IBM Rational DOORS version 9.2 readme

IBM Rational Dashboard version 4.0.0.1 readme

IBM Corporation
03 November, 2009

 

 

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2004, 2009
U.S. Government Users Restricted Rights - Use, duplication, or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp.

This file contains last-minute product information and updates to IBM® Rational® Dashboard 4.0

It is divided into the following sections:

For the latest news and information on Rational Dashboard, visit the Rational Software Support site.

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System requirements

To run IBM Rational Dashboard 4.0 you need:

  • One of the following operating systems installed on your computer:
    • Windows XP Professional SP2
    • Windows Vista
    • Windows Server 2003
  • The minimum system requirements for Dashboard Collector are:
    • AMD/Intel 3GHz processor
    • 1Gb RAM
    • 100Mb free disk space
    • All operating systems listed above are supported
    • IBM Rational DOORS and/or IBM Rational Synergy clients must be available on the machine where the Dashboard Collector is installed
  • The minimum system requirements for Dashboard Portal and Dashboard Web Services are:
    • Intel dual-core processor
    • 4Gb RAM
    • 500Mb free disk space
    • Windows XP Professional and Windows Vista are suitable for test and demonstration purposes only
    • Windows Server 2003 is required for production purposes
    • Microsoft SQL Server 2005/2008 or 2005/2008 Express including client tools (Express editions are not suitable for production use)
    • Internet Information Server (IIS) version 5, 6 or 7
    • IIS and SQL Server must be installed prior to the Dashboard Portal and Web services
  • Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 is required for all Dashboard components
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later is the supported web browser

For additional information about system requirements, including recommended configurations, see the Support Web Site.

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Operating system locales supported by Rational Dashboard 4.0

IBM Rational Dashboard supports Australian, European, North American and South American culture and language settings. Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese locales are supported with DOORS 8.1 Patch 1 or later, IBM Rational Change 4.6.1 or later and IBM Rational Synergy 6.4a Patch 1 or later

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Compatible products

  • IBM Rational Change 4.6.1, 4.7, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2
  • IBM Rational Synergy 6.4 SP1 , 6.4a Patch 1, 6.5 SP1.1, 6.5a, 7.0, 7.1
  • IBM Rational DOORS 8.0, 8.1 (Patch 1 required for non-ASCII characters), 8.2, 8.3, 9.0, 9.1, 9.2
  • IBM Rational DOORS - IBM Rational Change integration 5.0.1, 5.3.1, 5.6, 5.7
  • IBM Rational DOORS - IBM Rational Tau integration 3.0, 3.1.1, 4.2, 4.3
  • IBM Rational DOORS - IBM Rational System Architect integration 2.4, 11.2, 11.3
  • IBM Rational DOORS/Analyst 3.0.0.1, 3.1.1, 4.2, 4.3
  • IBM Rational Directory Server (Tivoli) 4.3, 5.0

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Installing Rational Dashboard 4.0

You must install Microsoft SQL 2005/2008 Client Tools (on the same machine where you want to run the Dashboard installer) before the Dashboard Installer is run. The Installer and Database Configuration Utility require these components to create, update and populate the Dashboard databases. For information about installing Rational Dashboard 4.0, see the Rational Dashboard Installation Guide. This is available in PDF format on the Rational Solutions for Enterprise Lifecycle Management DVD, and on the Support Web site.

Installation on a Korean OS:

  • Installation on a Korean OS requires the updated Dashboard Portal Installer (4.0.0.1)
  • Instead of installing the Dashboard Portal via the setup.html file (p14 in the Installation Guide) the replacement file InstallPortalTLD_v4001.msi should be used directly
  • Execute the file InstallPortalTLD_v4001.msi to start the Dashboard Portal installer and proceed with the installation from p16 in the Installation Guide

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Obtaining a license for Rational Dashboard

If this is your first installation of Rational Dashboard, you need to obtain a node-locked license from IBM. This License includes details of the maximum number of each type of licensed users in the Portal and the licensed interfaces. Node-locked licenses do not require a License Server and must be placed on the Dashboard Portal server. Floating licenses are not supported.

License setup is described in the Installation Guide.

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What's new in version 4.0

Utility to Exchange Information Needs and Interfaces A new Exchange Utility is provided which allows information needs, interfaces, attributes, and servers to be moved from one Dashboard site to another. This Utility exports selected objects into a Zip file, which can be transferred to another system and then imported with this Utility to create the same objects on another system. The Exchange Utility provides capability to handle naming conflicts (i.e. the name is already in use) as well as to transfer any references from the selected objects (such as schedules, servers or dimensions).

Synchronize Information Need Definition between Library and Units A new Synchronize functionality has been added to the Information Need (in the Library) and the Unit. This allows changes to an Information Need definition in the Library to be selectively applied to an Information Need in a Unit. This capability can be accessed from within the Library, to “push” changes into selected Units. It can also be accessed within a Unit, to “pull” changes from the Library into the current Unit.

