Overview of Lifecycle Query Engine

You can use IBM® Lifecycle Query Engine (LQE) to index data from across lifecycle tools that support the tracked resource set (TRS) specification. Each lifecycle tool makes data available by contributing a tracked resource set (TRS) feed. Lifecycle Query Engine uses the TRS feed contributions to create and maintain an index of link-accessible resources from the TRS data sources that are defined the in LQE administration page. The index is synchronized periodically with each data source, ensuring that current data is available for use in lifecycle queries.
The following products implement the TRS specification and can be configured as data sources:
  • Rational® Team Concert
  • Rational Rhapsody® Design Manager
  • Rational DOORS®
  • Rational DOORS Next Generation
  • Rational Quality Manager
  • Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager
  • Rational Focal Point™
  • Rational Asset Manager

You can use Lifecycle Query Engine with either the default Apache Derby database or with an external database; what you choose depends on how you deploy LQE. For example, if you deploy a single LQE node, you can use either option. However, if you are deploying LQE across several nodes, you must use an external database. For information about the supported databases, see Setting up the database.

Lifecycle Query Engine is a Jazz™ application that is registered with a single Jazz Team Server. In a distributed environment, friend relationships can be set up across different servers, providing access to the application data.

How it works

Lifecycle tools make data available for indexing by using tracked resource sets (TRS); members of the TRS are retrievable resources with resource description framework (RDF) representations, called index resources. You can create and run SPARQL queries on the RDF dataset that aggregates the RDF graphs of the index resources. These queries include data from across the lifecycle tools; they also cross-tool links between the resources. The change log in the tracked resource set captures any changes that happen to index resources, and the changes are propagated to the lifecycle index, keeping it up to date.

Resources in a TRS can be protected resources. An LQE administrator can grant access to indexed resources based on the entire index, each data source that is indexed, or access contexts that are defined by the lifecycle tools.

For more information about the TRS specification, see Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration Tracked Resource Set Specification Version 2.0 .

Terminology used by LQE

Resource
A resource is an object that is described by RDF expressions. An RDF resource is identified by a URI.
For more information, see Composite Capabilities/Preference Profiles: Terminology and Abbreviations
Triple
An RDF triple contains three components; the Subject, the Predicate, and the Object.
For more information, see Resource Description Framework (RDF): Concepts and Abstract Syntax
Graph
An RDF graph is a set of RDF triples.
For more information, see Resource Description Framework (RDF): Concepts and Abstract Syntax
RDF vocabulary
An RDF vocabulary describes the meaningful use of properties and classes in RDF data.
For more information, see RDF Vocabulary Description Language 1.0: RDF Schema

URLs used by LQE

Home page
https://server:port/lqe/web
Administration page
https://server:port/lqe/admin
This is the page that is used to for all LQE administrative function.
Query page
https://server:port/lqe/query
Use this page to run SPARQL queries. Useful when troubleshooting unexpected query results in other products.
Root services document
https://server:port/lqe/scr
The Jazz Team Server has a standard way of describing a Jazz Application called a root services document. The root services document for LQE describes its services, authentication model, license, and functional user.

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