Description
The DNG ReqIF Export shall provide a better error message (i.e. error message that clearly specifies the cause of the error) when exporting a module with missing bindings in the module's structure.
A DOORS Next module can have missing bindings in its structure, i.e. a module has a binding in its structure for an artefact that does not actually exist (in the module / in the stream). It is currently unknown what exactly causes these missing bindings; IBM is aware of this issue but does not know the root cause. There is a workaround for repairing the problematic DN data, but the DNG ReqIF Export does not provide a clear error message when we try to export the data.
Let us assume the following DN Data:
-Module has a binding for Artefact A, but Artefact A does not actually exist in the Module (or even in the Stream)
-Artefact A may exist elsewhere in the DN Component (e.g. in another stream)
-RM/Admin > Module Analyser will display the following for the module:
*Artefact A will appear under "Bindings Present In Structure But Missing From Repository Tables" (i.e. binding for Artefact A exists in structure of module, but Artefact A does not exist in current stream)
Steps to reproduce (Reproduce issue with DNG ReqIF Export, not to reproduce problematic DN Data):
-Export module via DNG ReqIF Export
Expected behavior
-Option 1: DNG ReqIF Export automatically fixes DN Data before export
*Note: this may not be easily feasible
Option 2:
-DNG ReqIF Export fails
-DNG ReqIF Export Log provides an error message that clearly states the cause of the issue (i.e. Module has bindings to missing artefacts in structure)
-DNG ReqIF Export Log provides an error message that ideally provides instructions on how to fix the issue (i.e. fix issue via RM/Admin > Module Analyser > First try "Recover missing bindings and bound artifacts"; then try "Remove missing Bindings from Structure")
Observed behavior
-DNG ReqIF Export fails
-DNG ReqIF Export Log does not provide an error message that clearly states the cause of the issue
*Error message: "Exported file failed ReqIF schema validation. Reason(s) : [Error] line: 8608 message: cvc-id.1: There is no ID/IDREF binding for IDREF '_6faff0d3-98db-430d-adb7-f75bc348308c'."
*The issue the error message points out is that the ReqIF file contains a SPEC-OBJECT-REFERENCE (for Artefact A) in the SPEC-HIERARCHY, but the ReqIF contains no actual SPEC-OBJECT (for Artefact A)
*That the ReqIF file is incorrect is the result of the problematic DN data, not the cause
=>The error message does not clearly state the cause of the issue (only the result, i.e. an incorrect ReqIF export)
-DNG ReqIF Export Log does not provide an error message that provides instructions on how to fix the issue
Additional files:
-MAT Output that shows what the analysis of a problematic module looks like: "MAT Output.png"
-DNG ReqIF Export Log of problematic module: "2023.05.26 DNG ReqIF Export Log.zip"
-DNG ReqIF Export of problematic module: "Stream B Export.reqifz"
Motivation / Reason
The current DNG ReqIF Export behavior does not provide the user with sufficient information to either correctly identify the actual root cause of the issue or how to solve the issue.
The DNG ReqIF Export Log error message only indicates the resulting issue with the ReqIF file, not that the root cause is the module with bindings to missing artefacts in structure. This means that users may need to spend a great amount of time and effort to identify the actual root cause, may be unable to identiy the root cause, or may have to create IBM PMRs to let IBM analyze the issue. This is unnecessary since the root cause is already known. This means that unnecessary time and effort is spent.
THE DNG ReqIF Export Log error message does not provide any information regarding how the issue can be resolved, even though this is known (i.e. use RM/Admin > Module Analyser). This means that unnecessary time and effort is spent.
Idea History
This Idea has been derived from the following PMR:
TS013136809
https://www.ibm.com/mysupport/s/case/5003p00002nvWJFAA2/
