Generate Cross Tool Reports with Rational Publishing Engine

Generate cross-tool reports with Rational
Publishing Engine
Project reports when Rational System Architect and Rational
DOORS are integrated

Skill Level: Intermediate

Jothi Subramani (jothi_subramani@in.ibm.com)
Senior Technical Lead
IBM

14 Sep 2010

Report generation is an important feature of the IBM® Rational® System Architect
tool. But the report generation component of IBM® Rational® Publishing Engine,
which it includes, can pose a learning challenge, particularly while generating reports
in a Rational System Architect and IBM® Rational® DOORS® integration. This article
explains the steps to generate cross-tool reports for Rational System Architect and
Rational DOORS projects by using Rational Publishing Engine features.

Before you start
This article explains the steps to generate cross-tool reports for IBM® Rational®
System Architect and IBM® Rational® DOORS® projects by using IBM® Rational®
Publishing Engine features.

Overview of the three tools

Rational System Architect
This is a leading enterprise architecture tool that provides integrated support for
all four domains of business, information, systems, and technology. It offers the
most complete enterprise modeling solution by enabling its users to analyze
corporate business processes, build new component-based applications,
redesign the back-end databases, or document the legacy systems.

Generate cross-tool reports with Rational Publishing Engine Trademarks
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2010. All rights reserved. Page 1 of 17

developerWorks® ibm.com/developerWorks

Rational DOORS
Rational DOORS is a requirements management application that contains
features for capturing, tracking, and managing user requirements.

Rational Publishing Engine
This tool automates the generation of documents for ad hoc use, formal
reviews, contractual obligations, or regulatory compliance. This can help
improve productivity and reduce risk and cost. It uses predefined templates for
rapid adoption, and all of these are available through an easy-to-use graphical
template-editing environment.

Integration of these three tools

Through Version 11.3.1.1, Rational System Architect includes a comprehensive
reporting system that can generate reports in XML, HTML, or Microsoft® Word
format.

With the integration of Rational Publishing Engine with Rational System Architect,
you can now connect to Rational System Architect and Rational DOORS data
sources, generate multiple output formats with complete flexibility in appearance,
and create concurrent documents in multiple target formats from a single template.

Prerequisites for this exercise

You must have Rational System Architect Version 11.3.1.1 or later, Rational
DOORS Version 9.0, 9.1, or 9.2, and Rational Publishing Engine Version 1.1.1 or
later, as well as the Rational System Architect and Rational DOORS Integration
module installed.

This article uses the included samples encyclopedia, called JK Enterprises, which
you can download from the My developerWorks wiki site. The encyclopedia is
provided as an MDF file called J K Enterprises – Cognos Version 1.0.mdf.

To use this encyclopedia:

1. Start SAEM for SQL Server, click Database Menu, and select Attach.

2. Browse to the folder of the saved MDF file and attach it.

You can use the same report template to run against new encyclopedias also.

Linking the Rational System Architect process with the Rational
DOORS requirement


ibm.com/developerWorks developerWorks®

1. Open the J K Enterprises encyclopedia in Rational System Architect,

2. Create a business process diagram named Apply for Financial
Credit Product, as Figure 1 shows.

Figure 1. Business process diagram example in Rational System Architect

Larger view of Figure 1.

3. In the Apply for Financial Credit Product diagram, select the Determine
Applicant Eligibility process.

4. Stage the selected symbols by selecting Select Tools – DOORS – Stage
Symbol for DOORS from the Rational System Architect main menu, as
Figure 2 shows.

Figure 2. Staging the process symbol




5. After it is initialized, log in to Rational DOORS.

6. Create a new transfer unit called SADOORSTransferUnit.
Note: SA stands for System Architect.

Figure 3. Create a DOORS transfer unit



7. To send the staged artifacts, select Tools > DOORS > Send to DOORS
in the Rational System Architect main menu (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Send the staged symbol to DOORS




a. Select SADOORSTransferUnit.

b. The log displays the successful transfer (see Figure 5).

Figure 5. Sent log status




As Figure 6 shows, a Rational DOORS transfer unit will then be created under the
selected module in Rational DOORS.

Figure 6. DOORS transfer unit created




Linking the transferred artifact and its corresponding requirement

1. Open the SADOORSTransferUnit module in Rational DOORS.

2. Right-click on the chosen artifact, Determine Applicant Eligibility, and
select Link > Start Link.

Figure 7. “Start Link” selected in DOORS



3. Open the necessary requirement in Rational DOORS, right-click, and
select Link > Make Link from Start.

Figure 8. Complete the link in DOORS

This establishes a link between the Rational System Architect artifact and the
Rational DOORS requirement.

Synchronizing the established link in Rational System Architect

This relationship needs to be synchronized in Rational System Architect.

