How would we work without those ubiquitous columns and rows?
It may have started with Visicalc but these days it is hard to find an aspect of our organisational life that doesn’t have a spreadsheet in it. So during spreadsheet day 2017 try and think what it would be like adding up your budget by hand, working out hours worked per project, or even listing the office Christmas dinner totals.
Cradle supports a Microsoft Excel® capture utility directly bringing data in or CSV import from any spreadsheet’s saved output.
Capture
When the Office Toolsuite has been installed with Cradle you are able to capture information from Microsoft Excel® directly into Cradle. On the sheet of interest select the Cradle Toolbar and Login to Cradle. Then select Capture and in the resultant Data Capture dialog, assign the correct columns to the item attributes in the database. You can change the Options… to overwrite or merge the data and you can Validate the data before Capture. The resultant capture can be viewed in Cradle via Workbench or Web Access. You will of course need the privilege to ITEM_CREATE.
Excel® Capture Facility
Import CSV
To import items into Cradle you will additionally need the IMPORT privilege. This is similar to the Capture utility, but can be run with any CSV source. Selecting CSV as the import type and then assigning each of the columns to the attributes of the item, will allow the data to be imported into Cradle. More details about the CSV format can be found in the Cradle Help.
So why not celebrate everything columnar on spreadsheet day 2017 and capture some information into Cradle.
If you have a really old version of Cradle you may need to remove the old plug-ins
A Cradle database can store any number of items. Each item has an item type. Often it is easy to decide when to create a new item type, but sometimes it is not obvious.
When to Create a New Item Type
In general, there are 4 reasons to create a new item type:
You want the items to have a different set of attributes (and perhaps therefore a different set of views) to any other item type. Your schema may already have an item type that is similar to the item type that you are considering. You could add the new attributes to this item type and then simply ‘ignore’ the extra attributes when they are not needed. if this would be too confusing, you will definitely need a new item type.
You need to be able to enforce a different set of link rules for the items. For example, these ‘subsystem requirements’ may (and probably do) need different linking rules to the system requirements.
You need a different workflow (review process) for the items, for example a different way of reviewing them, or different approvers, or a different way of dealing with rework when reviewers reject items.
Using a different item type is the easiest way to distinguish the items from items of other item types, either to create queries, reports, documents, metrics or dashboards.
The last of these reasons is not as good a reason as the other three. Before creating an item type for this reason, it would be sensible to first consider whether these items (for the possible new item type) could be found with a category-based, or key-based, or even comment-based query. The comment attribute is used to store the names of source documents for items that are captured by Document Loader.
Limitations
You can create any number of item types that in the databases of CradleEnterprise systems. All of Cradle’ssingle-user products have a limit of 50 item types.
Creating an Item Type
Details of creating a new item type is covered in this post:
Creating New Item Types
Automatic Definitions
When you create an item type, Cradle will automatically:
Create a set of queries for the item type, accessible from the Quick Access Bar
Parametrics can be very useful in Document Publisher. It uses a question mark ? as a marker to Document Publisher that this is an option and needs to be filled/selected by the user.
It can allow users to set the Identity/key of a single item or more to be output. This can be used in a hierarchy or with a single item type. Parametrics can also be used to set different properties and options in filters.
Single Parametrics
Using a single Parametric (?) allows a user to publish a template many times but use a different item Identity or Key each time. Note: Using a single parametric in several places in the template will always use the same item identity or key each time.
A parametric can be used at the database/top level or at the field level to set the items to be published. At the top level the parametric is entered for the Identity or Key.
Single Parametric set at Database levelA popup for a user to set the Key(s) at a database level item.
They can also be used in a filter for field to set or restrict the items to be output.
Using a category to detemine if a field tag is output.
In this case the Requirement attribute of Identity will only be output if its Item Status is set to Accepted.
This allows the user to set the Item Status Option.
As you can see below, only items with a status of Accepted have both the Identity and Key output for the Requirements.
Small excerpt of the items output
Named Parametrics
Using a Named Parametric(?named) means a user can have several different parametrics throughout the template and each can be set at time of publishing. So for example the user can set one named parametric for output based on one option of category (e.g. Agreed) and then later in the template use a different named parametric to output based on a different category option (e.g. Rejected).
Named Parameters for 2 different Paragraph Group Tags
During publishing a popup will allow the user to select Agreed for the first Paragraph Group popup:
Named Parametric for Status 1
They then can select Rejected for the second Paragraph Group popup:
The second popup to select a different Status
The published output will then show the 2 different outputs in the same document.
