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Chapter 1 Getting StartedTo disconnect from and reconnect to a Synchronizer server:1 Select Connection Disconnect, or click the Disconnect button. TheConnect to Synchronizer Server dialog box opens.2 Click the Disconnect button. The Server name, User Name, and Passwordboxes become editable.3 Enter the logon credentials as described in step 2 in "Starting theSynchronizer Client" on page 13.4 Click the Connect button. The Synchronizer connects to the server youspecified and the Synchronizer client opens.15

Chapter 1 Getting StartedThe Synchronizer Client WindowThe Synchronizer client enables you to manage the synchronization linksstored in the Synchronizer database. For more information on starting theSynchronizer client, see "Starting the Synchronizer Client" on page 13.The Synchronizer client window contains the following key elements:16 Synchronizer menu bar. Contains drop-down menus of the Synchronizercommands. Synchronizer toolbar. Contains buttons of commands commonly usedwhen managing synchronization links. Links list. Contains a list of the synchronization links available on theSynchronizer server. Located on the left of the Synchronizer clientwindow. Link Details pane. Contains information about your synchronizationlinks. Located on the upper right of the Synchronizer client window. Execution pane. Contains information about link task execution. Locatedon the bottom right of the Synchronizer client window.

Chapter 1 Getting StartedManaging UsersThe Synchronizer administrator can manage other users. As Synchronizeradministrator, you can add and delete users, reset a user password, andspecify which links are displayed to each user.When you define visible links for users, consider the following: If a link is visible to a user, the user has full privileges and can run, edit,and delete the link. By default, all links are visible to the admin user. When you create a new user, no links are visible to the user by default.You can assign existing links to the user. When a user creates a new link, the link is visible to the user and to theadmin user by default.To manage users:1 Connect to the Synchronizer server using the admin user.2 Select Tools User Management. The User Management dialog boxopens.17

Chapter 1 Getting Started3 To add a new user, click the Add User button.In the User Name box, type a name for the user, with a maximum lengthof 60 characters. The user name cannot include the following characters: () @ \ / : * ? " ; , %. It is also recommended to create user namesaccording to ALM user names.Click OK. The user name is added to the Users list.4 To specify which links are visible to a user, select the user in the Users list.Select one or more links and click the arrow buttons ( and ) to movethe links between the Available Links and Visible Links. Available Linkslists all links that exist on the Synchronizer server. Visible Links list thelinks that are displayed when the selected user is logged in.5 To reset a user’s password, select the user in the Users list and click ResetPassword. Click Yes to confirm. The selected user’s password is reset tothe default blank password. The user should change the default blankpassword on the next login.6 To delete a user, select a user in the Users list and click the Delete Userbutton.Click OK to confirm. The user is deleted from the Users list.18

2Synchronizing at a GlanceThis chapter provides an overview of synchronizing data and describes theHP ALM Synchronizer infrastructure.This chapter includes: About Synchronizing at a Glance on page 19 Synchronization Links on page 20 Integrity Checks on page 22 Incremental Synchronizations on page 27 Full Synchronizations on page 28 Working with ALM Version Control on page 29About Synchronizing at a GlanceSynchronizer enables you to synchronize data between HP ApplicationLifecycle Management (ALM) and other applications, or between two ALMprojects.To manage synchronization between applications, you createsynchronization links. Synchronization links define which data issynchronized and how it is synchronized. For more information onsynchronization links, see "Synchronization Links" on page 20.After you create a synchronization link, you run an integrity check tovalidate the link and to highlight problems that may occur duringsynchronization. For more information on integrity checks, see "IntegrityChecks" on page 22.19

