Configuration file

The XML configuration file contains all key rules. A rule consists of a list of object attribute names, whose values are used to create the keys. By default, a key is created by combining the values of the specified attribute types. An alternative type of processing can be set by using a different Java class (see below).

Process and hierarchy keys are saved in the database.

Shared fragment keys are also attribute types of the process instances and are saved in the database.

Merge and object keys are written to the corresponding object as an object attribute. Merge keys are saved in the AT_MERGE_KEY_1 to AT_MERGE_KEY_10 attribute types of the referenced object, while the object key is saved in the AT_INTERNAL_OBJECTKEY attribute type.

File keyrules.dtd (part 1):

ppm_customizing_10

File keyrules.dtd (part 2):

ppm_customizing_11

All of the rules specified in the configuration file reference the AT_OBJNAME_INTERN object attribute.

The refobjects XML element specifies a list of objects to which the relevant rule relates. In the refobject XML element, the objecttype XML attribute specifies the object type and the objectname XML element specifies an object identifier. Several objectname XML elements can be specified.

As the key parts (keyparts XML element), specify the names of the attributes to be used to generate the key.

If you want to use a processing type other than combining, in the algorithm XML element specify the name of the Java class (classname XML attribute), which implements a different algorithm for processing the key attribute values.

Warning

The fixed attributes (AT_MERGE_KEY_1 to AT_MERGE_KEY_10) are provided to store calculated merge keys. They may not be changed or assigned values from the XML import.

Keys are calculated when importing the process instance fragments. If you change the key rules for an existing process type, you need to import all process instance fragments of this process type again. Otherwise the subsequent merging of the process instances will lead to unwanted results. Changes to key rules for process instance fragments in a process for which process instances already exist in the PPM system should therefore only be made with extreme caution.
Extending the rules when adding a new process type to the PPM system is not so critical if the existing process instances remain unaffected.