This document was originally published in September, 2003.
- Projects and project templates
- Backup\recovery\moving data
- E-mail notification
- Security
- RequisiteWeb
- Database
- SQL Server
- Oracle
- MS Access
- Integrations
Projects and project templates
What is a RequisitePro project?
A RequisitePro project is made of a database (either MS Access, Oracle or SQl Server) and a set of Microsoft Word documents stored under RequisitePro control.
How do I specify the location of my RequisitePro project?
By default, RequisitePro projects are stored in /Program Files/Rational/RequisitePro/Projects. To set a different location, enter the desired path in the Options dialog box for Working Path under Directories. The Options dialog box is available from the Tools menu under Options.
For more information, refer to Configuring RequisitePro and the Options dialog box in Help.
How are RequisitePro projects accessed?
When a user adds a reference to a project in his\her project list (click File -> Open), a registry key is generated, storing the path to the location of the .rqs file for the project. The project is then accessed by looking up the path specified in the registry key, and an ODBC Connection is made to the project database.
When can I use the provided project templates?
We recommend you start with one of the provided templates. Simply delete the attributes and requirement types you don't need. As you gain experience, add new ones as necessary. When you get to the point where you are comfortable with your project structure, you can make your own project template from your RequisitePro project by selecting File -> New ->Make New Template.
For more information, refer to Creating a RequisitePro Project in Help. In the Users Guide, Refer to chapter 12.
How much freedom do I have to change the RequisitePro environment once I get started?
You can change everything, including the backend database, the project structure, file locations, security etc. So, our recommendation is to get started, get experience, and change your environment to suit your needs.
The Help and Users Guide make it clear that we provide a structure and that users can modify it to suit their needs and the needs of their team. Refer to Modifying Project Properties in Help.
How can I leverage the content of an existing project to get started?
It's simple -- create a project template from your existing project. When creating a project template from an existing project, you have to option of cloning just the project structure, or the structure and the project contents. If the "Include Project Data" option is not selected, then a template will be generated with only the project structure. The project structure entails Requirement Types, Attribute Labels of the Requirement Types, Document Types, and Security. If "Include Project Data" is selected when creating the project template, the structure will be included plus all requirements and the last revision record of the requirement, the attributes of the requirements, the documents, views, and packages.
For more information, refer to the Help topic Creating a Project Template. In the Users Guide, refer to chapter 12 under Creating a RequisitePro Project
What is a project template?
It is an XML copy of a RequisitePro project stored in the \Program Files\Rational\RequisitePro\templates directory. All projects are created from a project template. If you want to start from scratch, simply select the Blank project template.
Both the Users Guide and Help cover this. Refer to Definition of Project Template and Creating a Project Template in Help. The Users Guide covers this in chapter 12.
Can existing project templates be modified?
No. The best method is to create a new project based on the template, make the necessary edits in the project, and then create a new project template from that project.
How can I store all my project templates in a shared network location?
Specify the network location first under the Options dialog box for Project Templates under Directories. The Options dialog box is available from the Tools menu under Options.
The location field only displays the local install path so you must use the Options dialog box.
For more information, refer to Creating a Project Template in Help. In the Users Guide, chapter 12, the topic Creating a Project Template has information about sharing project templates and where to put them.
What do RequisitePro archives do with enterprise databases?
When a project uses an enterprise database, the RequisitePro archive (File\Project Administration\Archive) only archives the .rqs file, .rql file, and the project documents. RequisitePro archives (using the File -> Project Administration -> Archive command) do not perform a logical backup of Enterprise Databases. A Database Administrator then needs to complete the archive of the schema or database separately, and place the backup file with the RequisitePro archive.
For more information, refer to Tips for Archiving Enterprise Database Projects in Help and the User's Guide, chapter 14.
Does RequisitePro make a backup of the project before migrating it to another database?
When using the RequisitePro Transport Wizard (\bin\rqdatatransportwiz.exe) to convert a RequisitePro database from one database to another, backup files are only generated for Access databases. For example, when migrating a MS Access database to either Oracle or SQL Server, a backup of the MS Access database is made -- the backup content includes the files projectnamerqs.bak, projectnamerql.bak, and the MS Access database will have the .mdb extension removed (i.e. projectname). If the user would like to revert back to the original MS Access copy, he\she may simply remove the .bak extensions, and add the .mdb extension to the end of the Access file. However, if a user converts either a SQL Server or Oracle-based project to MS Access, the project data in the enterprise database is physically removed from the original schema or database. The only method to move the data back entails making a copy of the .mdb file, the .rqs file, and the .rql file and run the rqdatatransportwiz.exe a second time.
