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Note:
This article is based on using ClearQuest Version 7.1.0. Future versions may directly refer to this article, although the technology is subject to change.
When installing Rational ClearQuest 7.1.0, you have the option to also install Full-Text Search components. If you select it, all the elements for Full-Text Search are installed initially, thereby permitting indexing of a single ClearQuest user database (support for additional databases requires additional configuration). By default, ClearQuest Full-Text Search is not enabled until it is customized and configured for your database. Work with your schema designer to decide which record types and fields to enable for Full-Text Search. This process requires careful thought and is bound to your schema and your business needs.
The diagram in Figure 1 shows a high-level architectural view of key components that make up ClearQuest Full-Text Search.
Figure 1. Key components of the Full-Text Search feature
Solr application (search server)
The underlying Full-Text Search engine used by ClearQuest 7.1 Full-Text Search is called Solr. It sits on top of Lucene and provides easy access to the Lucene search engine for configuring, indexing, searching, and administering. To learn more, see the Apache Solr and Apache Lucene Web sites.
This is a Solr file, and it is always called schema.xml. As an administrator of ClearQuest Full-Text Search, you will be editing this file to specify which fields in your ClearQuest Database you will index and search on in addition to specifying the language of your database (if it is other than English).
There are additional advanced options available for you to set. You can learn more about them by visiting the Solr Web site.
Lucene is the backend of ClearQuest Full-Text Search. Solr uses Lucene for searching and indexing ClearQuest records. You will not have direct access to Lucene; you will interact with it through Solr and ClearQuest.
A Lucene index file consists of several files on a file system. As you add, modify, or delete ClearQuest records, the Lucene index is updated. You do not need direct access or interaction with the Lucene index files.
The Record Extractor (cqtsdbcrawler.pl and cqsearchprofile) is installed under WebSphere Application Server as a component and under the ClearQuest directory as a command line tool component. While the bits of those two installed components are identical, their usage and end goal is different. The Record Extractor under WebSphere Application Server provides continuous updating of the Lucene index with those of ClearQuest records. That is, as new records are added to Rational ClearQuest, modified or deleted, the WebSphere Application Server Record Extractor sends those records to Solr for indexing by Lucene at set batch intervals. After Lucene indexes a ClearQuest record, it becomes immediately available for searching from the ClearQuest Web 7.1 Full-Text Search interface. This mode of record extraction is called Update Mode Record Extractor.
The command line Record Extractor under the ClearQuest directory provides batch extraction of ClearQuest records. The Record Extractor must be started by the Administrator, usually once, to extract existing records from ClearQuest and send them to Solr for their initial indexing by Lucene. After indexing is completed, existing ClearQuest records become available for searching from the ClearQuest Web 7.1 Full-Text Search interface. This mode of record extraction is called Batch Mode Record Extractor.
The third way to run the command line Record Extractor is to re-index any ClearQuest record that the update or batch mode failed to process. This mode of record extraction is called Repair Mode Record Extractor.
All modes of Record Extractor use the same ClearQuest Search Property file and configuration.
ClearQuest Search Property file
This is an XML file used by the Record Extractor and ClearQuest core (when Full-Text Search is enabled). This file contains settings specific to your ClearQuest schema, such as the location of Solr, the repository, and the record types and fields to index and search. The Batch and Update Mode Record Extractors both use the file system instance of the ClearQuest Search Properties XML file, while ClearQuest core uses the ClearQuest user database instance of the ClearQuest Search Properties XML file as stored within the TEXT_SEARCH_PROPERTY master property.
Part 3 of this five-part series shows you how to enable configure and enable the Full-Text Search feature (see the link to “More in this series”).
Special thanks to David Sampson, a staff technical support engineer in IBM Rational Client Support, who serves on the ClearQuest Full-Text Search Cross-Functional Team.
Learn
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- Learn more in the IBM Rational ClearQuest Information Center, and explore the Change and release management library.
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Discuss
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- Join the Rational ClearQuest Forums and Communities to get and give tips to other developers and testers who use ClearQuest. To participate by e-mail, subscribe by sending a note to clearquest-subscribe@lists.ca.ibm.com. Subscribers can post by e-mail to clearquest@lists.ca.ibm.com.
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George Aroush has been with IBM's Rational team for 5 years. He has lead and worked on several projects focusing on ClearQuest. Recently, he has lead, architected, and implemented the Full-Text Search feature for ClearQuest V7.1. Prior to IBM, Mr. Aroush spent 12 years working in the information retrieval, knowledge management, and data mining field. He was responsible for the design and implementation of several search engines and high-performance solutions still in use today. During his free time, Mr. Aroush is an active open source contributor. He leads the Apache Lucene.Net project, which he ported from Java to C#. Mr. Aroush holds a Masters degree in Computer Science from Northeastern University and a BFA from Tufts University.
