Rational® Asset Manager is designed around
the fundamental scenario for finding assets in order to reuse them
to solve specific business problems. Configuring the repository structure
is a critical activity that repository administrators perform. The
repository structural elements are communities, asset types, and category
schemas. The schemas define the most visible logical structure for
users when they search the repository for the assets.
Communities are a group of assets that have
a defined set of users or user groups, review processes, and discussions.
There can be many communities in the repository, each serving different
purposes. A community is much larger than a simple group of users
with a common goal or project. One of the best practices presented
in this tutorial discusses how to use the sample Repository Configuration
community to group assets. This community defines the policies and
procedures for how your organization intends to use the Rational Asset
Manager repository.
Asset types are templates for
assets in the repository. You can define the following elements for
each type:
- General descriptors: name and description.
- Artifact constraints: asset types can be further defined by the
types of artifact that they contain.
- Category constraints: asset types can be further classified by
all or by specific category schemas in the repository.
- Relationship constraints: specific relationships to other asset
types. This helps users evaluate the intended context of the asset.
- Attribute constraints: specific attributes for a user to define
as the asset is submitted. The required information ensures that people
who want to reuse the asset have the information that they need.
When users submit assets, they must choose an asset type that
best fits the type of asset they are submitting. Each asset type in
the repository is unique. For example, to introduce asset types, consider
the differences between three fairly common asset types: Meeting Minutes,
Business Process, and Test. These asset types have distinct differences
that define how they are used, who uses them, and how they might be
reused in the repository.
- Meeting Minutes
- Can be used in any category and might not require a complex definition
with defined relationships or attribute constraints.
- Business Process
- Can be constrained in specific categories, as different departments
in your organization have different processes that must be followed.
- Test case
- Can be constrained by relationships to require that an asset type
of "Implementation" be defined. This gives the test asset types a
direct link to the implementation that is being tested. Test types
can also be defined in different categories, creating an intuitive
mapping between different tests created in different parts of the
organization. Making these tests available in different categories
increases their accessibility and increases the likelihood of reuse
in different departments or business contexts.
For more on asset types, see Asset types.
Category schemas are
a form of communication for asset users. Creating strong and meaningful
category schemas that will represent users' perspectives before
the repository is put into production is essential. With usable and
intuitive category schemas, users can successfully search and find
assets to reuse.
For more on categories, see Category schemas.
Learning objectives
In this tutorial,
you will learn how to perform the following tasks:
- How to use the terminology and understand the user-centered concepts
behind categorization.
- How to apply best practices and sample data to create communities
and asset types for your repository.
- How to modify the sample communities and asset types for use in
your repository.
- How to create a category schema.
- How to manage your category schema for change.
Time required
This tutorial should take
approximately 50 minutes to finish. If you explore other concepts
that are related to this tutorial, it might take longer to complete.
Skill level
Advanced
Audience
Repository Administrators