Release Notes ReqSuite® RM 3.9

In ReqSuite® RM 3.9, which will be released on October 16, 2022, more than 150 improvements and new features have been integrated again. The most important changes are listed below.

General

Restricted Refinement View

To avoid duplications in the refinement view, it is now possible to set which paths should be visualized in the refinement view. If, for example, a requirement is integrated transitively both via the requirements hierarchy and via the product structure, you can specify whether it should be accessible via both paths or only one of the two in the refinement view. This can increase navigability and clarity.

To use this function, a new checkbox is available in the editing window of relationships within the project template.

Group-specific Views

Project managers can now define default views for individual groups within a project. Previously, a default view could only be set by a user for themselves.

To use this function, new input options are available for project managers in the view management window.

Replying to E-mails

With ReqSuite® RM 3.9, the possibility to reply to comments via email has been added. If, for example, users receive an email regarding a comment in which they are addressed by name, they can reply to this email directly and their reply will be stored as reply comment directly in ReqSuite® RM.

However, this function is initially only available in the cloud version.

Table & Board Operations

Short Cuts

In ReqSuite® RM 3.9, the amount of shortcuts has been extended so that you can work with less mouse clicks.

The complete list of shortcuts can be found in the manual.

Improved Search in Tables

In ReqSuite® RM 3.9 the possibility of an advanced search in the requirement tables has been created. In addition to a free text search and column filtering, it is now also possible to filter via the attributes of transitively linked elements. To use this function, a new button is available in the table header on the right.

Furthermore, it is now possible to combine column filtering with filtering by special attributes (e.g. “has quality problem” or “needs to be checked by me”).

Reuse & Assistance

Automatic Data Reconciliation

With ReqSuite® RM 3.9, it is now possible to match elements of a project with data from other projects, for example to check whether a certain requirement has already been addressed in another project. For the elements found, it is then possible to transfer individual contents to the current project.

Particularly in the context of recurring customer requests, this feature can reduce a considerable amount of analysis, since, for example, comments and assessments on similar requests from the past can be transferred at the push of a button.

To use this feature, a new “Data Reconciliation” button is available in the assistance menu.

Automatic Classification

It is now possible to have elements of ReqSuite® RM automatically sorted into a folder structure based on certain criteria. This can prevent any inconsistencies. If, for example, requirements are classified by component using an attribute, the classification of requirements into folders can also be done analogously.

To use this function, a new button is available in the table header.

Automatic Instantiation

With ReqSuite® RM 3.9 it is now possible to automatically create and link elements based on other elements. For example, for a set of test cases, associated test instances can be created automatically for a specific test run without having to create them manually one by one.

To use this feature, a new button is available in the table header.

Reuse Rights

For security reasons, the reuse function has been restricted in such a way that from now on only elements from reusable projects are displayed to a user in which this user has at least read rights. Previously, it was possible to read elements from all projects released for reuse.

Administration

Default Groups for Users

From now on, all users can be assigned a default group, so that the assignment of users to groups does not have to be done individually in each project (but can still be done). However, project-specific group assignment is still possible.

To use this function, a new field is available in the editing window of users within the administration.

Configuration

Flexible Dropdowns

It is now possible to couple enumeration fields (dropdown fields) with each other, so that the selectable entries in one dropdown can be pre-filtered based on the selection in another dropdown. For example, a company division can be selected in a first dropdown, which means that only the departments of this division are then offered in the second dropdown.

To use this feature, dynamic enumerations must be created for (at least) two categories. Based on these (two) dynamic enumerations, attributes with these enumerations as data type must then be selected in another category. For the second attribute, a value condition must then be defined that refers to the first attribute.

The syntax is explained in more detail in the manual.

Exports & Imports

Extended ReqIF

The ReqSuite® RM specific file format “extended ReqIF” has now been extended in a way that all settings can be completely taken over from the project template. This significantly reduces the effort required to adapt the project template when migrating projects/data.

Interfaces to other Tools

Export of Relationships to DevOps

From now on, relationships between elements in ReqSuite® RM can also be exported to DevOps. Previously, this function was only available for JIRA. This works automatically as soon as more than one category is selected for export and relationship types are defined between these categories in ReqSuite® RM.

Export of linked Element Contents

It is now possible to export the content of linked fields in the edit window completely to downstream tools. Thus, for example, contents about linked elements can be displayed in these tools without having to export the elements themselves.

New drop-down entries are available in the attribute mapping window for this purpose.

Display of Git Commits

For tools that have an integrated Git repository (currently relevant for GitLab and DevOps), it is now also possible to select whether the Git commits matching the elements of a project should be downloaded and displayed in the editing windows when setting up the interface. Matching commits are recognized as those that include #ID in the commit comment, e.g. #ANF4711.

To enable this feature, a new checkbox is available in the project mapping window.

Synchronization of Custom Fields in Test Rail

The interface to Test Rail has been extended so that custom data fields can also be synchronized in Test Rail. These are now available in the dropdown within the attribute mapping window.

Enhancements to the REST API

The REST API of ReqSuite® RM has been extended so that file attachments can now also be uploaded and downloaded via the API. In addition, the ability to apply filtering when retrieving items via the API has been added.

The individual API methods are listed in the manual.

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Sebastian Adam
https://www.osseno.com

Dr. Sebastian Adam is Managing Director of OSSENO Software GmbH and responsible for product innovation and marketing. Before joining OSSENO, he worked for 10 years as a consultant, scientist and team leader for requirements engineering at the Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering (IESE). Dr. Adam has assisted several dozen companies and has best practices in the introduction and implementation of requirements engineering across all industries.