TCC - How to... on Documentation - V2

TCC - Compute

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Compute

When you have completed the calibration process, you now need to Compute the results. Essentially this means forcing the CAST algorithm to recalculate the Automatic Function Point (AFP) values for objects that are:

already in the results and you have changed the Computed FP
new objects that will be detected using the sets you have created

In addition the Compute option will display the results in the AFP Calibration node.

To compute the Function Points:

TCC - Create a Generic Set via Free Definition and include it in a Set

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Create a Generic Set via Free Definition and include it in a Set

This pages describes how to create a new Generic Set via the Free definition node that will detect objects that you can include in other Sets in the Free Definition node. The example below shows how to create sets via Types.

Example scenario:

Your code contains specific data functions (in this case SQL views) that are always named with _company as a suffix.
We will create a Generic Set to detect these objects and include the Generic Set in another Set.

Example

Move to the Free definition node - in this example we are creating a Generic Set to detect objects that will be classed as Data Functions, so we are working in the Free definition node under the parent Data Functions node:

TCC - Create a Set via Free Definition

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Create a Set via Free Definition

This pages describes how to create a new set via the Free definition node that will detect objects that you want to calibrate. The example below shows how to create sets via Types.

Example scenario:

Your code contains specific data functions (in this case SQL views) that are always named with _company as a suffix.
You want these SQL views to always be counted using a specific DET and RET value - in this case 30 (DET) and 5 (RET)

Example

Move to the Free definition node - in this example we are creating a Set to detect objects that will be classed as Data Entities, so we are working in the Free definition node under the parent Data Entities node:

TCC - Display statistics

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Display statistics

The CAST Transaction Configuration Center can provide predefined statistics related to the application. Along with information on the Data Functions/Transactional Functions themselves, statistics results also involve artifacts, and some other topics that may help in the understanding of the Function Point results, or on the contrary why some values are small or even equal to zero.

To display statistics, you can:

Use the Command Line Interface (CLI) with the -CreateAppliStatsForTR option.
Use the GUI: right click on the AFP Calibration node in the My System > Application nodes and select Display transaction statistics > Statistics report:

TCC - Exclude objects

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Exclude objects

Some objects may not be of interest for Transaction and Function Point counting and therefore the CAST Transaction Configuration Center provides various methods to exclude objects.

Info

When two Data Functions are merged (see TCC - Merge/Unsplit objects) and you exclude the main table belonging to one of the items in the merged Data Function and subsequently regenerate a snapshot, the status of the merged Data Function will be shown as modified in the new snapshot, even though the Data Function and the excluded objects have not changed. As such CAST does not recommend performing this action since it may skew your results.

TCC - Export content to CSV file

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Export content to CSV file

You can now export data to CSV file. The option is available in the following locations as a right click contextual menu:

AFP Calibration node / Enhancement node:right click the Data Functions or Transactional Functions nodes

A contextual menu will be displayed containing the Export content to CSV file option:

TCC - Generate sets

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Generate sets

The Generate Sets option can be accessed in the System node - Right hand panel:

In the Transaction Configuration node - Right hand panel (Generate data function sets, Generate transaction end point sets, Generate transaction end point sets and Generate excluded items sets buttons)
In the Built-in parameters node - Right hand panel using the Generate data record object sets / Generate ignored tables
In the By naming, By inheritance, By type nodes - Right hand panel using the right click short-cut menu (Generate set or Generate all sets)
In the Free definition - Right hand panel using the right click short cut menu on a Set (either in the upper panels or in the Design panel - Generate set or Generate all sets))

What does it do?

The Generate Sets option will launch the CAST Transaction Configuration Center algorithm and a list of objects that match the sets will be displayed:

TCC - Import configuration / Export configuration

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Import configuration / Export configuration

When you have created your sets you may wish to export their configuration to file for re-use in another instance of the CAST Transaction Configuration Center.

To do so:

Right click either the root Templates node or the Transaction Configuration node under the System > Application hierarchy
Select Import configuration or Export configuration as appropriate (to use the Import configuration option you need to have already used the Export setup option or have a .TCCSetup file to use)
Then:
- When exporting, you will be prompted for a name and location for the export file (this will be an XML type file with a .TCCSetup suffix) and the package whose rules will be exported to the xml file
- When importing, you will be prompted for the name and location of the file you want to import - the import will overwrite your existing set configuration. On import the rules/sets will appear as a Custom package in the Transaction Configuration node - Right hand panel and all sub nodes (Entry Points, Data Entities, End points, Excluded Items - Right hand panel):

TCC - Modify existing sets

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Modify existing sets

It is possible to modify existing sets in both the System node and Templates node (except for sets in the Built-in parameters node).

