Import Requirements

Import Requirements

Allowing the Valispace Users to upload their existing requirements data into Valispace in a quick and easy way can be achieved via the “Import” function inside the Requirements Module.

The Import wizard can be accessed from the top bar of Valispace, with its own action button (Image 1):

This wizard is composed by three main stages: “Specification”, “Upload” and “Review”. In addition, at the completion of import activities the users will received a summary regarding the import as well as the possibility to perform additional actions such as Valify or Import another files.
All these stages and actions are described in the following document.

1 - Specification

In this first stage, the user can define the destination to where his/hers data will be imported to in the requirements module in Valispace. Meaning that the user will either select a pre-existent specification (and section, optional) or create a new specification (optionally defining the abbreviation and the component to be allocated to), without exiting the import wizard.

If the Importer is started within the context of a Specification or a Section, that will appear as pre-select for import destination.

In case there’s no existent specifications, the user needs to mandatorily create a new specification.

In the naming definition of the new specification the users have to abide by the naming definition rules.

2 - Upload

At the second stage, the user can upload their files for import. If one of the supported file types is uploaded the user will be notified of the upload success and can either continue the import operation or upload a new-file (replacing the previous one; in case a non-supported file is upload an error message will notify the user.

Currently, only Excel (.xls, .xlsx) and .CSV files are supported.

3 - Review

In the third stage, the user can the opportunity review the information considering the uploaded file.

At the first level the user can receive notification messages (Image 2 [1]) according the actions occurring in the “File options” and Preview area.

At the second level (Image 2 [2]), the user has a brief informative description of the “Review ” section. The user has also access to a visual indication of the “Destination” where their data will be located in after the import (i.e. Specification and section, in case of any), and has a set of “File options” to be selected.

In “File options” (Image 2 (2)) the user can :

• “Update requirements” selection - Which overwrite any existent requirements in the destination specification by substitution of the data (file data substitutes the data in the specification).

In case the “update requirements” option is not selected and the user is importing requirements whose Identifier already exist in the specification selected as destination, Valispace will add “_import” to the identifiers of the imported requirements to differentiate them.

In case the “update requirements” option is not selected and the user is importing requirements whose Identifier already exist in the current project but not in the specification selected as destination, Valispace will add a warning ( ) to the identifiers to differentiate them.

• “Use header row” selection - The user can decide to use the header row of their file or to use a general reference header row provided by Valispace (i.e. Columns headers as: A; B; C;…).

Valispace considers the Header row as the 1st row of any uploaded file

• “Sheet” selection - In case of having a file with multiple sheets, the user can select which is the sheet they want to import from.

• “Starting row” definition - The user can select from which row of the imported file the data should start being collected to be inserted in Valispace.

At the preview level (Image 2 [3]), the users can consult a preview of the file provided by the them and to map the files' fields, more properly each column, to fields in Valispace. That is, the user can establish how the fields from their file will be placed in Valispace by selecting the Valispace field in the “MAP TO” fields, according to the respective column.

Currently, the following fields can be selected for the mapping:

• Identifier; Text; Title; Rationale; Parents; Children; Type; State; Tags; Compliance; Compliance comment; Verification Methods, Applicability, Owner, Tags, Custom Columns

For Verification Methods, Applicability and Tags more than one value can be imported for each requirement. To do so, each value should be separated by a comma.

For Applicability , compound component types can be referenced with a “/”. for example, component_A/component_B

The user must always select at least the Identifier column, if not a warning message will be displayed until that condition is met

While the import operation is ongoing, the user will be prompted with a loading screen. Once the process is finalized, if the import is successfully completed a message of success, the changes made (Image 8) and soft errors are displayed. If the import fails completely, a message of failure will be displayed.

The soft errors are:

• Relation can’t be established → Parent or Children Identifier doesn’t exist on the project

• Relation can’t be established → Parent or Children Identifier is duplicated on the project

• Requirement Compliance Statement doesn't exist in the project

• Requirement Type doesn't exist in the project

• Requirement State doesn't exist in the project

• Tag doesn't exist in the project

• Applicability Condition doesn't exist

Regardless of the importer being successful or not, the user will have the opportunity to re-import or to make a new import by clicking “Import new file” (success) or “Try again” (failure), taking the user back to section 1 (Specification).

3.1 - Valify option

Upon a successful import, the user can also start the Valify process (Image 3) which will scan the imported requirements text for possible quantifiable parameters to be converted to Valis inside the requirement.