CAST Report Generator - Release Notes - 1.5.x

On this page:

Release 1.5.1

Resoved issues

The following bugs have been fixed in this release:

Release 1.5.0

New features

New templates for generic graphs and tables - Application level

Two new templates have been provided in both Word and PowerPoint format. These templates provide multiple example configurations that provide a means to generate reports based on generic graphs and tables. These graphs and tables are completely flexible and can be filled with custom data that meets the requirements. All details are provided in the templates themselves:

• Generic Table Definition.pptx / Generic Table Definition.docx
• Generic Graph Definition.pptx / Generic Graph Definition.docx

New Word format library templates

Two new Word format library templates have been provided:

• 2- Word-components-new-library.docx
• Portfolio/2- Porftolio-Word-components-new-library.docx

These templates introduce a new method (identical to the method available in existing PowerPoint templates) for including shapes (textbox, tables and graphs) without a “Control component”. Benefits: simple to configure, more capabilities, easier to position in a Word document:

Text placeholders

Select the text box:

• right click for the contextual menu
• then select Format Shape.

In the Format Shape menu:

• Shape Options
• Layout & Properties
• Alt Text
• fill in the Description field with the component options

Click to enlarge:

Graph placeholders

Select the chart:

• right click for the contextual menu
• then select Format Chart Area.

In the Format Chart Area menu:

• Chart Options
• Layout & Properties
• Alt Text
• fill in the Description field with the component options

Click to enlarge:

Table placeholders

Select the table:

• right click for the contextual menu
• then Table Properties.
• Alt Text tab
• fill in the Description field.

Click to enlarge:

Access to RestAPI

• Access to the RestAPI > It is now possible to access the RestAPI using the Report Generator when:
  • a proxy is configured on the workstation (the parameters  have been added to the Report Generator internal configuration
  • the web application server on which the RestAPI is installed is configured not to use the TLSv1.0 and only TLSv1.2 is permitted

Custom Business Criterion IDs

It is now possible to use the ID of a custom Business Criterion for all of the following components (which already accept standard Business Criterion IDs):

• APPLICATION_METRIC
• CUSTOM_EXPRESSION
• BC_BY_TECHNO
• TOP_CRITICAL_VIOLATIONS
• TOP_CRITICAL_VIOLATIONS_EVOLUTION
• TC_IMPROVMENT_OPPORTUNITY
• RULE_IMPROVMENT_OPPORTUNITY
• RULES_LIST
• CRITERIA_GRADE
• RULE_NAME_DESCRIPTION_TOPCRITVIOL
• METRIC_TOP_ARTEFACT
• TECHNICAL_CRITERIA_RULES

Distinguishing between identical Applications on Measurement and Dashboard Service databases

The CAST Report Generator will now prefix Application names with the “domain” name (as configured in the context.xml file in the RestAPI). Typically, “AED” is the domain used for Applications in the Dashboard Service database and “AAD” is the domain used for Applications in the Measurement Service database, but custom “domain” names can also be configured and the CAST Report Generator will use these. This allows you to select the correct Application knowing that Applications/Snapshots in the Measurement Service database do NOT include as much information as those in the Dashboard Service. See also Distinguishing between identical Applications on Measurement and Dashboard Service databases:

New components added for templates

GENERIC items

TREND_METRIC_ID

This component is “generic” as it can be used with Quality Indicators (BC, TC or QR), Sizing Measures or Background Facts (regardless of type), using theirs IDs.

• To use this component with Quality Indicators, use the option QID= giving a list of indicators separated by the character |
• To use this component with Sizing Measures, use the option SID= giving a list of measures separated by the character**|**
• To use this component with Background Facts, use the optionBID= giving a list of facts separated by the haracter**|**

Note the following:

• You can add a maximum of 10 IDs using the templates given in the 1- Powerpoint-components-library.pptx and2- Word-components-new-library.docx templates libraries, but note that you can use more than 10 IDs if you modify the templates to add columns in the data of the graph).
• The key produced for the resulting graph is automatic.
• You should not mix indicator types in one graph (for example Quality Indicators with Sizing Measures), because the scales of axis are very different, and your graph will not be usable

Examples:

GRAPH;TREND_METRIC_ID;QID=60017|60016|60011
GRAPH;TREND_METRIC_ID;SID=10151|67211
GRAPH;TREND_METRIC_ID;BID=66061|66062

RADAR_METRIC_ID

This component is “generic” as it can be used to obtain a “radar” with Quality Indicator (BC, TC or QR) metric IDs.

