Allow inactive IBPL entries to be chosen in a Query

khoppe · ‎Apr 27, 2017

Today it is not possible to limit entries to show in an IBPL Field without getting the trouble, that only active entries
(entries not filtered out from the limitation) can be used for creating a Query, Chart, Report, ...

For this problem exist an SPR with following details.

If PTC Program Management won't change their plan, this limitation will be solved maybe in ILM 11.3.

I like to ask you to vote for this idea to show that this is problem for several Integrity customer.

Thank you.

Regards,

Klaus

SPR Details - 5347004

SPR	5347004
Status	Open
Severity	Medium
Created Date	15-JAN-2016
Description	No straight forward way of reading multivalued IBPL data and setting it via trigger beans
Affected Platform	Not Available

Affected Products

Resolution Status
Reported Product	Integrity Lifecycle Manager
Module	/Administration/Triggers
Reported Release	/Integrity/10.8 - Pink
Reported Datecode
Release	Status	Datecode
Integrity Lifecycle Manager	Evaluating	-

VolkerEckardt · ‎May 04, 2017

Hello Klaus,

I am not sure if I have understood your request completely.

Can you explain please a litte bit more your use case, and what the issue is?

What is the relationship between IBPL Field and Query, Chart, report?

Thanks

Volker

khoppe · ‎May 05, 2017

Definition of an IBPL field with limitation of entries onto certain states of Source Type (for eg. exclude State == Closed)
From Source Type I now have Item1 with entry "open" (state == Working) and Item2 with entry "byebye" (state == Closed)
Within IBPL Field I can choose only "open" ==> correct
Creating a Query using IBPL Field I also can only choose "open" ==> Problem

Imagine that IBPL field is defined as "Desired Release", and this field will be used in CR's, Task's, etc.

If user now AFTER Delivery of that Release (Desired Release == "byebye") tries to create a Report to list all activities, efforts etc. for that Release,

he is not able to choose the required value "byebye" within a Query, cause this can't be done for an inactive IBPL entry.

VolkerEckardt · ‎May 05, 2017

Do I understand it correctly that you want 2 different behaviours in one single IBPL?

This is tricky and not supported.

If you prevent from displaying closed items, they can not appear in another view (query), thats a matter of fact.

I am not sure if this can anyhow be implemented.

Are there other products at the marked capable to do this in one single field? If yes, how?

khoppe · ‎May 08, 2017

No, I only like to have ONE behaviour:

Whereas for an IBPL field definition of inactive entries shall be possible, in queries and other views it shall be possible to use them.

My Use Case regarding a Release field makes obvious that actual implementation is a big limitation for Integrity Customer.

I can't control a field for planned (desired) Releases by limiting only to active entries without removing to our user the possibility for queries

later than deliveries (== inactive entries).

By the way: This has already been accepted as High Severe SPR (5342607) in August 2008.

SPR Details - 5342607

SPR	5342607
Status	Open
Severity	High
Created Date	05-AUG-2008
Description	User cannot query (and chart/report) on inactive IBPL entries
Affected Platform	Not Available

Affected Products

Resolution Status
Reported Product	Integrity Lifecycle Manager
Module	/Workflows/Queries
Reported Release	/Integrity/MKS 2007 -- Chrome/SP2
Reported Datecode
Release	Status	Datecode
Integrity Lifecycle Manager	Evaluating	-

And ONLY 4 years later there has been created an article about that ...

Document CS85932

VolkerEckardt · ‎May 08, 2017

Just a quick Idea to get this implemented as you like:

Create another IBPL Field, without any state limitation. Then, have a trigger which copies the selected entries from the limited IBPL always also into the second IBPL without any limitation.

The second field will and can be used for charting and reporting.

The trigger should not be that long to write (in length and in time

What do you think about this?

Volker

khoppe · ‎May 09, 2017

As Workaround we tried to copy the IBPL Value into another (=> shorttext) field.

Problem: the IBPL-Field is defined to show values as link. Thus we don't get the value within the trigger script, but the item id of the linked item.

Thus it is nothing that can be used for copy into such a field.

Tried the same with a second IBPL Field, using a script used in other circumstances (copy filed content into another field): does not work, too.

Main problem here seems also be the option "Display as Link"

VolkerEckardt · ‎May 09, 2017

I am sure that this topic can be solved with a trigger. Its just a matter of the right code in it.

If you get the IDs already, you can for sure turn them into a Summary (with some more code lines)

I still belive this approach is something which could provide an excellent workaround for you.

Volker

khoppe · ‎May 09, 2017

No matter that this can be a solution for me.

Nevertheless it is no good approach to force each customer to create such a workaround solution, when nearly 10 years ago there has been opened an SPR about, what looks alike there is trouble with that since a longer time.

Second: wheel needs to be invented by each user having trouble with that.

Third: as more trigger exist, as more thinigs are to check for each upgrade.

From my perspective it should be realized within the tool itself.

Regards,

PratikJain · ‎Sep 13, 2018

Do we have any solution now?

I have a similar problem. I dont want to show some old products in a newly created type. I was able to hide old product using filters. But the type create more type as it move down the process. So error is coming when a new type is created (like invalid values). Plus in the queries I am unable to see filtered items. Althogh I have kept the item as Active.

awalsh · ‎Sep 17, 2018

@PratikJain No, we still don't have a solution.

The SPR referenced in the description (5347004) has been closed with No Plans to Implement.

The real request - allowing querying on values in an IBPL field that are no longer valid - has not been done.

I would very much like to see this myself, as we use IBPLs in our internal Integrity implementation, and as a TSE I often want to search previous (i.e. no longer active in development) releases.

ETA: I noticed that my existing queries with the old IBPL values still worked. I tried CLI, and you can set a not currently valid IBPL value using im createquery or im editquery. The problem with this workaround is that you cannot edit the query in the GUI or Web or the value will be cleared.

For example, I can no longer see 11.2 CPS02 as an active release, but I want to search to all SPRs fixed in that release. So I created a file called querydef.txt with the following text:

((field["Type"] = "SPR") and (field["Product"] = "Integrity Lifecycle Manager") and (field["Fixed in Release"] = "Integrity Lifecycle Manager 11.2 F000 CPS02"))

And then ran the command:

im createquery --querydefinitionFile=queryDef.txt --name="11.2 CPS SPRs"

Note: I'm testing with 11.1, no CPS installed.

KartikOak · ‎May 11, 2022

Correcting the Idea status based on the input provided back in 2018. Some states may have slipped post-migration.

Thanks

Kartik