For more information, refer to the following Help topics: Data Transport Wizard: Introduction, Moving Project Data to a SQL Server Database, and Moving Project Data to an Oracle database. In the Users Guide, refer to chapter 14.
Can I move my RequisitePro projects from one server to another?
Yes. When moving project data to a new server, ensure all files are moved, including the project .rql file, as it is a hidden file. If the location of a SQL Server database, or an Oracle Schema changes, the project files will need to be reconfigured to point to the new location. This step may be performed by selecting the project in the Project list, clicking Properties, and reconfiguring the project via the Configure and Account Info options. The new server information will need to be provided. You only need to perform this operation on one of the RequisitePro machines (not all).
For more information, refer to Moving RequisitePro Projects in Help. In the Users Guide, refer to chapter 14.
Where is Discussion Notification configured?
Under the Tools menu, select the E-mail Setup command.
For more information, refer to Configuring Notification e-mail for discussions in Help. In the Users Guide, refer to chapter 6.
Can I receive e-mail anytime a requirement changes?
By default, e-mail notification in RequisitePro is provided via Discussion Groups. If discussions are e-mail-enabled, when a discussion is created, an e-mail is sent to its list of participants. This provides a controlled way to send e-mail to requirements users. However, if you would like e-mail to be sent every time a requirement is changed, the E-mail Notification of Requirement Changes RPX script provides this capability.
For more information, refer to the following Help topics: Configuring e-mail for Discussions, Configuring Notification e-mail for Discussions, and Discussion Groups Overview. In the Users Guide, refer to chapter 6.
How can I enable security in my projects?
Under the File menu, select Project Administration -> Security.
For more information, refer to Setting Project Security in Help.
Should I bother setting up security?
If your team is small, it's probably not necessary. But you should create usernames as they are used to identify the user making modifications to the project. Usernames help you when you review requirement changes.
For more information, refer to the following Help topics: Project Administration Tip 8: Setting Security and Project Security Overview.
How can access in RequisitePro be limited?
Restricted access is achieved via security in the security group. The type of access to requirement types and document types may be limited through security groups. For Document Types, the permissions may be set as Read, Write, Update, and Delete. For Requirement Types, the permissions may be set as: Write, Update, and Delete. Additionally, for Requirement Types, the security for an Attribute may be controlled. Here, a user may be limited so Attributes cannot be updated. You may also control whether a group can manage Project Structures and Project Security.
For more information, refer to the following Help topics: Setting Project Security, Group Permissions dialog box, Project Security Overview, and Setting Group Project Permissions.
What is the lowest level access that can be set in security for Requirement Types?
Read. All users can always read requirements.
For more information, refer to Assigning Requirement and Traceability permissions in Help.
Who can change the security scheme?
A user who has project security permissions as indicated in the Project Security dialog box (available under the File menu after choosing Project Administration -> Security). Additionally, in order to make changes in project security, the project must be opened in exclusive mode (the Exclusive check box must be selected in the in Open Project dialog box.
For more information, refer to the following Help topics: Setting Project Security, Project Security Overview, and Setting Group Project Permissions.
Can users be deleted from RequisitePro?
Not completely, as users are placed in an "Inactive" group, rather than physically removed from the database.
For more information, refer to Removing Users from a Group and Setting Group Project Permissions in Help.
I installed RequisitePro. Where is RequisiteWeb? RequisiteWeb is installed as part of the Web server component of RequisitePro. You need to perform a Custom install of RequisitePro and select Web Server.
For more information, refer to the Installing RequisiteWeb on the Server section in the Installing and Configuring Rational RequisiteWeb document for further information. This document is located on the Rational Solutions for Windows Online Documentation CD, which is included with RequisitePro and all Rational Suite products, and on the documentation page.
How are RequisitePro projects made accessible to RequisiteWeb?
The path to the RequisitePro project must be added to the RequisiteWeb catalog.txt file located at \Program Files\Rational\RequisitePro\ReqWeb\projects on the machine where RequisiteWeb is installed.
For more information, refer to the Installing and Configuring Rational RequisiteWeb document under Editing the RequisitePro Projects Catalog in the Managing RequisitePro Projects for RequisiteWeb section.
Why doesn't my RequisitePro project appear in the RequisiteWeb project list?
First check that the RequisitePro project is added to the RequisiteWeb catalog.txt file (see the question above). If you still do not see your RequisitePro project from the RequisiteWeb project drop-down list box, the problem may come from two reasons: one, if the ReqWebUser does not have sufficient permissions to the file share where the RequisitePro projects reside. The second cause may be a result of having the incorrect path to the RequisitePro project referenced in the catalog.txt file, or RequisiteWeb may not be able to resolve it for one reason or another. This often occurs if a Novell Server is used for the file share, and the data is on a separate server than the Web Server.