Output using the above options
These named parameters can even be used in several places within the template. The user may want to show the AgreedRequirements and System Requirements in one document. As both item types use the same category (Item Status in our Demo) then the same named parametric can be used for both item types.
Using Named parametrics for both Requirements and System RequirementsOutput using the same Named Parameters twice
In the above screenshot, the 2 named Parametrics have been used for Requirements and System Requirements and the output shows all the Agreed items but that there are no RejectedSystem Requirements.
We are often asked “Do I need a new security code?”. Obviously, if you are wanting to upgrade from one major release to another e.g. 6.n to 7.n a new code will be needed. You would also need a code from one Cradle point version to another, for example Cradle-7.2 to 7.3.
Configuration File
The other case is when moving your Cradle Database Server (CDS). If you have changed, or are planning to change your server there are two main points to consider and these are discussed below.
Has Your Machine’s MAC Address Changed?
Yes
If the MAC address on your new machine is different from you old machine, then yes, you will need a new Cradle Security Code. Please see the section below on how to request a new code.
NO
If your machine’s MAC address has not changed then you do not need a new security code. Your existing code will continue to work on the new machine.
How to Request a New Cradle Security Code?
c_hostid.exe
If you require a new security code please send an email to support@threesl.com containing the MAC address of you new machine and the Cradle Version you require a code for. You can run the Cradle utility Host ID from the start menu or C:\Program Files\Cradle\bin\exe\windows\c_hostid.exe
Octo is 8 after all, from Latin octo, Greek okto. In Romulus’s calendar, when the year started in March, it was the 8th month. However, given they only had 10 months, they also had around 50 days of ‘winter’ that didn’t really have a name. For a time we then ended up with 13 months, but in the final Julian system, only January and February remained inserted at the beginning of the year. Roman emperors were honoured by renaming a couple of months and we are where we are today. “OK, what’s the point”, we hear you cry. It’s that nothing is really stable, something currently taken for granted (months of the year) has a long complex history. So do many projects. They start off in one direction with one set of assumptions, constraints and regulations and then……BANG! A change is dropped on your desk which changes the original assumptions, impacts the design, has repercussions for tests and so on. Taking a baseline when things are relatively stable is a good way to record the status-quo in your project at any one time. Lock down things as they stand so you have a stable footing against which to document and measure change. Check at what point Mercedonius (month of wages) was retired. Use formal Change Requests and Change Tasks to record why an alteration is needed. (Because Julius said reform, because Augustus needs to be honoured). Use the trace facilities of cross references and suspect integrityhighlighting, in Cradle, to see what impact a change in the chain will have.
New Customers
Welcome to all our new customer’s this quarter. Especially Public Health England who have recently selected Cradle for a major operational plan.
Cradle® has been selected by Public Health England (PHE) to manage the definition and fulfilment of requirements for its Science Hub programme. This £400 million project will design and build a world class national public health science hub and headquarters in Harlow that will bring together personnel from PHE’s Porton, Colindale and central London sites. The PHE Harlow site is scheduled to be fully operational in 2024.
Cradle is a requirements management, enterprise architecture and systems engineering tool that integrates the entire lifecycle of development, organisational and infrastructure projects that use agile or phase-based methods. Cradle is an ideal solution for procurement projects for ITT generation, bid assessment and contract management, by providing traceability between a managed, configuration-controlled multi-user database and all external source and published documents.
Mark Walker, Director of 3SL said:
“We are delighted that PHE has chosen Cradle for this important infrastructure and reorganisation programme. We welcome the opportunity for a long-term partnership with PHE and confident that Cradle will make a significant contribution to the successful realisation of the new PHE Harlow site.”
If you would like to feature your company in the 3SL newsletter, please drop us a line at social-customer@threesl.com
Cradle 7.3.1
If you want the extra facilities or small bug fixes in Cradle 7.3.1, you can download it from the website and install new clients and server across your organisation. There is no need to obtain an additional security code for this point release upgrade. Those on single user versions of Cradle 7.3 can also take advantage of the upgrade. If you have any problems please email or call the Support Department support@threesl.com +44 1229 838867 or contact your local distributor.
Banking Changes
Banking Changes
There are some changes afoot for those that deal with 3SL financially.
As we mentioned last month, if you do business with 3SL you may need to update some of the banking details. We’ll keep you posted here.
The second Tuesday of October (Ada Lovelace Day 2017) sees the celebration of women’s achievements in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths).
Augusta Ada King-Noel, Countess of Lovelace is known for her work on Babbage’s Analytical Engine. By taking maths beyond calculations to create algorithms to run on general machines. To coin a phrase “One of the first computer programmers”
Ada is a structured high-level programming language designed in the late seventies and takes its name from the countess.
