Versions and variants
A version is a form of a product that is different in some
way from other forms. A variant is a variation of a product. Both
versions and variants are ways of configuring a product. In Rational® Engineering Lifecycle
Manager, variants are called branches.
Creating a variation to branch a product
A branch is a variation of a product. For example,
a product that is called SuperCar is branched
to create SuperCar (shared:Model=ClassicCar),
branched again from SuperCar to create Car
(shared:Model=ElectricCar), and branched again from SuperCar to
create SuperCar (shared:Model=PlugInCar).
Replacing a branch
A branch is a variation of a product. Replace
a product branch to use a variation. For example, as costs decrease,
a team might replace Sound System (shared:model=base) with Sound
System (shared:model=premium) that was previously available
on luxury branches only.
Importing files from other tools as products
In version 4.0.6 and later, you can
use the Products page to import files from other
tools into Rational Engineering
Lifecycle Manager as child products.
Manipulating products
Products are flexible artifacts. You can mark
often-used products as favorites and then filter the products you
see in the Products page to show your favorites
only. You can reuse products as child products in multiple products
or in the same product. You can move a product and include it as a
child product in a different product. You can rename a product, and
the new name is propagated to wherever the product was reused. If
you no longer need a product, you can remove it.
Viewing audit history
The Audit History page
is a visual list of past events performed on a specified product.
The page shows both versions and branches, if both exist. The history
shown is metadata: the user who changed the product, what and when
changes were made, and the name of added, imported, and removed products.