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Welcome to the AllChange Technical Information Point.
The
AllChange TIP is a reference guide that aims to explain the
technical jargon used on our web site.
It also provides some useful
information about change and configuration management terms
in general and links to other useful areas of our site.
If there is a term that is not listed here, that you would
like explained, please contact
us.
Please click on the letter to display terms
ACADM AllChange Administration
Program, provides low-level access to the AllChange databases
for use by the Administrator.
ACC AllChange Command Line,
provides a command line interface to AllChange.
ACCEL AllChange Command Evaluation
Language, is used to configure the system to your requirements.
Access is controlled according to user definable rules and
actions may be tailored, providing an open interface to other
tools and allowing commands to trigger others.
ACCONFIG AllChange Configuration
Editor, allows the AllChange Administrator to configure
most aspects of AllChange.
ACE AllChange Environment,
provides a menu-driven interface to AllChange.
API An API (application
program interface) is the specific method prescribed by a
computer operating system or by another application program
by which a programmer writing an application program can
make requests of the operating system or another application.
Approval Mechanisms AllChange
software has approval mechanisms that allow work to be progressed
through the life cycle. At each stage, users can be automatically
notified via email to inform them whether work has been approved,
rejected, set to re-work etc.
Arbitrary Fields Arbitrary
fields are data fields which may be customised to site specific
requirements. There are 40 arbitrary fields for each of CRs,
Parts, Versions and Baselines.
Asset Management The
process of tracking and recording information about assets,
e.g PCs, in an organisation. An inventory containing detailed
information such as expenditure, location, software licence
details etc is stored and monitored to provide an up-to-date
record.
Attachment CRs and baselines
may have attachments associated with them. An attachment
is an external file which is to accompany the CR/ baseline.
This might be a diagram, screenshot, document or whatever.
Audit Trail A record or history,
detailing for example, what was done, when, why and by whom.
Automated Escalation Escallation
is the process of accelerating or re-prioritising an action.
Automated escalation allows for this to be performed automatically,
for example, if a Change Request has not been authorised
within 7 days, then its priority is escalated to High.
Automated Routing This
is the process of automatically allocating tasks to individuals.
For example, on submission for review of a Change Request
it is automatically assigned to the reviewers.
Automated Change Logging Change
requests are automatically recorded and allocated a number
when they are first raised. Any status changes that occur
throughout the life cycle can also be automatically logged.
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Baseline A baseline is a snapshot of the current
state of a product or subsystem at a point in time. Baselines may be used
for reporting/ querying, checking in/out, releasing against, etc. Note
that the term baseline may be mapped to another term (e.g. release).
Branch Versions may lie on
branches. Branches allow alternate versions of the same component
to be developed in parallel. Note that the term branch may
be mapped to another term.
BT Build threads (BTs) may
be maintained for each object required to construct a system.
BTs contain information as to exactly what objects are composed
of in terms of the versions of configuration items used and
the translation rules used to create the objects. AllChange
build uses these BTs to ensure only those objects not available
are rebuilt.
Build Whereby component configuration
items are used to build a configuration.
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Category Categories can be
used to classify groups of configuration items, change documents
or problems etc. See also Class
Change Advisory Board (CAB) A
panel that can review and comment on all proposed changes.
All viewpoints should be represented. Comments and decisions
should be logged. Also known as Change Authority, Change
Control Board, Change Review Board.
Change Document A document
used to manage the process of change. Other terms that might
be used include: Change Request, request for change, change
control form, change order, change record.
Change Management The making
of changes in a planned and managed or systematic fashion,
in a wide variety of potentially different environments.
Change Request A CR (Change
Request) is a change management record used for recording
fault reports, change requests, problem reports etc. Details
are recorded and progress of the change is monitored at all
stages. Can also be known as a Request for change, change
control form, change order, change record.
Change Tracking The
process of recording a change throughout its lifecycle.
Check In CheckIn is the process
of handing a configuration item to a configuration management
system for storage and control.
Check Out CheckOut is the process
of extracting a version of a configuration item from a configuration
management system into the working environment.
Class Classes are used to classify
parts, change requests and baselines and to determine their
life-cycle. They are identified by a site-supplied name.
This can be used to classify the item, e.g. source code,
documentation or hardware for a part, bug fix or upgrade
request for a change request, test or release for a baseline.
Note that this term may be mapped to another nomenclature
(e.g. CIType).
Classification See Class
Client Installation Installation
of software on a user's machine.
Command Actions AllChange commands
have user defined actions which are executed when AllChange
performs its internal processing. These are defined in the
command definitions database.
Component Component-type configuration
items are at the bottom of the part hierarchy and have no
children, but they may have versions. Component type is analogous
to a file in an operating system filing system. Note that
this term may be mapped to another nomenclature (e.g. Item).
Concurrent Development Allows
a version of a part to be edited by two different users at
the same time. See also branch.
Configuration Audit This is
the process of auditing a specific configuration in terms
of its constituent configuration items and the changes that
are included in it. A Baseline provides the information required
for such an Audit.