For more information, refer to the Creating the RequisiteWeb User section of the Installing and Configuring Rational RequisiteWeb document. Catalog.txt information is available under Editing the RequisitePro Projects Catalog in the Managing RequisitePro Projects for RequisiteWeb section. Information on Novell Networks is located in the Server Requirements section of the RequisiteWeb install document.
How do I add users in RequisiteWeb?
Users in RequisitePro projects are added via the RequisitePro client. Once users are created, these same users will be used to access the projects in RequisiteWeb.
For more information, refer to Adding Users to a Group in RequisitePro Help.
Do I need to set up security in my RequisitePro projects in order to use RequisiteWeb, as RequisiteWeb asks for a user in order to login to the project?
No, project security is not required. In the RequisiteWeb login dialog, you can use any username created in RequisitePro, even if the RequisitePro project security is not turned on.
May I use a node locked license for RequisiteWeb?
No, either RequisitePro or Suite floating licenses are required in order to use RequisiteWeb.
Does every connection require a license?
Yes.
Do I have to have Microsoft Word installed on the Web server in order to view documents?
Yes, Word 2000 or 2002 must be installed in order to open documents. Microsoft Word is used to convert documents to HTML, and this process is performed on the Web server.
For more information, refer to Configuring the RequisiteWeb Server section of the Installing and Configuring Rational RequisiteWeb document.
Do I need to install SQL Server or Oracle on the Web server to access RequisitePro projects?
The install of SQL Server is not required. The Oracle client will need to be installed. Additionally, due to the fact that Oracle installs JRE components, Oracle should be installed prior to the RequisiteWeb application install.
For more information, refer to the Server Requirements section as well as the Installing the Oracle Client section of the Installing and Configuring Rational RequisiteWeb document.
Why can't I open documents in RequisiteWeb?
This I a common problem after the RequisiteWeb install. The first time Microsoft Word is launched by a new user, the Microsoft Installer is launched in the background. Due to the fact that RequisiteWeb uses Word to convert the documents to HTML, we cannot access any Word dialog windows, which may appear in the background. Consequently, once the ReqWebUser is created, Microsoft Word should be launched once, so that the Microsoft Installer is launched. After it has been launched once, the documents should be able to be converted to HTML in RequisiteWeb without error.
When creating or configuring a SQL Server or Oracle-based project, can I change the DSN information?
No. The Name: "Temp ReqPro Datasource" and the Description: "For Configuration Purposes Only in the Configure Section" in the default DSN information are required, as the RequisitePro code expects these specific values.
For more information, refer to the Oracle Setup (oraclesetup.html) and SQL Server Setup (sqlsetup.html) documents. (You must select the documents during custom install. They are installed in C:\Program Files\Rational\RequisitePro\help.)
Do specific database user accounts need to be created?
No. Whether you use Oracle or SQL Server, a single account (the ReqPro account) performs all of the data manipulation, which includes: insert, updates, and deletes in the database. Although project specific security may be configured, it is the ReqPro account that actually inserts the data into the database.
For more information, refer to the Oracle Setup (oraclesetup.html) and SQL Server Setup (sqlsetup.html) documents. (You must select the documents during custom install. They are installed in C:\Program Files\Rational\RequisitePro\help.)
When should I consider using an Enterprise (Oracle, SQL Server) database?
When you have more than 3 to 5 concurrent users, you should consider migrating your MS Access RequisitePro database to one of the supported Enterprise database. Run the Data Transport Wizard (/RequisitePro/bin/ rqdatatransportwiz.exe). Additionally, if you store more than 20,000 or so requirements in your MS Access-based RequisitePro project, you may start experiencing performance problems. Migrate to an Enterprise database in that case.
What is the .LBD file stored with my MS Access database file?
When a user accesses an Access database an .ldb session is generated. In most circumstances, this file is removed when the active session to the database is closed. There are some instances where this .ldb file is left remnant. In these circumstances, the file may need to be deleted from the fileshare in Windows Explorer.
Can I get started using the Access database?
Yes. If the team grows beyond a few users (maybe 2-5), you should switch to an enterprise database. The Database Transport Wizard (\Program Files\Rational\RequisitePro\bin\ rqdatatransportwiz.exe) migrates data from one type of database to another (or from one server to another server).
For more information, refer to Project Administration Tips in Help.
