Base To Module Links

What it is and why it exists

In DOORS Next a link can be created between the base artifacts or in the context of a module. A link between base artifacts shows in every module that reuses those requirements. When a link is only true for one module, for example one product variant or one release, it belongs in that module's context: create the same link in the module, then delete the base link.

Done by hand, this takes long and is easy to get wrong. Base To Module Links converts the links of whole modules without losing a single link. It is the reverse of Module To Base Links.

Problems it solves

• Traceability that belongs to one module but shows in every other module that reuses the same requirements.
• Links created at base level by mistake, or by an import, that should have been module links.
• Manual conversion: finding the artifact of each end in the module, creating the new link and deleting the old one, for each link.
• The risk of losing links when the conversion is done in the wrong order.

Benefits

• Traceability per module: each module shows only the links that belong to it.
• No lost links: the module link is created first and the base link is deleted only after that succeeds.
• Choose what to convert: only the link types you select.
• Preview and Excel export of every base link before and after the conversion.
• Change report with the result of every link.

How to use

1. Open the module. Under Link types, click Change, tick the link types to convert and click Done.
2. Under Convert, choose Whole module or Selection (select artifacts in the module first) and click Find links. Nothing changes yet: the result shows how many artifacts were checked, how many have base links and how many links will be converted, and Base links lists them.
3. Click Convert now and confirm with Convert N links.
4. The result shows the links converted, the artifacts changed, the links already in the module and any failures, with Retry and the Log. The download icon at Base links saves every link and its result to Excel.

Good to know

• A converted base link disappears from every other module that uses these artifacts; work in a change set to review the result first.
• With Keep base link the module link is created and the original base link stays, so nothing is deleted.
• By default the other end of a link becomes its artifact in the same module when it is there; a setting keeps it as it was.
• Links that already exist in the module are recognized and not duplicated.
• Links to other ELM applications (test cases, work items) are never changed.
• On the whole module, Convert now also works without a search: it finds and converts the links in one pass, after the same confirmation.
• An artifact used several times in the module is listed and counted once.
• On very large modules you can Stop, reload the page and click Continue from … to go on from the next artifact.