Configuration Control The process of controlling configurations
of items/objects of interest. This includes the evaluation,
co-ordination, approval or rejection of changes.
Configuration Identification The process of identifying
the configuration items which are of interest and the relationships
between them.
Configuration Item Configuration
Items are items which are to be controlled. These can be
anything, for example hardware, software, web content, documents,
even buildings or staff. Each configuration item (CI) declared
to AllChange is known as a part. See also, Parts.
Configuration Management (CM) A discipline for identifying and documenting physical and
functional characteristics of configuration items. The recording
of any changes to configuration items and the relationships
between configuration items.
Configuration Management Database The
place where configuration management information is stored.
In AllChange this is a CTree Plus database.
Configuration Management Tool
(CM Tool) A software system for the complete management
of configuration items, for example AllChange.
Configuration Structure The
relationships between configuration items.
CR A CR (Change Request) is
a change management record used for recording fault reports,
change requests, problem reports etc. Note that the term
CR may be mapped to another term such as ACMD (AllChange
Management Document), RFC (Request for Change).
CWP The current working part
(cf. current directory in an operating system)
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Default Version Whenever a
component type part is accessed without a version specifier
there is a corresponding default version. There is a standard
defaulting mechanism which generally accesses the most recent
version. This may be modified for each workspace by use of
registrations.
Differencing (Diffs) The
differencing facilities in AllChange allow
different versions of a part or two files to be compared
and the differences to be displayed. Differences between
Baselines can also be compared.
Document Management The
management of documents in terms of storage, change etc.
Documents are configuration items.
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Entry Condition The entry condition
for a command is tested before internal operations may be
performed; if it fails the command will not proceed. This
may be used for access permissions (e.g. a user must have
a particular role), or other conditions (e.g. a part must
have a particular status for the command to be allowed).
Event Monitor AllChange has
a facility for monitoring events affecting objects which
are of interest. Whenever an action occurs for a monitored
object, the holder of the monitor is informed that the action
has occurred.
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File Merge See
Merging.
Folding Views The
folding view allows a list to be displayed as a tree. It
is supported by various browsers and viewers.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) Integrated
support for FTP in AllChange allows
the control of files on a remote machine
—
typically running UNIX or VMS
—
to be done from AllChange running under
Windows. It is also used for deploying Web development files managed under AllChange. FTP permits the copying of files between
different machines across TCP/IP. It is typically used where no direct access
is possible.
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Graphical Lifecycle Generator AllChange
uses a Graphical Cycle Editor, allowing life-cycles to be
created simply by drawing the statuses and linking them with
progressions.
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Impact Analysis Process of
fully assessing the consequences of a proposed change.
Information Technology Infrastructure
Library (ITIL) The IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
provides a framework of best practices designed to help
organisations implement high quality IT services. It also
covers the wider picture, focusing on the facilities needed
to support IT. Commonly regarded as the world standard
for IT Service Management best practices, organisations
can draw from ITIL, taking aspects that they consider
appropriate to their needs and then building upon them.
Issue State The issue state
of a part indicates whether it has been checked out. A part
which has been checked out is referred to as having been
issued.
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Life-cycle A
life-cycle (or simply cycle) is a series of statuses
through which a part, CR or baseline passes. It can be used
to control access to items and implement approval procedures
etc. and also for the implementation of automated work flow.
Life-cycle Management Life-cycles
may be defined which are used by configuration items, CRs
and baselines to implement development and change control
procedures. A life-cycle is defined as a series of statuses
through which a configuration item, CR or baseline passes
and may be used to control access to items, implement approval
procedures, log progress etc.
Location The location field
of a part (in combination with the location of its ancestors)
determines the actual operating system location corresponding
to the part.
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MAPI MAPI is an acronym
for Messaging Application Programming Interface. It is a
standardized set of C functions placed into a code library
known as a Dynamic Link Library (DLL). The functions were
originally designed by Microsoft, but they have received
support of many third party vendors.
MCSCCI The Microsoft Common
Source Code Control Interface.
Merging Merging is the process
of amalgamating independent sets of changes to the same file
which have been performed in parallel. AllChange provides
a tool to help in this process for text files (e.g. source
code).
Meta-baseline A meta-baseline
is a baseline containing references to other baselines (whereas
a normal baseline contains references to parts/ versions).
Note that this term may be mapped to another nomenclature.
Milestone Point at which a
major project objective is reached.
Monitor A monitor is a registration
to be notified when a particular event occurs on a particular
item.
MSDE Microsoft SQL Server Desktop
Engine is a cut down version of Microsoft SQL Server. MSDE
offers most of the functionality of full SQL Server.
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OOB Out-of-the-Box The standard
format in which the software is supplied.
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Parallel Development Allows
users to work on the same configuration items at the same
time in a controlled fashion. AllChange makes use of branches
to support parallel development.
Part Parts are all the configuration
items known to AllChange. Parts may be of type component
or subsystem (or uses a special case). The Parts database
may be thought of as an archive or library. Note that this
term may be mapped to another nomenclature (e.g. CI (Configuration
Item).
