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Jama Video Tutorial

Please see below for two video introductions to using the SOX-Jama Interface. The second video includes English language commentary.

SOX-Jama Connection Setup

You will receive from EnCo a “properties” file which can be edited in order to configure your server. The properties file supplements the read-only configuration file, supplied as a compressed archive, that also needs to be deployed on your server. In the current configuration, user credentials are “hard-saved” server-side, although this may be subject to change in future releases. I.e., the properties file allows the customer to nominate one Jama user, with his associated password, who will then have access to the external (Jama) repository. This user is not required to be a physical person; it could be an entity generically named “SOX Synchronization” or suchlike, with the implication that this entity may subsume multiple, and varying, users of the SOX rich client. As such, the credentials used authenticate a systemic identity, rather than a personal one.

It will also be possible to edit as required details like the Jama server’s port number (its IP address seems unlikely to change). This setup will enable the SOX server to connect to the Jama server.

Configure Synchronization

Initiate the process by right-clicking your project. Select Configure Synchronization:
Right-click on the single entry and select New Child. The choices shown result from actual queries of the Jama installation. Our example uses the Jama project “English”.
Next, query the Shapes (artifact types) in your Jama project in order to create new Default Shape Definitions. This is done by right-clicking on your project, our example being project “English” once again.
From the dialog, select All Instance Shapes, then click OK. - Outcome: SOX will initiate a server-side query (in technical terms, the SOX server will query the Jama server). The SOX client will then display the results, i.e., the complete set of Instance Shapes (artifact types) found in Jama. SOX can now work on any property structure defined for a given artifact type. Expressed differently, the data structure definition established Jama-side will now be available for working on with the SOX interface.
You can now open the drill-down list to review any field/property definition.
For example, it is possible to examine and, where appropriate, change a given Field Type.
Next, there exists an option to create a new Group Definition, corresponding to a Jama module (i.e., a logical, hierarchical container for requirements). In the SOX context, a Group references a ReqIF document. This setup achieves synchronization of a SOX specification document with a Jama module. Select your Document Path, as well as the Query Executor “Module”. The Query String needs to match the module identifier (number) used in Jama, in the example scenario, “385”.
Lastly, you will need to create default Item Definitions. To accomplish this, right-click the Jama Group Definition (corresponding to a Jama Module) and select New Child - Default Item Definitions. - Outcome: SOX will query the specified Jama module in order to determine which artifact types are present in the relevant requirements subset. These will be displayed accordingly.
Further properties can then be modified as required.

This activity completes the configuration process.

Use good judgment to decide which changes to your field types are appropriate in a specific context. Some changes, although technically possible, may yield unexpected results or errors. Most defaults are adequate and should, hence, not be modified.

Synchronizing Your Project

It is now possible to initiate the synchronization process. To do so, right-click your SOX project.

Outcome: The Synchronization dialog will open. Click OK to start the process.

If, for example, you intend to export back changes to a manifest change set, you will need to supply the set’s URI here. The Global Configuration Context will be used by default if nothing is specified here.

Outcome: If there were no errors, SOX will report success, and the Module requirements will have been loaded from Jama. A new document (a ReqIF specification) will have been created and will be available for editing and backwards synchronization. The initial structure will be identical to the one synchronized with Jama-side.

Double-clicking the root node will open the ReqIF editor:

When synchronizing backwards any changes/additions to your data, you will be prompted for the target change set.

Configuration Management Enabled Projects

This feature introduces a new type of project based on configurable components. Each configuration of each component is able to figure as an external project within the overall configuration. The general logic of interacting with the Jama interface remains the same.