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Status Future consideration
Workspace IBM Engineering - Requirements Management DOORS Next
Categories Feature
Created by Guest
Created on Jul 26, 2022

RELATED IDEAS

DNG ReqIF Export shall export reused artefacts (same Base Artefact) as SPEC-OBJECTs with the same ReqIF ID

Description

DOORS Next has a concept for artefact reuse. A "Base Artefact" can be reused in different contexts, meaning for example in different modules or in different places in the same module. These artefacts are still all the same artefact, meaning for example that if the value of an attribute is changed for a reused artefact in one context, the artefact will be changed in all contexts.


DNG ReqIF Export currently exports reused artefacts in different contexts / different "instances" of the reused artefacts as different SPEC-OBJECTS, with different ReqIF IDs. According to ReqIF, this would mean that these SPEC-OBJECTS are separate and not the "same" SPEC-OBJECT, but they are the "same" artefact in DOORS Next. Thus, reused artefacts in DOORS Next should be more accurately be exported to ReqIF.


DNG ReqIF Export shall export reused artefacts (i.e. artefacts that all have the same Base Artefact) as SPEC-OBJECTs with the same ReqIF ID. The Base Artefact shall be exported with the same ReqIF ID.


Using the ReqIF ID of a SPEC-OBJECT at different hierarchy positions in the same SPECIFICATION is allowed, i.e. a reused artefact at multiple positions in the same module. Using the ReqIF ID of a SPEC-OBJECT in different SPECIFICATIONS is also allowed, i.e. a reused artefact in different modules.

Reason

The current implementation of the DNG ReqIF Export does not export reused artefacts to ReqIF in a way that makes it clear that these artefacts are reused / are the "same". This information is only included in the tool-specific TOOL-EXTENSIONS, which importing tools are not obliged to use.


Exporting reused artefacts with the same ReqIF ID is allowed in the ReqIF Standard and is, in our opinion, the correct way to model reused artefacts in ReqIF. Exporting reused artefacts this way should allow more tools import the SPEC-OBJECTS as reused artefacts (if RM Tool can handle reused artefacts) or at least recognise the information that the SPEC-OBJECTS represent reused artefacts (if RM Tool cannot handle reused artefacts).


Note / Suggestion

To distinguish the different reused artefacts at different positions within a module / in different modules, you could use different SPEC-HIERARCHY ReqIF Identifiers for the different "instances" / binding artefacts (in the SPEC-HIERARCHY part of the ReqIF).

ReqIF Ranking

16

Idea priority Medium
  • Post comment
  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Oct 18, 2024

    The ReqIF Implementation Guide 2.10 has now clarified how to represent objects that are reused in Requirements Authoring Tools in ReqIF. The above idea would be a valid implementation of this.

     

    The relevant part of the ReqIF Implementation Guide 2.10 is as follows:

    "2.18 How to represent objects that are reused in Requirements Authoring Tools in ReqIF

     

    The ReqIF standard compliant way to export re-used objects is by exporting a single SpecObject and referencing that SpecObject from multiple SpecHierarchies (which might be part of the same or different Specifications).

     

    When importing a reused SpecObject to a requirements authoring tool that doesn’t support reuse, and then exporting the object again, the process is:

     

    If there are two or more copies of that reused object in the requirements authoring tool, consolidate them into one SpecObject in the ReqIF export. Use the original ReqIF identifier (as it was in the ReqIF file that has been imported) so that there’s again a single reused SpecObject, as in the ReqIF file imported before. "

     

    The last paragraph is concerning requirements authoring tools that do not support reuse, wich would not be relevant here, as DOORS Next supports requirments reuse.

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