Pool Pools are used for sharing
objects amongst different users. The objects held in pools
are operating system files and the pools themselves are simply
operating system directories. Note that this term may be
mapped to another nomenclature.
Pre-requisites In IntaChange, these define required actions that must be
performed before an action can occur. For example, the Implementation
Plans must be completed before the IntaChange Change Management
Document (ICMD) may be submitted to the Change Advisory Board
(CAB).
Problem Management Covers
various areas including: Call Tracking, targeted towards
problems reported by customers often over telephone lines,
from different locations.The call is assigned and status
is monitored and reported. It also covers Problem Tracking,
work (task) management (who, what, when, due date, status),
statistics and metrics gathering and reporting, historical
records and integration with configuration management and
testing.
Processes Processes
are defined as a sequence of states with conditions enforcing
the process, and actions automating the process.
Process
Management AllChange supports
the integration of the different processes that are involved
in change: the process for changing a configuration item,
the process for controlling what changes are made and the
process for releasing a set of changes. This ensures the
greatest level of automation and transparency of the processes
leading to efficient and effective execution of the processes
defined.
Project A project in AllChange
or IntaChange is a set of configuration files and
user data.
Project Directory The directory
containing the AllChange configuration files and project
data.
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Register Definition File The
file in a workspace which defines the registrations for that
workspace.
Registrations Registrations
are used to define the default version for parts in a particular
workspace. They also define the pools that are to be used
by the workspace for build purpose.
Release A release is a package
of configuration items which are supplied to third parties.
A release may just be for test purposes or for customers.
Release Management The process
of managing the release of a product or system, to ensure
that the correct versions of the correct configuration items
with the desired changes, are released and that this may
be audited. AllChange uses baselines and life-cycles for
baselines to implement release management.
RFC Request for Change.
Role Individual users may be
assigned various roles for the products managed by the system.
Permission to perform different commands can be made to depend
on the role assigned to individual users.
Sandpit Sandpit
is a term analogous to a workspace.
SCCI The Source Code Control
Interface for Microsoft.
SCR Software Change Request.
Section A section is a part
of an AllChange Report which determines the data that is
to be shown in that part of the report.
Software Configuration Item (SCI)
Software items which are to be controlled. Each software
configuration item declared to AllChange is known as
a part.
SMTP Simple Mail
Transfer Protocol.
Status A status is a stage
in a life-cycle through which configuration items (parts),
change requests or baselines may pass. They may be used to
control access to items and implement approval procedures
etc. Note that this term may be mapped to another nomenclature
(e.g. State).
Status Log This is an audit
trail of the progression of an object through its life-cycle.
Note that this term may be mapped to another nomenclature
(e.g. Audit Trail).
Subsystem Subsystem-type parts
may have children. Subsystem type is analogous to a directory
in an operating system filing system. Note that this term
may be mapped to another nomenclature (e.g. Folder).
System Directory The directory
in which AllChange has been installed.
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Terminology Mapping Substitution
of a user's/site's choice of term for one of the standard
AllChange terms. For example, substitute RFC instead of AllChange
CR.
Traceability The ability to
trace an object from creation through any changes made to
the object throughout the life of the object.
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User Defined Fields
(UDFs) In
IntaChange, UDFs are arbitrary site specific data fields,
defined to hold whatever information is required.
Uses Parts may be of type,
uses. A uses-type part indicates that this part uses another
part (the part used is given in the location for the part).
UTC Universal Time
coordinated.
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VC File The complete version history i.e. the actual
contents of every version of a component is physically stored in an external
VC (Version Control) file. AllChange retrieves old versions from these
files and stores new versions into them when the user checks in/ out components.
Version A part of type component
(only) may have versions associated with it. These represent
the revisions that the part has been through during its lifetime.
The actual contents of the versions controlled by AllChange
are physically stored in external VC files. Note that this
term may be mapped to another nomenclature (e.g. Revision).
Version Control The management
of all the versions (revisions) of a part during its lifetime.
Visual File Differencing Compares
the differences between two files.
Voting In
IntaChange, allows users to participate in decisions which
control the movement of requests for change through their
life cycle. The
option to vote on a progression is indicated by a vote
icon which appears on screen.
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Web based Software
that is accessible by a web browser only. The software can
be installed on a central server and remote users can log
into it from a PC with a web browser and internet or intranet
connection.
Web Interface Enables
a software program to be viewed over the web. Web browser
software needs to be installed, e.g Internet Explorer.
Workfile Files in a workspace
are referred to as workfiles, as opposed to version history
(VC) files which do not reside in workspaces.
Workflow Structure
of tasks, what order they are done in, by whom. How tasks
are structured, their order relative to other tasks, information
flow, and tracking of information.
Workspace Workspaces are used
to hold local copies of configuration items (parts), for
examination, editing and building purposes. The objects held
in a workspace are operating system files and the workspaces
themselves are simply operating system directories. Note
that this term may be mapped to another nomenclature (e.g.
Sandpit)
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