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RPE 6.0.6 Excel Output from DOORS 9.6.1 - Requirement Traceability Matrix


Bob 3 (1482068) | asked Jul 19 '19, 10:45 p.m.

I need to prepare a requirement traceability matrix from DOORS version 9.6.1.11 using RPE 6.0.6 iFix001. The output format needs to be Excel. I am having difficulty achieving the following structure:

Column C forms the basis of the template and for each in-link to the object represented by a row in column C, there must be an additional row created to contain the downstream traceability. 

Does anyone have any pointers for an RPE template structure that would allow for this type of real-time row creation based on links in DOORS classic?

Thanks in advance!

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Bob 3 (1482068) | answered Jul 31 '19, 3:41 p.m.
edited Jul 31 '19, 3:41 p.m.

I have an update to this thread. I am really after a bowtie requirement traceability matrix where I can sit on one layer of the product development process (i.e. user needs) and look "up" from there to design inputs and "down" from there to system requirements, subsystem requirements, component requirements, etc. It does not appear to me that RPE can produce a report like this as of RPE 6.0.6 iFix001.


After reaching an impasse with RPE's capability to meet my publishing requirements, I reverted to writing a custom DXL export tool to meet my product requirement matrix bowtie-style report requirements.

I think that RPE should be able to produce bowtie traceability reports. What I mean by bowtie reports is to use a particular category of artifact as the basis of the report and then explore traceability coming off both sides of the artifact. An additional example could be where the report sits on a system requirement and explores the user needs (first layer of upward traceability) and design inputs links (second layer of upward traceability), while also exploring the subsystem (first layer of downward traceability) and component links (second layer of downward traceability).

This necessitates that more than one condition trigger the creation of a new table row in the RPE template, which I have not found a way to accomplish. In RPE, I can trigger the creation of a table row by whatever query is on or above the Row element in the template. I cannot have multiple inputs to trigger the row creation, which is what I really need: 1) whenever more than one user need is linked to the system requirement 2) whenever more than one design input is linked to a user need 3) whenever more than one subsystem requirement is linked to the system requirement 4) whenever more than one component requirement is linked to the subsystem requirement (etc.)

I even tried embedding a Table element within a table Cell element, which RPE let me do in the Studio, but then document generation crashed at publish time.

I have opened an IBM support case about this matter.

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