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.
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.
Excluded Items node
This option is designed to be used to exclude objects using the same methods as when setting up rules to include additional objects:
You can use the following options to configure a set of objects that will not be taken into account for Transaction and Function Point counting:
- Free Definition
- By naming
- By inheritance
- by type
See By naming, By inheritance, By type nodes and Free definition node for more information.
Rules set up under Excluded Items will come into force and can be seen in the AFP Calibration node:
- when a new snapshot is generated
- when the Compute action is run
Data in existing snapshots as seen in the Enhancement node will not be impacted by a new exclusion rule added in this node.
Excluded Items node - set as Technical object
This option enables you to designate any objects in the excluded set as "technical objects" in the next snapshot. To designate the objects in the set as "technical" from the next snapshot, set the option to YES (by default it is set to NO):
- NO: When this column is set to NO (default), objects which are Entry Points, Data Entities or End points are excluded i.e. the complete Data Function or Transactional Function that has these objects as entry points, data entities or end points will not considered at all for Function Point calculations. But if these objects are not entry points, data entities or end points but are part of Transactional Function, then they will have an impact on the status of the Transactional Function when the Automated Enhancement Point (AEP) measure is being used (the default).
- YES: When this column is set to YES, objects which may be (but not necessarily) entry points, data entities and end points are considered as "technical objects" and they do not impact the status of Transactional Functions when the Automated Enhancement Point (AEP) measure is being used (the default). If the objects are entry points, data entities or end points the complete Data Function or Transactional Function which have these objects as entry points, data entities or end points will not be considered at all for Function Point calculations and the objects will be considered as "technical objects".
- It is not necessary to use the Recompute checksums and snapshot statuses option when setting the Technical column to YES.
- Values for existing snapshots will not be impacted by this option.
Enhancement nodes
This option is designed to exclude an object when the Recompute checksums and snapshot statuses option is actioned:
To manually exclude an object, right click the object in question in the lower panel of the Data Functions or Transactional Functions nodes and select Exclude <object_name>:
A tick will be placed in the Excluded column as shown below and the object will not be taken into account when you click the Recompute checksums and snapshot statuses option:
- In CAST AIP ≥ 8.3.8 this exclude option will impact only the current snapshot and any future snapshot data. Existing snapshots are not impacted. In CAST AIP ≤ 8.3.8 this exclude option will impact all snapshots!
- An object is automatically included in the Recompute checksums and snapshot statuses option when no tick exists in the Excluded column for the object in question. To manually re-include an object that you have previously excluded manually or via the global exclude option (see Upper right panel): right click the object in question and select Un-exclude <object_name>. A tick will be removed from the Excluded column as shown above and the object will be taken into account when you click the Recompute checksums and snapshot statuses option (see Upper left panel).
- Use the Hide unchanged objects option to remove any objects that have the status Unchanged (in the Object status column). These objects are of no relevance with regard to the Evolution feature.
