Configuring synchronization rules for external users

By default, when changes from an external repository, such as a Rational® ClearQuest® user database, are synchronized with items in a Jazz® repository, the update operation is executed using the Jazz user account under which the external application logs in to Jazz.

About this task

When you use the ClearQuest Synchronizer Setup Wizard, you specify which Jazz user account that the ClearQuest Gateway uses to login to Jazz. All changes to items, resulting from changes to corresponding ClearQuest records, are saved in the context of that Jazz user account. Recording all changes under the same user account has the following disadvantages:
  • The work item history shows only the user account used to login to Jazz. You cannot use the history to see which user initiated the change to the ClearQuest record that caused the corresponding work item to be updated.
  • Because all synchronization operations use the same Jazz user account, regardless of who initiates the change, you cannot restrict access to certain users.

To avoid these limitations, you can configure synchronization rules so that changes are recorded in the context of the user who makes them. You must update each synchronization rule for the record type or record types involved.

Procedure

To edit a synchronization rule so that changes are recorded in the context of the user who makes them:

  1. Login to the IBM® Engineering Workflow Management (EWM) client.
  2. In the Team Artifacts view, right-click the repository connection and select Administer > Synchronization Rules. In the Synchronization Rules view, expand the project area and double-click the synchronization rule to open it in the Synchronization Rule editor.
  3. In the Property Mappings section, click Add. Leave the Item property field empty. In the External property field, select modifiedBy. Select External modifier. In the Value transformation section, leave No transformation selected. Click OK.
  4. Click Save to save your changes.

Results

After you configure the synchronization rule or rules as shown above, incoming synchronization behavior is as follows. The ClearQuest Synchronizer looks for a Jazz user account that maps to the ClearQuest user account of the user who initiates the change to the ClearQuest record. If a corresponding Jazz user account exists, the EWM item that maps to the ClearQuest record is updated or created in the context of that Jazz user. If no corresponding Jazz user account exists, the EWM item is updated or created in the context of the Jazz user account that you specify in the cqconnector.properties file.