ASGs are used to provide a visual representation of the program units (packages, tasks and subprograms) in an Ada software system. You can draw these in Cradle, and of course link them to other Cradle components from requirements to tests.
Whatever you Carbohydrate Requirement – There’s a Noodle for You!
OnInternational Noodle Day 2017, we celebrate this humble food universally eaten worldwide. There, are of course, variants, rice, wheat, eggs in various proportions, wholemeal noodles with a higher fibre content and noodles made from courgettes for people who want the convenience of a noodle without the carbs.
Now trying to put a product slant on Noodle Day may appear tricky. We’ve opted for pointing out that Cradle comes in many variants too! From Single user Requirements Management to Multi User Enterprise Product Lifecycle design and control.
So whether today you choose to have them from a pot with boiling water as a lunch time snack or coated in sesame oil and chilli with chicken and shredded pak-choi for your evening meal. Enjoy a Noodle today! #InternationalNoodleDay
Different Views
Now whether you see a Noodle as a type of Pasta or Pasta as a type of Noodle is a topic for debate. World Pasta Day celebrates the multi variants of this card dish. These opinions can be seen as different viewpoints on the same data (the flour / egg / oil in the recipe). Unlike the traditional classic functional modelling, where the diagram is king, in SysML data is prime. SysML diagrams allow you to show different views on the same data, unlike classic models they don’t need to tell the whole story or balance in the same way. Different user groups may choose to focus on different aspects of the same project and have the same underlying stereotypes, but offer a different top level perspective in their diagram.
3SL are the Proud Suppliers of Cradle, and recognise the importance to good engineering. We also recognise that when students move into industry it is important that they have the skills necessary to make an impact and hit the ground running. This is why we are offering copies of our Requirements Management and Systems Engineering tool at a vastly reduced cost under a special academic discount.
System Design
We would like to give your students the ability to use industry leading MBSE (Model Based Systems Engineering) tools in Functional Analysis and Design such as Yourdon, or SysML (Systems Modelling Language). These link together with the requirements, constraints, risks and test-cases to produce a fully holistic design. This process is understood by engineers worldwide. Cradle is a fully tailorable cradle-to-grave design management tool.
Cradle Enterprise a Full Multi-user Multi-discipline Design Tool
Whilst you can purchase copies of Cradle that support many aspects of the engineering lifecycle for as little as £249 per seat, these are not multi user and have some restrictions. In order to collaborate and teach and make use of all the features users would generally install an Enterprise system. They would then licence each of the features they use for their business. Whilst these licences are fully floating, the users share some resources reducing their costs.
Massive Discount – Save Over £20,000
Discount
We would like to offer any academic department who wish to teach Requirements Management or Systems Engineering techniques to their students ten FREE sets of licences for EVERY module in Cradle. This discount for 10 academic licences gives you a product normally costing approximately £22,200 pounds* All we ask is you pay an annual maintenance cost of £1K.
New Cradle 7.3.1 Feature (Multiple Data Cells – Document View)
We’ve updated Document View in Cradle to allow triggering by content of Multiple Data Cells.
Document View is a style that gives a quick output from a query in a style akin to a document with heading levels being shown in different styles. These are triggered when the hierarchical attribute is present in the first cell.
Multiple Data Cellsallow the combination of data values within one View Cell. If your Multiple Data Cell includes the hierarchical element, its Document Style behaviour will now be the same as if it were the element itself.
In the screen-shot below the Key is shown in the top view and then as part of a Multiple Data Cell in the lower part.
Multiple Cell in Document Style
Output to Hard Copy
When there is no need to create a full formal document through Document Publisher, it is possible to publish the view to HTML or RTF quite easily. Simply ‘right click’ on the text in the view and select Publish Table…. and then ensure that the option Use document-style fonts is selected.
Publish Table – Document Style Fonts
As can be seen in the screen-shot the multiple data cells – Document View Fonts are preserved in the output. Now you can use whichever printer is attached to your system to produce the hard copy from the text in your browser or the RTF file, or save a tree and email the resultant file where appropriate.
Views
Cradle Views are a simple yet flexible way to arrange your tabular query output. To learn more see the help section on Views.
Related Articles
It is possible to copy the text from a multiple cell to your clipboard for use elsewhere.
Opportunities / Jobs with 3SL, producers of Cradle
As an SME 3SL are interested in multi-disciplined individuals to join our team. We value team players who are able to lend a hand to many areas of the business in addition to their core activity. As such, rather than provide a specific job role, we would like to outline the areas that are of most interest to us. For the right individual we will consider creating a suitable role. For more about the opportunities working with 3SL, visit threesl.com/opportunities
