Settings

Share Assessment Model Settings

Available in ≥ 1.23.

This feature allows you to apply the same Assessment Model customization to all applications managed in Console:

DisabledDefault position: Assessment Model customization is managed on a per Application basis in the Application - Config - Assessment Model page. All users that have permission to interact with a given application will be able to make changes to the Assessment Model settings for that application.
Enabled

When enabled:

If you need to make specific customizations for specific applications, you should NOT enable this option.

Workflow when option enabled

Login as a user with the Admin role and enable the Share Assessment Model Settings option in the current Administration Center - Settings - Assessment Model Strategy page. Assessment Model changes are now shared for all applications managed in Console. Now browse to the Application - Config - Assessment Model page for any application managed in Console (it does not matter which Application you choose to make the changes in) and make the changes you need to make, i.e. change a rule weight, criticity, or activate/deactivate a rule:

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Return to the Share Assessment Model Settings option page in the current Administration Center - Settings - Assessment Model Strategy page - any changes you made will now be visible in the list. For example, in the following image, changes have been made to two rules:

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In the Application - Config - Assessment Model page for any application managed in Console an icon indicates that changes have been made to the rule at "shared" level:

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Deleting a shared customization record

If you do not want to keep a shared customization, use the delete option in the Share Assessment Model Settings option page in the current Administration Center - Settings - Assessment Model Strategy page:

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When a record is deleted:

  • The icon indicating that changes have been made to the rule at "shared" level will be removed from the rule in the Application - Config - Assessment Model page.
  • Deleting a shared customization does not mean that the original setting/option will be restored to each Assessment Model at application level - instead the change will remain as it was just before it was deleted at shared level.
  • Console does not retain the value for any option in an Assessment Model at Application level prior to being customized as a shared record, therefore if you delete a customized shared record, there is no method to return the option to its previous value at application level.

Technical notes

  • Changes are propagated to other application Assessment Models when:
  • When a customization is present in the Share Assessment Model Settings option page in the current Administration Center - Settings - Assessment Model Strategy page, you can make additional changes in this page, or you can make changes at application level in the Application - Config - Assessment Model page.
  • When a rule is activated or deactivated, it does not depend on the parent Technical Criterion to which it is linked. Therefore a change of this state when shared mode is active will be propagated to every other Technical Criterion in which the rule appears.

Upgrade Strategy

These options govern how Console should deal with Assessment Model "fragments" when upgrading the application to a new release of AIP Core, and when an existing extension is upgraded to a new release.

Assessment Model "fragments" are the rule definitions that are embedded in AIP Core and in extensions. Take for example the HTML5/JavaScript extension: this extension (like other CAST extensions) contains an Assessment Model fragment that defines multiple rules that are specific to the extension (for example, in release 2.1.1 of the HTML5/JavaScript extension, 53 rules were provided). Each time a new release of an extension or AIP Core is published, changes may be made to these Assessment Model fragments (i.e. rules), for example:

  • new rules may be added
  • existing rules may be detached or disabled
  • existing settings and parameters in existing rules may be modified

Changes to rules are an inevitable (but positive) consequence of the improvement and expansion of the platform, however, changes will also impact the results of your analyses when you compare results produced with different releases of AIP Core/extension. For example:

  • new rules and bug fixes or improvements to existing rules introduced in a new release of AIP Core or an extension can potentially uncover additional violations that were not present in the analysis results performed with the previous release of AIP Core or the extension even though the source code may not have changed.
  • Likewise, bug fixes or the deactivation of existing rules in a new release of AIP Core or an extension can potentially reduce the number of violations in comparison to the number that were recorded when using the previous release of AIP Core or the extension even though the source code may not have changed.

As a consequence, Console provides options that allow you to make a choice about how the Assessment Model fragments in AIP Core or in extensions are handled during an upgrade to a new release of AIP Core or a new release of an extension. These settings are applicable at global level, i.e. to all Applications managed in Console:

OptionAvailable in ConsoleDescription
Preserve Assessment Model but enable new rules≥ 1.21

This option is the default option. It provides a "minimum" impact to existing analysis results, as follows:

  • The existing Assessment Model fragment is preserved for the most part and the following settings are retained:
    • the status of existing rules that have manually been deactivated
    • existing thresholds
    • existing weights - except rules that have been manually set to 0 weight which will be reverted to the default weight
    • existing critical contributions
    • existing parameter values
    • existing custom indicators
    • existing custom rules
  • Any new rules provided in the new Assessment Model fragment will be enabled.

Note that the existing Assessment Model fragment will still be subject to an upgrade process and the following settings will be overwritten by the new Assessment Model fragment:

  • SQL and property implementation settings
  • applicable technologies
  • existing associate values
  • existing documentation
  • parameter names and types
This option has been the "default" in Console ≤ 1.20.
Preserve Assessment Model and get new rules for information≥ 1.22

This option is designed for those that want to "preview" any new rules added to the Assessment Model fragment. It is identical to the Preserve Assessment Model but enable new rules option, except that:

  • Any new rules provided in the new Assessment Model fragment will be enabled but their weight will be set to zero
  • Any rules that are reattached will be attached but their weight will be set to zero
  • Any detached or deactivated rules in the Assessment Model fragment will be ignored

A rule with zero weight is a rule that is both enabled (active), but has no impact on any parent technical criterion - this means that the rule can be "previewed" (i.e. violations can be seen) without impacting any grades. You can find out more about this in Grade and compliance score calculation.

Note that when using this option for an AIP Core upgrade, if your target AIP Core release is ≤ 8.3.31, then the legacy behaviour will be actioned, i.e.: new rules will be disabled, instead of being enabled but set to zero weight.
Upgrade Assessment Model≥ 1.21

This option can be thought of as the "reset" option. There will be more impact to existing analysis results when using this option, as described below:

  • The existing Assessment Model fragment will be overwritten with the new Assessment Model fragment, except for:
    • the status of existing rules that have manually been deactivated
    • existing parameter values
  • Any new rules provided in the new Assessment Model fragment will be enabled