Generally asked questions
AllChange – General Questions and Answers
Welcome to the General Questions and Answers page. Here we answer general questions from prospective customers.
Why are we doing this? Well ….
- To make it easier to determine whether AllChange is suitable for you and your project
- To let you see that other people have come across your questions and problems
Please Note: All questions have been sent to us by people interested in configuration management. Apart from small editorial changes concerning phrasing and spelling they are as they were submitted. If you have a specific question you can email us on info@intasoft.net, submit a question using our Technical Support Form or email the AllChange User Group. Replies will be sent to you as quickly as possible but Intasoft does not take any responsibility for advice given unless provided by an employee of the firm.
Q. What type of software can the tool manage (executable, source, etc.)?
Q. Are the features of your tool in a single product or are there additional “modules” to be purchased?
Q. What platforms will your tool operate on?
Q. Can your tool be used in cross-platform environment to control files on remote platforms?
Q. Is it possible with your tool to revert to a previous version(s)?
Q. What kinds of comparisons are available with your tool between different versions of the same file?
Q. Can an author without a licence, copy a controlled document into an uncontrolled environment?
Q. Is the merge capability part of your tool or a separate option?
Q. What are the costs for your tool and the cost of multiple user licences?
Q. What is your software licence structure: licence by seats or by simultaneous user?
Q. What is the estimated time to install the tool and train the different types of personnel?
Q. What technical support is available and at what times?
Q. What is the user accessibility to the controlled areas? How are these levels assigned?
What type of software can the tool manage (executable, source, etc.)?
AllChange can manage any type of file. Binary, sound, image, text etc.
Are the features of your tool in a single product or are there additional “modules” to be purchased?
AllChange is an integrated product. It does not have “modules” as such. All features are supplied with the package, there is no need to buy separate modules.
What platforms will your tool operate on?
AllChange will work on any Microsoft Windows Platform from Windows XP SP2 and Windows 2003 Server SP1 onwards.
Can your tool be used in cross-platform environment to control files on remote platforms?
Absolutely. The integrated FTP support ensures that you can seamlessly control files on any platform that supports a standard implementation of FTP.
Will your tool handle documents generated in Word95, Word97, Word 2000, Visio, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, DOORS, Artisan Real Time Studio and handle drawing generated in AutoCAD 14 and their subsequent revisions?
Yes as long as you are controlling a document that is represented by a file, AllChange can control it. It can also control Individual Doors Modules due to the special integration supplied with AllChange and also communicate with other applications that comply to the MCSCCI standard.
What reporting methodologies (trending, problem reporting, status accounting, metrics, etc.) are available with your tool? And are they a part of your tool or sold as a separate entity? Please identify what reporting capabilities are part of your tool and what report generating options are available for your tool?
AllChange contains a sophisticated reporting tool allowing you to define your own site-specific reports and on-line ad-hoc queries. “Step-by-step” help features guide you through the construction of your reports and there are exporting facilities to MS Word and MS Excel allowing the resultant data to be sent into the application and further manipulated there. An interface to the Project Management tool, MS Project, is also available. A small graph package is included with AllChange to provide some graphical representations should you not have a preferred tool.
Is it possible with your tool to revert to a previous version(s)?
Yes, all version information is retained and any specific version can be obtained and used as a basis for a specific strain of development if necessary.
Does your tool save only changes to revised files or does it save the entire file every time it is revised?
You can configure AllChange to save either a complete copy of the file for each revision or just the changes made between revisions; this can be set for each type of file (.doc, .bmp, .htm, etc.) under control. This is an optimisation for speed (of checkin/out) against size (of the version control storage files).
What kinds of comparisons are available with your tool between different versions of the same file?
We have a differencing engine allowing a visual comparison of differences found between two text files, and MS Word documents.
Can an author without a licence, copy a controlled document into an uncontrolled environment?
No unauthorized person (that is unlicensed user) can obtain a controlled document from the AllChange repository.
Can a licensee checkout a controlled file and move it into a uncontrolled environment for revision by a non-licensee?
Yes, if that is the way you wish to work.
Can the uncontrolled version be checked back in as a controlled file without losing version identity and traceability? Or does the reviser of the file require another licence to make traceable changes?
The uncontrolled version can be included into the AllChange repository by a licensee BUT that licensee would have to manually include the revisers identity details to maintain the audit trail.
Is the merge capability part of your tool or a separate option?
The merge facility is part of our tool. AllChange is an integrated product.
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Will a knowledgeable representative of your company install the software, conduct training (at our site) on usage of the tool, and are there associated costs? Are there different types of training associated with controller, user, viewer, auditor, etc.?
On-site installation and training is available from Intasoft. There are 4 different courses, lasting between 1 and 2 days. An introductory course for beginners, an advanced users’ course, an ACCEL programming course and an administrators’ course. For details and costs of these courses see Training Courses. Our Consultancy services will ensure that you get the very best out of your investment and configure the tool to your specific business processes.
What are the costs for your tool and the cost of multiple user licences?
For current pricing please contact us.
What is your software licence structure: licence by seats or by simultaneous user?
We license AllChange by seat and concurrent user. For full licensing options click here.
What is the estimated time to install the tool and train the different types of personnel?
Installation is very quick and simple. Configuring the tool to your specific sites’ needs and processes depends entirely on how complicated those processes are. Training Courses are available to help you make the most of AllChange, for full details click here. Consultancy to help define your configuration/change management business processes is available from Intasoft, for further details click here.
What technical support is available and at what times?
Technical support is available Monday to Friday 09:00 am to 17.00 pm GMT
What is the user accessibility to the controlled areas? How are these levels assigned?
Access control is entirely site definable. AllChange uses “User Roles” to assign individuals permission to perform certain tasks. For example you could define the role “developer” to be able to check code out of the controlled area but only the role “Team Leader” able to check it back in.