Add Notes to the Graph The ability to add free-format notes to each graph is now available through a new button located to the right of each graph in the Unit. The graph note uses the same WYSIWYG/HTML editor that is used for the Unit note. Notes are also exported to PowerPoint.

Portal Session Timeout Page The Portal displays a session timeout page when the user’s web session has timed out. The session timeout page is displayed upon the next Portal access after the session timeout has been reached. This page displays the current timeout setting (in minutes) and provides a link which returns to the Status page. The session timeout is controlled by a setting in Internet Information Services (IIS).

Automatic Placeholder Item in Unit When assigning an information need and interface to a Unit, a placeholder item is created allowing the dashboard and graphs to be viewed in the unit. Previously, dashboards and graphs were not visible until after an Item was assigned. This change allows the dashboards and graphs to be visible once the (information need, interface) pair is assigned.

Options When Assigning an Item In the Assign sub-tab of the Status page, there is a new "Assign To Existing" button that allows an item to be assigned to a placeholder. The previous "Assign" has been renamed "Assign as New".

Filtering and Scrolling to Grids in Library Tab The information need, dimension and unit templates grids now contain a filter control that allows the contents to be filtered by state. This is useful to set new information needs, for example, to draft, so that they appear in a short list of information needs. Also, the grids now contain a vertical scroll bar to allow navigating (these are no longer paged).

Utility to Coordinate External Users with a Dashboard Account List There is a new UserSync utility that allows a list of external users, such as from Active Directory or LDAP, to be synchronized with the Dashboard account list. This utility allows you to specify a type of license to assign to each group. A UserSync Utility User Guide is available in the Portal online help.

Two New Data Types Available in Interfaces (UniqueId/GUID and Text 250) Two new data types have been added to field definition in the Interface page: a unique identifier (which is a Microsoft GUID type) and a nvarchar 250. These can now be selected as a table field type for a field in an interface field set.

Define Multiple Worksheets for Excel Interfaces The Interface definition of an Excel interface type (in the Portal) now includes the ability to select the worksheet name, cell range and a stop-on-blank option, so that multiple worksheets can be collected from one Excel file. This capability is provided in the Portal, on the Interface definition page when defining a field set.

Support for Microsoft Project Desktop 2003 (MPP files) A new interface type has been added for collecting from Microsoft Project Desktop 2003 files (i.e. mpp files). This interface requires that Microsoft Project 2003 Desktop be installed on the same computer as the Collector in order to collect from MPP files.

Collector Does Not Process Blank Rows in Excel Files The Collector no longer processes rows in Excel where all the values are blank or empty.

Database Configuration Utility Supports Customer Connect Strings The Database Configuration Utility has been modified to allow the two connection strings to be tailored. These connection strings are required for creating the databases and then configuring them. This option is useful when the current domain or machine account does not have the adequate permissions to create or install databases. Instructions for using this feature are contained in the Installation Guide.

New Risk Matrix and Tailor-able Grid Viewers The Portal can display a three-by-three risk matrix (impact by probability) with color coded backgrounds. The risk matrix uses a tailor-able HTML template which allows modification of all HTML aspects of the risk matrix. The risk matrix is the one of two built-in examples of the new snapshot viewer capability, which allows custom formatting of measurement data.

Attributes Are Assignable to Both Units and Graphs The Attribute capability has been expanded to allow attributes to be assigned to a graph within a unit. Previously, these could only be assigned at the unit level. Now, each graph can have one attribute and value assigned which can then be used in a query to allow logic based on the business needs at the graph level.

Series Data Can Be Selected from Any Unit The equation editor now allows administrators to select a series from any unit in the Dashboard repository, allowing aggregation or multi-project data analysis. In previous releases, series data could only be selected from within the same unit.

Saved Queries In Database Utilities Panel On Admin Page Administrators may now load and save SQL queries on the Database Utilities panel of the Administration tab. This allows administrators to save frequently-used queries, then load and run them when needed. Any number of queries can be created. All queries are stored in the Portal database.

Administrators Can Switch Users Administrators can now select another login account to switch to in order to support user administration and support. When an administrator switches to another account, the tabs and list of projects change to reflect the access of the “switched” user. The administrator can return to their login account at any time.

Common Series Have Been Removed Common series have been removed. The user can now directly assign a series in the library to a query in an interface, simplifying the integration process. Data integration is simplified by eliminating one step (i.e. maintaining common series) from the configuration procedure. The installation of version 4.0.0 will convert all current common series connections into the new format.