For more detailed responses to the questions in this section, refer to the SQL Server Setup (sqlsetup.html) document. (You must select the document during custom install. It is installed in C:\Program Files\Rational\RequisitePro\help\.)
How do I use SQL Server with RequisitePro?
You must perform a Custom install or RequisitePro to install the SQL Server scripts that your DBA will need to run to create a RequisitePro schema in your SQL Server database. Follow the instructions in the SQL Server setup document at C:\Program Files\Rational\RequisitePro\help\sqlsetup.html
Who should execute the SQL Server scripts?
The SQL Server scripts must be executed as the server admin (SA) account, or the RequisitePro user will not have sufficient permissions to the objects within the schema.
Important things to know when setting up SQL Server for RequisitePro
-
In SQL Server, you do not need to make the ReqPro account the DBO\System Admin in SQL Server Roles.
-
When using SQL Server 2000 and upgrading to a newer release of RequisitePro, the ReqPro account must be temporarily made a Server Administrator in order for the upgrade process to complete successfully. This is because SQL 2000 requires that an Account must have Server Administrator privileges in order to drop and add error messages associated with a database. During an upgrade, this process occurs. (This point is documented in the Release Notes, however, very often customers forget. This privilege may be removed after the upgrade.)
-
In the SQL Server configuration dialog window, under the Configure option, the DSN will default to NT Authentication, and the NT login for the user logged into the PC. These values must be changed to SQL Server Authentication, and the ReqPro account must be used.
-
For SQL Server under the Account Info section, the Schema references the login, which owns the objects in the database. This login is ReqPro by default. (The Account Info section is the same for both SQL and Oracle. The "schema" reference is more identifiable with Oracle, rather than SQL Server, however, for simplicity purposes, the same screen is used for both database types.)
Does the SQL Server client need to be installed on each PC, so that a connection to the database may be made from the client to the server?
No. All connectivity to the database is handled via ODBC drivers, which are installed during the RequisitePro installation.
Should all RequisitePro projects be placed in the same SQL Server database, or can projects be placed in separate databases?
A database administrator may choose either method to store data. The main point to consider is recovery. If the projects are linked via cross project traceability, if the projects reside in separate databases, all databases will need to be recovered in order to maintain the links. If all data resides in a single database, all project data will be restored at once.
For more detailed responses to the questions in this section, refer to the Oracle Setup (oraclesetup.html) document. (You must select the document during custom install. It is installed in C:\Program Files\Rational\RequisitePro\help\.)
How do I use Oracle with RequisitePro?
You must perform a Custom install or RequisitePro to install the Oracle scripts that your DBA will need to run to create a RequisitePro schema in your Oracle server. Follow the instructions in the Oracle setup document at C:\Program Files\Rational\RequisitePro\help\oraclesetup.html
What does the Server field refer to in the Oracle setup document?
The Server field is a point of confusion in the Configure section of an Oracle-based RequisitePro project. The reference, here, actually will be the alias used in the tnsnames.ora file for the Oracle server on the PC. Creating an alias via an Oracle Client in the Configuration Assistant may create this entry.
A user may connect to the Oracle schema via SQL Plus, why can't a connection be established by RequisitePro?
This problem may arise as a result of configuring the project incorrectly, or perhaps there may be a problem with the Microsoft ODBC drivers for Oracle on the PC. RequisitePro does not use the innate Oracle driver. We use the Microsoft ODBC Driver for Oracle, which may be placed on the PC with the install of the Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) during a Rational Application install.
Does any optimization mode need to be set for the Oracle database schema, such as "rule" based optimization?
No, cost based optimization should be used, as optimization is handled at the application level, not the database level.
Does the Oracle client need to be installed on each PC?
Although a customer may choose to use an Oracle Names Server to store a single tnsnames.ora file for all clients, RequisitePro was not tested in this environment. Consequently, if a connection cannot be made from the client to the server, using the Microsoft ODBC Driver for Oracle, it is recommended that the Oracle Client be installed on the client PCs.
Should all RequisitePro projects be placed in the same Oracle schema, or can projects be placed in separate schemas?
A database administrator may choose either method to store data. The main point to consider is recovery. If the projects are linked via cross project traceability, if the projects reside in separate schemas, all schemas will need to be recovered in order to maintain the links. If all data resides in a single schema, all project data will be restored.
How do I set up the ClearQuest-RequisitePro integration?
To configure
this integration, refer to the Rational Suite® Administrator's Guide. Refer to
the Getting Started: Rational Suite® AnalystStudio® guide for more information
on using this integration. Both manuals are available on the Rational Solutions
for Windows Online Documentation CD, which is included with RequisitePro and
all Rational Suite products, and on the documentation
page.
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