About the base ClearCase integration with Rational ClearQuest

The base ClearCase schema and Rational ClearQuest user databases

With Rational ClearQuest, data is stored in schema repositories and user databases. A schema defines the types of records in the user database and other attributes of the user database. All Rational ClearQuest schemas are stored in a schema repository. The Rational ClearQuest user database stores your change request data.

The base ClearCase schema package provides additional information in your Rational ClearQuest records to track associations with Rational ClearCase versioned objects. To support associations between base ClearCase versions and Rational ClearQuest record types, the schema repository needs to have this schema package applied to selected record types. Then the target Rational ClearQuest user database must be updated to add the new fields provided by the package.

Your Rational ClearQuest user database may include different record types for different purposes. The record type used by the SAMPL Rational ClearQuest user database supplied with the base ClearCase integration with Rational ClearQuest is called a defect, but with the base ClearCase schema package installed, any change request record type can be used.

Rational ClearCase triggers and change requests

The base ClearCase integration with Rational ClearQuest consists of Rational ClearCase triggers that fire when you check out an element, cancel a checkout, or check in an element. Your Rational ClearCase administrator installs the integration triggers into each target VOB. The integration associates one or more change requests with one or more versions stored in one of the target VOBs.

• A single change request may be associated with more than one version. The set of versions that implement the requested change is called the change set for that request.
• A single version may be associated with more than one change request. These change requests are called the request set for that version.

Uses of the base ClearCase integration with Rational ClearQuest

The base ClearCase integration with Rational ClearQuest provides either of the following interfaces:

• A window interface for users of the Rational ClearCase graphic user interfaces (GUIs), such as the File Browser of Rational ClearCase (on UNIX® systems) and Rational ClearCase Explorer or Windows® Explorer (on Windows systems)
• A text-based user interface for users of the cleartool command-line interface

The base ClearCase integration with Rational ClearQuest has triggers on checkin, checkout, and cancel checkout operations. Working on versions, you can do the following:

• Associate a version with one or more change requests when you check out or check in elements.
• List the request sets that are associated with a project over a period of time, list the change requests associated with a specific version, and see the related hyperlinks.

Using the Rational ClearQuest user database, you can perform the following actions:

• View the change set for a change request.
• See the elements that fix a specific problem.

Rational ClearCase administrators can perform the following actions:

• Install the related triggers in a VOB and set a policy for each VOB.
• Specify that you receive a prompt when checking out a version, checking in a version, or both.
• Specify that prompting occurs only for some VOBs, branch types, or element types. Associations of checked-in versions with change requests can be either optional or required.

A Rational ClearCase administrator adds the base ClearCase schema package to a schema and applies the change to one or more change request record types. The policy that the administrator sets for one or more VOBs specifies the conditions under which you are prompted to associate versions with change requests.