this Change Request Database” list.
- The first time you enable a project, ClearQuest opens its Logindialog box. Enter your user name, password, and the name of the database to which you are linking the project.
- Click OK.
Advanced feature: You can also set development policies for projects
that use the UCM-ClearQuest integration. See “Policies Available in UCM-ClearQuest
Integration” in the manual titled Managing Software Projects for
more information.