1. Select Tools > DOORS > Update from DOORS from the main menu and
by selecting the appropriate transfer unit.

Figure 9. Update Rational System Architect from DOORS

Generating a metamodel (XSD file) for a Rational System



Architect encyclopedia

1. Select Reports > Reports Server Manager (Figure 10) from the Rational
System Architect main menu.

Figure 10. Report Server Manager view


2. Start the Rational System Architect REST service by selecting Start
Service (the Start Service option will be disabled if it is already running).

3. Select either the Microsoft® SQL or Oracle option, based on the
encyclopedia repository.

4. Choose or enter the encyclopedia’s server name and name.

5. Select the metamodel file name and click Generate.

6. This generates the XSD file: SA_DOORS_RPE_demo.xsd.

Generating reports in Rational Publishing Engine

1. Open a new document template in Rational Publishing Engine.

2. Add Rational System Architect as a data source:

Figure 11. Add Data Source Schema icon



a. Select Add Data Source Schema.

b. Click Next.

c. Select REST as the schema type (see Figure 12).

d. Select the previously generated schema file, and enter a name for
the data source ID (for this example, enter: SA11_3_1_1.

e. Click Next and then click Finish.

Figure 12. Data Source Schema wizard for Rational System Architect

3. Add Rational DOORS as a data source:



a. Select Add Data Source Schema.

b. Click Next.

c. Select DOORS as the schema type (Figure 13).

d. Use the default DOORS XSD file.

e. Accept the default values, and click Next and then Finish.

Figure 13. Data Source Schema for DOORS

Constructing the report template

Create the document template by dragging the controls and associating the data
sources appropriately (see Figure 14).

See the Rational Publishing Engine documentation for how to configure the dynamic
data source.

Figure 14. Template for Rational System Architect-Rational DOORS interface




Publishing the report

1. Go to the RPE Launcher

Figure 14. Rational Publishing Engine launcher



2. Select the Rational System Architect data source: SA 11_3_1_1.

3. Enter the encyclopedia URI in the URI field, for example:
http://localhost:8889/SARest/SQL/SQLExpress/JK_Enterprise/1

4. Select Generate Current Document.

5. Select Yes when you are asked whether you want to continue even
though not all data sources are configured (Figure 15).

Figure 15. Warning that not all data sources are configured



6. The required document will be generated.

Troubleshooting
CRRPE1064I Error in engine - java.net.ConnectException: Connection refused:
connect

• Verify that the IBM Rational System Architect REST service has been
started and is running.
CRRPE3079E The image cannot be accessed - Refer

• Some images cannot be retrieved from Rational Publishing Engine



Resources
Learn
• Rational Publishing Engine:
• Browse the developerWorks page for Rational Publishing Engine.
• Check the Rational Publishing Engine Information Center for
documentation for all versions, or get support from the Rational Publishing
Engine help system.

• Rational System Architect:
• Browse the developerWorks page for Rational System Architect and watch
the demonstration online.
• Check the Rational System Architect Information Center for documentation
for all versions, or get support from the Rational System Architect help
topics.

• Rational DOORS:
• Browse the Rational DOORS developerWorks page for links to technical
articles and many related resources.
• Explore the Rational DOORS Information Center.

• Visit the Rational software area on developerWorks for technical resources and
best practices for Rational Software Delivery Platform products.
• Stay current with developerWorks technical events and webcasts focused on a
variety of IBM products and IT industry topics.
• Attend a free developerWorks Live! briefing to get up-to-speed quickly on IBM
products and tools, as well as IT industry trends.
• Follow developerWorks on Twitter.
• Watch developerWorks on-demand demos, ranging from product installation
and setup demos for beginners to advanced functionality for experienced
developers.
• Explore Rational computer-based, Web-based, and instructor-led online
courses. Hone your skills and learn more about Rational tools with these
courses, which range from introductory to advanced. The courses on this
catalog are available for purchase through computer-based training or
Web-based training. Additionally, some "Getting Started" courses are available
free of charge.



Get products and technologies
• Download a free, fully enabled trial version of Rational System Architect.
• Get the free trial download for Rational DOORS Web Access.
• Evaluate IBM software in the way that suits you best: Download it for a trial, try
it online, use it in a cloud environment, or spend a few hours in the SOA
Sandbox learning how to implement service-oriented architecture efficiently.
Discuss
• Participate in technical discussions in the Rational Publishing Engine forum.
• Participate in the Enterprise Architecture and Business Architecture forum and
the Rational System Architect Forum, where you can share information about
methods, frameworks, and tool implementations. Discussions include
tool-specific technical discussions about Rational System Architect.
• Join the Rational DOORS forum to ask questions and participate in discussions.
• Get involved in the My developerWorks community. Connect with other
developerWorks users while exploring the developer-driven blogs, forums,
groups such as the Rational Café, and wikis, such as the Rational Enterprise
Architecture wiki.

About the author
Jothi Subramani
Jothi Subramani holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and
has been a software architect for more than a decade. In the past four
years, while involved in the design and development of Rational System
Architect, she has made significant contributions to the SA Explorer and
Integration modules.


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