 

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Known problems

  • Dashboard Components cannot be un-installed by re-running the installer (setup.exe). You should remove components using the "Add/Remove Programs" application in the Control Panel
  • Upon uninstall of the Collector application, the Collector folder is not removed. The collector folder may be removed using Windows Explorer.
  • Upon uninstall of the Dashboard Portal, the Portal folder is not removed. This folder may be removed using Windows Explorer.
  • The Portal, Collector and Web Services are installed for the current user only. The shortcuts inserted onto the "Start" menu during install will only be visible to the user that performed the installation
  • The Collector interface supports only Microsoft Office Access versions with MDB files in Office 2000 and Office XP/2003 format. Microsoft Office 2007 format is not yet supported.
  • In addition to the options provided in the source settings the Dashboard collector uses the environment variable CCM_HOME to locate the IBM Rational Synergy client to be used for collection. To collect from multiple Synergy sources using different clients on the same machine it is necessary to change the environment variable before running the collector. This can be automated using a batch file with the command line collector and setting the environment variable CCM_HOME as necessary before each collection.
  • The License Setup utility may appear to freeze for a long time if there are unreachable/invalid license servers in the license search path on the machine where the utility is running. However, the utility should eventually complete successfully. The workaround for this problem is to remove unreachable/invalid license server entries in the IBM RATIONAL_LICENSE_FILE environment variable and registry entry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\FLEXlm License Manager\IBM RATIONAL_LICENSE_FILE
  • On the status tab, the hyperlink icon allows each unit to have a unique URL. If this hyperlink is set to open a new window, under some circumstances, the font used in the status page becomes larger after the hyperlink icon is pressed. The font is displayed in the correct size after the next selection from the tree.
  • In the collection report on the report tab, the time of the collection run is shown incorrectly
  • Equation values less than 1 must be preceded by a zero (e.g. 0.5)
  • When equations are configured in the Library, the series verify function will not be able to verify the series and will display an error message of "Series not found." Once the information need is assigned to a Unit, the equation will verify correctly.
  • The Synergy client utilized by the Collector needs appropriate permissions to load the library “hlquery.a”. In most installations no additional configuration is necessary. Refer to the Synergy CLI documentation if problems are encountered loading this library.
  • The windows\temp directory needs to have Read, Write, and List folder contents allowed for the Network Service or IIS_WPG accounts in order for the Crystal Reports to function as the Crystal Reports engine uses the windows\temp directory to create the reports that are displayed in Dashboard
  •  As Dashboard 4.0 is installed to a different default path it may be necessary to clean up the IIS configuration when upgrading from Dashboard 3.6. Please refer to the Installation Guide for further information

Fixed problems

Issues resolved since Dashboard version 3.5:

·         Unit properties are cleared when unit is moved using up and down arrows.

·         Query builder inserts WHERE clause multiple times.

·         Online help does not include information on list file.

·         Enumerated list %A() cannot be used in query.

·         Series with multi-series query is not displayed in graph data page.

·         Cannot create a text series for a graph.

·         Cannot add a plan line to a graph if it contains a multi-series query.

·         Graph delete command is not disabled when user does not have edit permission.

·         Cannot always save title of interface when title is changed.

·         Installer requires SQL components to be installed. This prerequisite has been removed.

·         Portal UI de-selects the collector and source after an item is assigned.

·         Added logging to the Collector and web services to provide more information for the “arithmetic overflow” error

·         Multi-series query page no longer disables save button for complex queries.

·         Synchronize now synchronizes graph format and status series for the information need.

·         Multi-series query page has been simplified.

·         The Collector dropdown list on the assign sub-tab displays the correct list of collectors when entering the page for the first time.

·         Updated Unit.ppt file to process HTML notes and snapshot grid data.

·         Graph series hold formatting when user modifies the plan series in the Planning Wizard.

·         Manual plan data is saved when entered in the Planning Wizard.

·         Unit Schedule start and end dates are now applied to the graph.

·         Enlarged the drop-down list boxes for the Actual, Plan and Status fields in the Information Need.

·         Header titles on the Synchronization grid on the Information Need Definition page are corrected.

·         License description in drop-down list used to switch users now displays correct license type.

·         Source name now required for a source added in the collector.

·         Attribute value in unit now save during the initial edit after creation.

·         Enlarged drop-down for user list in Report Group Security.

·         In the different unit views, Actual, Target and Variance display “—“ when no value is available.

·         Non-US characters can now be entered and saved in the Portal.

·         Updated the Expired/Timeout page to remove overlapping text.

·         Item Types are no longer editable in the Exchanger.

·         Unit Refresh uses a web page callback to break the refresh process into groups of graphs to prevent page timeouts.

·         An intermittent issue affecting Unit and Information Need statuses update after collection runs has been corrected.

·         Option to synchronize the graph schedule is disabled when a unit is in basic schedule mode.

·         Equation editor now accepts carriage returns, which allows long equations to be formatted for viewing.

·         Incompatibility with export to Excel for Snapshot Grids has been corrected.

·         Buttons in Exchanger changed to ‘Close’ from ‘Cancel’.

·         Unit Start and End dates assigned during Unit creation are displayed correctly in Unit Properties page

 

Issues resolved since Dashboard version 4.0:

·         APAR PK99359 - Installation fails on Korean OS  - Error 1324. The folder path 'Fr-Unit?ppt' contains an invalid character

 

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Contacting Support

Please visit our Telelogic support overview site at: http://www.ibm.com/software/rational/support/telelogic/.

You will find a one-sheet reference guide about how to best contact support in your geography.

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