Chapter 2 Synchronizing at a GlanceYou can run two types of synchronization: incremental synchronizationsand full synchronizations. For more information on these synchronizationtypes, see "Incremental Synchronizations" on page 27 and "FullSynchronizations" on page 28.The following ALM data is not synchronized: history, test coverage,requirements traceability, and defect linkage.Synchronization LinksYou create synchronization links between two endpoints. An endpoint is anapplication containing data that is synchronized by Synchronizer. The firstendpoint is always an instance of ALM, while the second endpoint isanother application such as Rational ClearQuest or Rational RequisitePro.A synchronization link or link defines which entities are included in thesynchronization, and how the synchronization is performed. For example,you can define whether Synchronizer synchronizes only new records thatwere added since the last synchronization, or also synchronizes existingrecords that were updated. You also define which fields and field values inone endpoint are mapped to corresponding fields and field values in theother endpoint.For a mapping between fields or field values, the source endpoint refers tothe endpoint from which data is synchronized. Data in the source endpointfor the mapping remains unchanged. The destination endpoint refers to theendpoint to which data is synchronized. Data in the destination endpoint isupdated according to the data in the source endpoint and the mapping’ssettings.Each link contains information to determine which data to synchronize andhow to perform the synchronization. For more details on the informationcontained in links, see "Time Stamp, Identity Mappings, and RecordVersions" on page 21 and "Cycle Redundancy Checks" on page 21.20

Chapter 2 Synchronizing at a GlanceTime Stamp, Identity Mappings, and Record VersionsSynchronizer stores various data during the synchronization process. Duringsubsequent synchronization runs, Synchronizer uses this data to determineif a record needs to be synchronized. The stored data includes: Time stamp. Indicates when the last synchronization task started runningon a specific link. Identity mappings. For each link, Synchronizer stores a table of identitymappings between records in each endpoint. Each record in eachendpoint is identified by a unique ID, and this table records thecorrespondence between each pair of records. Record versions. Indicates the version of each synchronized record ineach endpoint. During synchronization, each synchronized recordreceives a unique version.Cycle Redundancy ChecksAfter Synchronizer has determined that a mapping is a candidate forsynchronization, a cycle redundancy check (CRC) is performed to determinewhether to synchronize the records in the mapping. A cycle redundancycheck is a mathematical operation used to indicate whether data in anendpoint has changed.Synchronizer performs a cycle redundancy check for each endpoint on themapped fields only. This enables Synchronizer to determine whether themodifications made to the records in the mapping necessitatesynchronizing the records.For example, suppose you are mapping defects in ALM with defects inClearQuest, and the only field mapping for the link is between the Statusfield in ALM and the State field in ClearQuest. Suppose the Priority field isupdated for a defect in ALM. As the defect was modified, the mapping thatincludes the defect is a candidate for synchronization, based on the linktime stamp. However, as the mapped fields were not modified, the recordsshould not be synchronized, even though there were other modifications tothe records. During synchronization, Synchronizer performs a cycleredundancy check on the mapping. The check indicates that the mappedfields were not modified, and therefore the records are not synchronized.21

Chapter 2 Synchronizing at a GlanceIntegrity ChecksAn integrity check identifies possible problems that can occur during thesynchronization process. You must run an integrity check on a link beforeyou can run a synchronization task on that link. When an integrity checkpasses successfully, you can enable the link and run synchronization taskson it.You run an integrity check to validate a link when you: Create a new link Modify an existing link Modify the schema for one of the link’s endpointsAn integrity check verifies both general settings for the link, and the fieldmappings defined for the link. Each individual check within the integritycheck can pass or fail. The integrity check passes only if none of theindividual checks within it fail.If you do not run an integrity check, or if the integrity check does not pass,the link remains unvalidated and cannot be enabled for synchronization.Synchronizer generates a report for each run, which you can open byclicking the View Report button in Execution pane (in the lower part of theSynchronizer window). After an unsuccessful integrity check run, you canreview this report to identify which individual checks failed and todetermine how to fix the link. After the link is fixed, run the integrity checkagain.This section includes the following topics:22 "Checks Performed on General Link Settings" on page 23 "Checks Performed on Link Field Mappings" on page 25