System node

When modifying existing sets in the System node, there is no impact on any other node. You will, however, need to generate the set to ensure that it is correctly working and then use the Compute option to display the new results.

Template node

If you modify an existing set in the Template node, please bear the following points in mind:

TCC - Set creation

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Set creation

This pages describes how to create a new set that will detect objects that you want to calibrate.

The below example shows just one way of creating a set (detection by object name), you can, however, use other methods: by inheritance and by type - these are explained further in:

Example scenario:

TCC - Show rules

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Show rules

If you would like to see the reason why an object has been designated as a Data Function or a Transactional Function, there are two methods:

use the Show Rules option in the AFP Calibration node - Right hand panel child nodes (Data Functions/Transactional Functions sub-nodes - Right hand panel)
use the Show Rules option when Generating a set

In both case, the following window will be displayed, listing the reasons why an object was included. In the example below, the object “ListTitles.jsp” matches a rule in the Transaction entry points node > Free definition node called Standard Entry Point -web.

TCC - Update Configuration

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Update Configuration

The CAST Transaction Configuration Center includes a feature called Update Configuration that allows you to apply updates to your set definitions from an XML based file (a .TCCSetup file). This XML file may have been sent to you by CAST or is provided as part of an AIP extension.

The update will be applied ONLY to the Templates node.

Applying a file
Create a .TCCSetup file
Manually updating the .TCCSetup file

Applying a file

To apply a .TCCSetup file, right click the root Templates node and select Update Configuration:

TCC - Use the Command Line Interface (CLI)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Info

Summary: This section of documentation provides an explanation of how to use the CAST Transaction Configuration Center in an automated and repeatable way.

Prerequisites

Before you can starting using the CAST Transaction Configuration CLI, you must ensure that you meet the following requirements:


✅	An installation of CAST AIP is required, which must be located on the machine you wish to run the CLI from.

How does it work?

The CAST Transaction Configuration CLI includes multiple command arguments to perform various different actions including:

TCC - Using and working with Impact Factor

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Using and working with Impact Factor

Note that Impact Factor is ONLY used when the measurement mode is set to Enhancement Function Points (EFP) in the CAST Management Studio. If the mode is set to the default Automated Enhancement Points (AEP) then a read-only Complexity Factor is used instead.

An Impact Factor is a value that is applied to a Transactional Function or a Data Function. By default, all Transactional Functions / Data Functions are given a default Impact Factor value of 1.0 - this can be seen in the Enhancement node - Right hand panel by selecting either the Data Function or the Transactional Functions sub node:

TCC - Using Transaction Graph Adjustment

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction

The purpose of Transaction graph adjustment is to allow end-users to make changes to links that are used for building Transaction graphs without affecting information stored by CAST AIP analysis tools in the Analysis Service schema.

Transaction graphs are built using objects and links stored in the Analysis Service schema by CAST AIP analysis tools (such as Analyzers, Extensions, Reference Finder, KB Update Assistant, etc.) and many of the Function Points related features are based on these Transaction graphs, whose quality strongly defines the accuracy of their results.

TCC - View call graph and View full call graph

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

View call graph and View full call graph

The CAST Transaction Configuration Center provides a graphical representation of an object’s call links to enable you to quickly view how Data Functions and Transactions interact with each other. You can click one object and see a graphical representation of all of the objects that it calls and it is called by.

To view a call graph:

Move to the AFP Calibration node - Right hand panel
Right click a Data Function or a Transactional Function and then select either:
- View call graph
- View full call graph
A new window will open displaying a graphical representation of all the objects that interact with the selected object:

TCC - View source code

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

View source code

If you would like to see the source code that forms an object you can do so as follows:

Via the AFP Calibration node (Transactional Functions only)
Via the Full Call Graph and Call Graph windows (Transactions and Datafunctions)

Via the AFP Calibration node (Transactional Functions only)

Double click a Transactional Function in right hand panel of the AFP Calibration > Transactional Function node
Right click a Transactional Function in right hand panel of the AFP Calibration > Transactional Function node and select View source code:

TCC - Where should sets be created?

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Where should sets be created?

