bat365 Homepage

Round-Trip Importing and Exporting for ReqIF Files

Many third-party requirements management applications can export and import requirements using the ReqIF™ format. If you manage your requirements in a third-party tool, you can import the requirements to Requirements Toolbox™, edit the requirements, and export the requirements back to your third-party tool with ReqIF files. This procedure is referred to as a ReqIF round trip.

ReqIF represents requirements as SpecObject objects and links as SpecRelation objects between SpecObject objects. Each SpecObjectType object specifies the associated SpecObject object and the SpecRelationType objects classify each SpecRelation object. The SpecObjectType and SpecRelationType objects define attributes to store requirements and link information. The SpecObject and SpecRelation object contain values for these attributes.

For more information about ReqIF data organization, see Exchange Document Content in Requirements Interchange Format (ReqIF) Version 1.2 .

Considerations for Importing Requirements

You can import requirements from ReqIF files in the Requirements Editor. For more information, see Import Requirements from ReqIF Files.

Import Mapping Considerations

When you import requirements from ReqIF files, you can choose which import mapping to use. For more information, see Choose an Import Mapping.

If you use a generic mapping during import, you must use a generic mapping during export. The export mapping affects the content exported to the ReqIF file. For more information, see Considerations for Exporting Requirements.

Alternatively, you can map ReqIF data to stereotypes in Requirements Toolbox. For more information, see Use Stereotypes when Importing from ReqIF Files.

Considerations for ReqIF Files with Multiple Specifications

When you import requirements from ReqIF files with multiple specifications, you can:

Select a single ReqIF source specification to import into a requirement set
Combine ReqIF source specifications into one requirement set
Import each ReqIF source specification into a separate requirement set

For more information, see Import Requirements from ReqIF Files with Multiple Specifications.

When you export requirements to a ReqIF file, you can only export one requirement set at a time. Consequently, if you plan to perform a ReqIF round trip with a ReqIF file with multiple source specifications, consider which of the three import methods in Import Requirements from ReqIF Files with Multiple Specifications allows you to export your requirements with your preferred number of ReqIF files.

Edit Imported Content

Edit imported requirements content by using the Requirements Editor. Depending on the import mode that you use, the requirements import as referenced requirements or requirements, which are slreq.Reference or slreq.Requirement objects, respectively. For more information, see Select an Import Mode.

Edit the Attribute Mapping

When you import requirements from a ReqIF file, the import process maps SpecObjectType object attributes to built-in requirement properties or requirement custom attributes. For more information about SpecObjectType object attributes, see Choose an Import Mapping.

After you import the requirements, you can map the SpecObjectType objects to requirement types. You can also edit the SpecObject object attribute mappings to requirement properties. See Map ReqIF Types and Attributes.

Edit Imported Requirements

You can edit a requirement or referenced requirement and change the requirement properties such as the Summary or Description. You can also define custom attributes for the requirement set and set values for those custom attributes. For more information, see Add Custom Attributes to Requirements.

Before you edit an imported referenced requirement, you must unlock it. To unlock all requirements in the requirement set, select the top-level Import node of the requirement set and, in the right pane, under Requirement Interchange, click Unlock all.

The import node is selected in the Requirements Editor. The mouse points to the Unlock all button in the right pane, under Requirement Interchange.

To unlock individual requirements, navigate to the requirement and, in the right pane, under Properties, click Unlock.

To add, remove, and edit custom attributes associated with the requirement set, select the requirement set and use the interface in the right pane under Custom Attribute Registries. For more information about managing custom attributes for requirements, see Add Custom Attributes to Requirements. Select an individual referenced requirement and unlock it to set custom attribute values.

Update Imported Requirements Content

If you select Allow updates from external source during the import operation, you can update your imported requirement sets with data from the updated ReqIF file. Select the Import node of the requirement set and, in the right pane, under Requirement Interchange, click Update. The update operation overwrites all local modifications, such as edits to unlocked referenced requirements. The update operation preserves comments and local attributes. For more information, see Manage Imported Requirements with External Applications.

Link Requirements to Items in MATLAB and Simulink

When you link a requirement to an item in MATLAB^® or Simulink^® and then export the requirements to a ReqIF file, Requirements Toolbox creates a proxy object for that object in the exported file. If the linked item is one of the supported types, the proxy object has a type value that describes the linked object type. For more information, see Export Links.

When you re-import the ReqIF file generated by the Requirements Toolbox, the software reconstructs the links between requirements and the items represented by the proxy objects of the supported types. For more information, see Import Links from ReqIF Files Generated by Requirements Toolbox.

Considerations for Exporting Requirements

You can export a requirement set, an Import node, or a parent requirement and its children to a ReqIF file. When you export requirements, you can also export links associated with the requirements. For more information, see Export Requirements to ReqIF Files.

When you export requirements and links, you can choose which export mapping to use. You can either reuse the same mapping that you used during import, or use a generic mapping. For more information, see Choose an Export Mapping.

The export mapping that you use affects the content that is exported to the ReqIF file:

SpecObjectType object values
SpecObject object attributes
SpecRelationType object values

You can export the requirement type when you define and use custom requirement types and export using the generic mapping. For more information, see Choose an Export Mapping.