Chapter 2 Synchronizing at a GlanceChecks Performed on General Link SettingsThe following table displays which checks Synchronizer performs for eachendpoint when you run an integrity check. Depending on the entity typesynchronized in the link, not all of these checks are performed for everylink.Check NameCheck DescriptionEndpointConnectionChecks that Synchronizer can successfully connect to theendpoint using the settings defined.User permissioncheckChecks that the user used to connect to the endpoint hassufficient permissions to perform the required tasks.License checkQuality Center 10.00: For a link between twoQuality Center endpoints, checks that the endpoint isQuality Center Premier Edition.ALM 11.00: For a link between two ALM endpoints, checkthat the endpoint is not HP Quality Center StarterEdition, HP Quality Center Enterprise Edition, orHP ALM Performance Center Edition.Endpointparameters checkChecks and validates additional parameters that may bedefined for the endpoint.For example, if an alternate root folder is defined forrequirements synchronization, checks that the folderexists in ALM.Fetching endpointschemaChecks that Synchronizer can obtain the database schemafor the endpoint. requirementtype Subtype:Mapped fieldscheckPerforms checks on fields that are mapped for theendpoint.Specified filterexistsIf a filter is defined for the endpoint in the link, checksthat the filter exists in the endpoint.Subtype existscheckChecks that the mapped requirement type exists in theendpoint.23

Chapter 2 Synchronizing at a GlanceCheck NameCheck DescriptionEndpoint eventscheckChecks the following: If the endpoint is set to handle record creation in theother endpoint, it is also set to update the otherendpoint. If the endpoint is set to recreate records, the otherendpoint is set to handle record creation. One endpoint only is set to handle record creation forthe mapped requirement type.24Fields mappingdefinedChecks that a field mapping is defined between theendpoints and that it can be obtained by theSynchronizer.Consistency ofmapping andendpoint eventsChecks that if a field mapping is defined from theendpoint, the link is set to handle record creation orupdates in the other endpoint. Also checks that if the linkis set to handle record creation or updates in theendpoint, a field mapping is defined to the endpoint.

Chapter 2 Synchronizing at a GlanceChecks Performed on Link Field MappingsAn integrity check performs the following checks on the field mappings youdefine for the link. Synchronizer also performs these checks when you checkthe field mappings when you create or configure a link. Depending on thetype of field mapped, not all of these checks are performed for every identitymapping.Check NameCheck DescriptionRequired fieldscheckChecks that required fields in the destination endpointare mapped to a field in the source endpoint, or areassigned a constant value. If this is not the case, the checkfails.In addition, checks that recommended fields in thedestination endpoint are mapped to a field in the sourceendpoint, or are assigned a constant value. If this is notthe case, the check passes with a warning.Field existencecheckChecks that the field exists in the endpoint.Field types matchcheckChecks that if a mapping exists between fields of differenttypes, the values can be converted between the types.Fields length matchcheckFor string type fields (String, Multi value list, Single valuelist, User list), checks that the maximum length for valuesfor each of the fields in a mapping is the same. If themaximum length is different, the check passes with awarning that some values may be truncated.Fixed list mappingcheckChecks whether the source field of a mapping is not averified list field, whereas the destination field is a verifiedlist field. In such a case, the check passes with a warningas it is possible that values will be mapped to thedestination that are not in its list.User list checkChecks whether the source field of a mapping is not a userlist field, whereas the destination field is a user list field.In such a case, the check passes with a warning as it ispossible that values will be mapped to the destinationthat are not in its user list.25

Chapter 2 Synchronizing at a Glance26Check NameCheck DescriptionValue mappingtypes checkChecks that it is possible to convert between the type ofthe value mapped to a field and the type of the field.Values length matchcheckFor string type fields (String, Multi value list, Single valuelist, User list), checks that the length of values mapped tothe field in a field value mapping is not greater that themaximum length for the field. If a value is mapped that islonger that the maximum length, the check passes with awarning that the value will be truncated.Values mapping inmandatory fieldcheckChecks that no field value mapping maps an empty stringto a mandatory field.Fixed list valuesmapping checkChecks that no field value mapping exists that mapsvalues to a verified list field that are not in the listassociated with the destination field.Read only checkChecks that there is no mapping to read-only fields.

Chapter 2 Synchronizing at a GlanceIncremental SynchronizationsYou run an incremental synchronization on a link to determine whichrecords in the endpoints were created or modified since the previoussynchronization task, and then synchronize data between the twoendpoints according to the mapping and settings you defined for the link. In an incremental synchronization, Synchronizer first sends a request toeach endpoint to supply

† Software Release Date, which indicates the release date of this version of the software. To check for recent updates, or to verify that you are using the most recent edition, visit the HP Application Lifecycle Management Add-ins site: From the main ALM window, select Help Add-ins Page.