 Options:

• ID=list of metric IDs (BC, TC or QR) separated by the | character, for example ID=ID=60017|60016|66031|61007|7156|3566
• SNAPSHOT=CURRENT or PREVIOUS or BOTH

Example:

GRAPH;RADAR_METRIC_ID;ID=60017|60016|66031|61007|7156|3566,SNAPSHOT=BOTH

VIOLATION_SUMMARY

This component is generic and can be used in Word/PowerPoint/Excel templates. It can be used to extract the following information:

• to display violations for the whole application or for modules
• to include critical rules or not
• to include the non-critical rules or not
• to show the “Grade” column or not
• to show the “Total Checks” column or not
• to show the “Added” and “Removed” columns (0 by default)
• to show the “Failed Checks” column or not
• to show the “Successful Checks” column or not
• to show the “Compliance Ratio” column or not

In Word documents, options are defined in the Table properties, Alt Text tab, description field:

Click to enlarge:

In PowerPoint documents, options are defined via Format Shape, Alt Text tab, description field:

Click to enlarge:

Options

• Options : MODULE=1|0 display results for application (=0 by default) or per module (=1)
• Options : CRITICAL=1|0 include (=1 by default)/do not include (=0) critical violations
• Options : NONCRITICAL=1|0 include (=1)/do not include (=0 by default) non-critical violations
• Options : GRADE=1|0 show (=1 by default)/hide (=0) “Grade” column
• Options : TOTAL=1|0 show (=1 by default)/hide (=0) “Total Checks” column
• Options : FAILED=1|0 show (=1)/hide (=0 by default) “# Violations” column
• Options : SUCCESSFUL=1|0 show (=1)/hide (=0 by default) “Successful checks” column
• Options : ADDEDREMOVED=1|0 show (=1)/hide (=0 by default) “Added” and “Removed” columns
• Options : COMPLIANCE=1|0 show (=1)/hide (=0 by default) “Compliance Ratio” column
• Options : COUNT=-1|N Display only N results or all results if -1 (5 by default)

Other items

PF_BC_RELEASE_PERFORMANCE

• SLA view (block PF_BC_RELEASE_PERFORMANCE) had been added to the new the Word portfolio library template (Portfolio/2- Porftolio-Word-components-new-library.docx)

APPLICATION_METRIC

The component APPLICATION_METRIC has been added - it provides the result value or grade for the metric id. It takes SNAPSHOT as an option (see SNAPSHOT below):

• Block Name = APPLICATION_METRIC
• Options =
• ID=QualityRuleId or TechnicalCriterionId or BusinessCriterionId
  • Or SZID=Sizing Measure Id
  • Or BFID = Background Fact Id
• SNAPSHOT=PREVIOUS | CURRENT (CURRENT by default)
• FORMAT = N0 | N2 (only for Sizing Measure or Background Fact)

Custom Expression items

CUSTOM_EXPRESSION (for Application level)

• Block Name = CUSTOM_EXPRESSION
• Options =
  • PARAMS=SZ a SZ b, (SZ for Sizing Measure, QR for Quality Rule, BF for Background Fact)
  • EXPR=b/a, (operators can be +, -, *, / , (, ) )
  • a=67011,
  • b=67010,
  • FORMAT=N0 (N2 by default, if nothing or erroneous format is set),
  • SNAPSHOT = CURRENT|PREVIOUS with CURRENT by default (or if erroneous or nothing is set) to get the custom expression for the current or the previous snapshot

PF_CUSTOM_EXPRESSION (for Portfolio level)

• Block Name = PF_CUSTOM_EXPRESSION
• Options =
  • PARAMS=SZ a SZ b, (SZ for Sizing Measure, QR for Quality Rule, BF for Background Fact)
  • EXPR=b/a, (operators can be +, -, *, / , (, ) )
  • a=67011,
  • b=67010,
  • FORMAT=N0 (N2 by default, if nothing or erroneous format is set),
  • AGGREGATOR=SUM|AVERAGE (for portfolio component, to aggregate results of all applications for the custom expression, AVERAGE by default or if erroneous format is set)

New options added for components in templates

SNAPSHOT

The option “SNAPSHOT” has been added for the following components:

• APPLICATION_RULE
• RULE_TOTAL_CHECKS
• RULE_FAILED_CHECKS
• RULE_FAILED_ON_TOTAL_CHECKS

If you set this option to PREVIOUS, you will get the results for the previous snapshot. If you set anything else or nothing, you will get the results for the current snapshot.

Resolved issues