Troubleshooting tips

Link constraints enforce most of the rules that the rich client enforces, but not all. If you install the MEC report widgets on your web client dashboard, you can see invalid link combinations that are not enforced by link constraints. You can fix the invalid link combinations before importing them in the rich client. Some examples of invalid link combinations that are displayed in the reports are as follows:

• A Guidance of subtype Template can have a refers link to a resource (for example, a Microsoft® Word template file). But, guidance of subtype Checklist cannot have a refers link to a resource.
• Domains can have only decomposition (parent to child) links to work products or other domains. Similarly, most of the category subtypes, except for Custom Category, are similarly restrictive in the rich client.

Invalid links are reported in the log file and then discarded during import in the rich client. The following link errors are not yet addressed by the reports, and are discarded by the rich client:

• Cyclical decomposition links For example, A has a decomposition of B, which has a decomposition of C, which has a decomposition of A.
• Artifact that is a child of multiple parent artifacts
• Variability links between elements of different subtypes

When you import ReqIF files in the rich client, a folder logs\import\ReqIF is created in your library that contains error and warning logs.

• For element: <element name> Cannot process the link <link information> as linkType <link name> is not valid. For example, For element : 'Software architect role', Cannot process the link 'Software architect role -> refer to -> Example Report' as linkType 'Role -> refer to -> Report' is not valid.. This error message means that a relationship has been used in the web client that is invalid according to the rich client rules.
• ReqIf does not contain any folders. Cannot process the ReqIf import. This error message will occur if the ReqIF file was exported from the web client without the folders option select. Re-export the ReqIF file with folders selected.
• Activities with section number 2 or higher is not supported in WBS structure. Activity <Activity Name> will be ignored. A WBS structure must have a single activity numbered as 1. All other activities and tasks must be children of that activity. This is because activity 1 is a placeholder for the rich text of the WBS.
• Tasks cannot have children in the WBS structure. The element <Task Name> and it's hierarchy will be ignored. The rich client Eclipse model doesn’t permit tasks to have children.
• The type <Artifact Type> and it's hierarchy is not supported in WBS structure. The element <Artifact Name> and its hierarchy will be ignored. Only Activity and Task types should be included in a WBS structure.
• For element : ArtifactName, Cannot process the link sourceArtifactName -> Depends On -> targetArtifactName as the linkType sourceArtifactType -> Depends On -> targetArtifactType can only be associated to same module artifact. Please provide a correct link for the element. The rich client Eclipse model doesn’t permit cross-module dependency links.
• For element : ArtifactName, Cannot process the link sourceArtifactName -> Extends -> targetArtifactName. A circular Extends is identified towards the extended element. Please correct the Extends relationship. Extends relationships must have a starting point. Circular extend relationships break that rule.
• Feature 'variabilityType' not found. This can result from module links being used instead of base artifact links for links types such as Task Primary Performing Role or Task Output Work Product.

• Type and subtypes changes. For example, you can change a work product to a role, or change an artifact to a deliverable in the web client. But when you merge them in an existing library where that element was previously imported, the type change is ignored, and the element is assumed to be whatever it is already set to in the rich client. To fix this issue, create a new element in the web client so that a different unique ID is used. After you import the element in the rich client, you have two elements with the same name, but of different types, and you can delete the old one.
• Additional or invalid variability links An element can have only one variability link to another element. If there is more than one variability, the rich client uses one of the links and ignores the other links.
• Check the rich client import log files or the web client dashboard widgets.