If you are creating new sets to detect objects that you want to calibrate (see Set creation), the following page describes where you should create these sets.

There are two places in which you can create sets, and the location you choose depends entirely on your environment and how you want to configure the CAST Transaction Configuration Center:


Templates node	You should only create sets here if you want to export them to file (.TCCSetup) for distribution and then re-used and applied to live Systems/Applications via an import. Note that sets you create in the Templates node will NOT be be applied automatically to any existing Systems/Applications that are already displayed in the CAST Transaction Configuration Center. Instead, please cut/and paste the set/sets from the Templates node to the System node.
System node	You should create sets in this node that are only applicable to the System/Application in question.

Templates node

You should only create sets here if you want to export them to file (.TCCSetup) for distribution and then re-used and applied to live Systems/Applications via an import. Note that sets you create in the Templates node will NOT be be applied automatically to any existing Systems/Applications that are already displayed in the CAST Transaction Configuration Center. Instead, please cut/and paste the set/sets from the Templates node to the System node.

System node

You should create sets in this node that are only applicable to the System/Application in question.

TCC - Working with block elements

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Working with block elements

When a Layer or Set is displayed in the Free Definition window with one basic All objects (with sub-objects) matching text box like this (this can be achieved by right clicking the layer or set and selecting Add selection criteria):

You can then right click the All objects text and use the available options to create more complex selection criteria:

Each option is explained below:

TCC - Working with multiple selection criteria

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Working with multiple selection criteria

The example given in Create a Set via Free Definition assigns two criteria to one Set todetect all SQL views ending with “_company”. This results in the following Set:

Note that the two criteria are located within the All objects matching text box. This ensures that an AND match is created (circled in red) and all criteria in that text box must be met.

If, however you want to assign all SQL views OR all objects (of any type, not just SQL tables) ending with “_company”, you need to define the layer as follows into separate criteria using the OR condition:

TCC - Working with standard configuration files (.TCCSetup)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Working with standard configuration files (.TCCSetup)

Introduction
Loading the configuration files: the automatic configuration refresh process
Enabling/disabling the automatic configuration refresh process
Upgrade process for “old” applications using the new “Load TCC configuration files automatically” feature

Introduction

The CAST Transaction Configuration Center implements an automatic “configuration loading mechanism” based on the standard .TCCSetup files present in the CAST AIP installation folder and any installed extensions folders. TCCSetup files (standard configuration files) contain configuration parameters to automatically define Entry Points, Data Entities, End points and Excluded Items and are known as Packages.

TCC - Working with sub-objects and external objects

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Working with sub-objects and external objects

If you are dragging and dropping identification, types and categories from the Types & Properties panel (in Free definition - Right hand panel) to create your selection criteria in a Set, by default, the CAST Transaction Configuration Center will use the basic All objects matching criterion. This will match all objects with any of the criteria you are using.

With regard to sub-objects and external objects, the default behaviour is as follows:

TCC - How to... on Documentation - V2

TCC - Compute

Compute

TCC - Create a Generic Set via Free Definition and include it in a Set

Create a Generic Set via Free Definition and include it in a Set

Example

TCC - Create a Set via Free Definition

Create a Set via Free Definition

Example

TCC - Display statistics

Display statistics

TCC - Exclude objects

Exclude objects

TCC - Export content to CSV file

Export content to CSV file

TCC - Generate sets

Generate sets

What does it do?

TCC - Import configuration / Export configuration

Import configuration / Export configuration

TCC - Modify existing sets

Modify existing sets

System node

Template node

TCC - Set creation

Set creation

TCC - Show rules

Show rules

TCC - Update Configuration

Update Configuration

Applying a file

TCC - Use the Command Line Interface (CLI)

Prerequisites

How does it work?

TCC - Using and working with Impact Factor

Using and working with Impact Factor

TCC - Using Transaction Graph Adjustment

Introduction

TCC - View call graph and View full call graph

View call graph and View full call graph

TCC - View source code

View source code

Via the AFP Calibration node (Transactional Functions only)

TCC - Where should sets be created?

Where should sets be created?

See Also

TCC - Working with block elements

Working with block elements

TCC - Working with multiple selection criteria

Working with multiple selection criteria

TCC - Working with standard configuration files (.TCCSetup)

Working with standard configuration files (.TCCSetup)

Introduction

TCC - Working with sub-objects and external objects

Working with sub-objects and external objects