Whatever your Systems Engineering tasks you can use diagrams to illustrate the various components. In classic functional modelling the Essential domain shows the operational, theoretical, side of the design, and the Implementation domain models the actual real world components.
Death Star DFD
The Context Diagram shows the entire system or subsystem as one process with the exchanges of information between it and its environment. In today’s example, this is the ‘Death Star‘ , the external environment being the universe!
From the context diagram a set of hierarchical Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs) give a view of units of functionality and the exchanges of data between these units. So we would expect DFDs covering the Emperor’s Tower, Surface City, Superlaser Focus Lens and so on. So May the Fourth Be With you, and all your modelling.
Do you want to run your reports faster or wish you could run them overnight or at weekends so they are ready when you arrive at work in the morning? With batch file reports, you can do this quickly and easily.
What is a Batch File?
A batch file contains a series of DOS commands, and is commonly written to automate frequently performed tasks including publishing reports and documents. Instead of typing the same commands over and over in a Command Prompt, you can simply double-click the batch file or use Windows Task Scheduler to set it running during down times e.g. over night or weekends which then creates all the reports you require.
The following report will show you how to create a batch file for these reports.
How to Write a Batch File for Reporting
Using a plain text application like Notepad, you need to first set the folder the application to be used is in. In this case, it is in the same place all Cradle applications are held, the command does need to be surrounded by quotes
“%CRADLEHOME%\bin\exe\windows\c_table.exe”
You then need the login information to the project that you would normally would when using a Command Prompt.
-login admin,ADMIN,demo or -login reqman,REQMAN,demo
After these 2 necessary parts, you need the options for the report; you can find these options in our online Help System for c_table. If you are already in the Command Prompt in the correct location then just type in c_table and you will see the Information popup.
C_Table Command Options
Once you have finished writing you batch file, the command should look something like this:
Remember to put quotes around any options with spaces in them e.g. “Requirements – All”
Save this file using the DOS extension of .bat e.g. batch file reports.bat
How to Run a Batch File for Reports
Running a batch file is simple, as long as all the options in the commands are correct; just double click on the .bat file. You will see a Command Prompt open and as each report finished, the next will begin.
Command Lines for Batch File ReportingReports in the Temp Folder
As you will see running batch file reports is quicker and easier. You can also then add any reports you require to the file. The newly added reports are then also published the next time you run the batch file.
If you wish to use Task Scheduler for out of hour’s usage, you can find information here on the Microsoft website.
You can also use batch files for import and exporting through the c_io, publishing documents through Document Publisher and converting CSV information into a Cradle import/export file for loading into a Cradle PDB using the CSV Converter Utility.
