CAST

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Architecture Checker/QR
1.0.0-Alpha 2
CAST Product Management Team
How to create QR, Nov 2018

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 Content

• Introduction
• Installation
• How to use it to get results on the Engineering Dashboard
• Limitations

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 Introduction

• Version 1.0.0 is the first version of the Architecture Checker/QR

component and contains the minimal set of features
− The current state is Alpha 2
• It is proposed to a panel of internal users to collect feedback
Jérôme Chiampi (JCH)
Jira Project: ARCHICHECK
• Comments, questions, and suggestions will be used to prioritize next features
or to improve those that already exist

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 Installation

• For the moment, installing the 1.0.0-alpha version of Architecture Checker

component is done manually, as follows
1. Download the installation file from the AIP 8.3 Product Center page
2. Unzip the file in a folder
3. If it does not exist yet, then create a “8.4” folder in
C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Roaming\CAST\CAST
4. Copy the “cast-ms.connectionProfiles.pmx” file from the “8.3” folder
(the one you should have in your AppData\CAST\CAST folder on the
machine where AIP is installed) in that folder
• Architecture Checker component is now ready for use!

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 User can create a model to define a quality rule

• A new item has been added to File menu and to tool bar to
create a quality rule model
• When user clicks these items, the model is initialized with two
pre-defined sets
− Scope
− Violations

• These two sets cannot be removed or renamed

• Quality Rule models only support set of objects
− It is not possible to create layers and therefore dependencies
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 User can specify quality rule models

• User can define models for quality rules as he does for architecture
models
− Set
− Property block
− Member-Of/Excluded-From
− Caller/Caller
• But, result is the content of Violations set
− With regards to Scope set

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 User can document quality rule

• User can document models for quality

rules
− Description
− Rationale
− Remediation
−…
• This is done by using the Model Properties
dialog

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 User attaches the rule to a Technical Criterion

• If user wants to insert a quality rule into an

Assessment Model, he has to attach it to a
Technical Criterion
• To do that
− He must go in the Model Properties dialog
− Then select the Technical Criteria tab
− Then select the Technical Criterion to which the
rule will be attached
• User can adjust the weight (default = 1) and decide if
the rule is critical or not (default)

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 User can set the technologies covered by the rule

• User can select the technologies for which the rule

will be executed
− He must go in the Model Properties dialog
− Then select the Technologies tab
− Then select the technologies addressed by the
rule
• Specifying the technologies prevents applying the
rule if there is no object for these technologies
− This will optimize the snapshot computation
• By default, the rule is always executed

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 User can adjust the grade thresholds

• User can specify which grade thresholds must be

used to compute the snapshot
• This is done via the Model Properties dialog, in tab
Grade Thresholds
• Default values are set to ascending 90.0, 95.0,
99.0, 100.0 but user can set his own thresholds
− Values must be set in ascending order and
between 0 and 100

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 User can check the rule against an application

• The user can apply the rule he is working on against applications (that
have been analyzed) along the design process
− As usual at least “Prepare Snapshot” operation has been performed

• Scope contains the population to be

checked
• Violations contains the “faulty”
elements in the population

The QR model example is about searching applicative

COBOL programs that bypass the technical layer and
access database directly

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 User can export a rule into an extension package

• User can export his model as a quality rule packaged as an extension

• To be exported, a rule must
− Have an ID (> 2.000.000)
− Be attached to a Technical Criterion
− Have selection criteria for both Scope and Violations sets
− Have been saved
• Exporting the rule is done by using the Menu item File>Export or the 'Export’
icon in the toolbar
• In the dialog that appears, user has to set up
− The name of the extension
− The version of the extension
− The folder where the extension package is to be generated
• A File Explorer window appears, positioned on the folder where the extension
package has been generated

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 User can import a rule into an Assessment Model

• A package extension is generated within 2 folders

− com.castsoftware.archichecker.qrs
o Contains all the files required to package the extension
o This folder must be copied in the CAST extensions folder
o Generated quality rules require the CAST extension
com.castsoftware.xset to be available
− Batch
o Contains the command file allowing to install the extension in an
Assessment Model

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 User can import a rule into an Assessment Model

• Installing the quality rule

− Target AIP installation directory and CSS port are variables that must
be updated in the command file
− During the installation the script will request
o The AIP schema prefix containing the target Assessment Model
o The version of the extension to activate
o The port associated to the version of CSS
o The name of the machine that hosts the DB
− The script will install the extension
o That operation can take time
o Do not hesitate to check logs

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 User can import a rule into an Assessment Model

• Once the extension has been installed

− Check the Assessment Model in the target schema
o The rule should be visible with its ID, documentation, weight, …

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 User can compute a snapshot with his rule

• Once the rule is ready to be used, then compute a snapshot

• Results can be seen in the Engineering Dashboard

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 Limitations

• Limitations of the current version of Architecture Checker/QR are

− Only one rule can be currently packaged in the same extension
− Installing an extension is currently a manual operation
o The batch script must be updated and run manually
− Generated rules do not currently manage bookmarks except those related
to objects in violation themselves

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