Project with CVS - best deployment solution?

[Jan Pacovsky]

Hello,
we're starting a new project with EA and I need to set it up.
I have following requirements:
1) Project is version controlled by CVS.
2) We have multiple users that can work with the model.
3) Users can work offline and later commit their changes.
4) EAP project should contain some templates, baselines, glossary and some additional information.

I studied provided documents about version control and deployment and I still don't get some things:
1) When I decide to use "Private model" deployment schema I'm able to control versions, have multiple users work with the model, even offline. But when I add some templates during the project, each user should replace his model with a new version of eap, that will contain new template. Am I right?
Does it mean that any "project-related" information (such as glossary, templates, baselines etc.) can be distributed to users only via model itself not via version control (cvs)? I think it's right, because version control is only related to packages (not templates, not glossary, not baselines...).

2) "Shared model" deployment schema (seems to me) should solve the problem with sharing "project-related" stuff mentioned above. But in this case, users cannot work offline - they won't have direct access to shared eap model.
Is it possible - for offline purposes - create temporary private model, check-out necessary packages, offline modify and finally check-in new version and then continue work with shared model?
---

Well, I think, that the private model deployment scheme could be better for our purposes (because project-related things we plan to use won't change very often). Or maybe we could use the second schema with ad-hoc private models for offline purposes (if it's possible).

Thanks for your answers and oppinions...

[Jan Pacovsky]

anyone can help?

[thomaskilian]

Regarding 1) you're simply right (as I see it)

Regarding 2) I'm not much used to team work (currently) but I think it should be possible to check out XML'ed packages and have users work offline with them. It's probably neccessary to have a model manager to check in the changes at a central place then (except you have very disciplined users).

[mfritz]

ad 1) there is a possibility to share project wide settings among other users, but there is some manual work to do.

1. export project settings (tools | export reference data)
2. add the exported xml-file to your project in your cvs
3. all other users get the lates version of this settings-file
4. all other users have to import this settings file (tools | import reference data)

of course this way is not very comfortable, but it works.

[Jan Pacovsky]

Thanks a lot for your answers. As long as the offline work will be only occasional I decided to choose the second solution - shared model + private EAPs when neccessary. We'll see whether this decision is right or not. :-)

[jamessher]

I am trying to set up similar for our organisation and have come up with the same basic options. Unfortunately for me your last posting was only about 1 month ago so I guess enough time hasn’t passed to be able to tell if you have a good solution in place, but I would be interested in any thoughts you or anyone elase may have all the same.

I like the idea of the shared model in a central repo while at the same time allowing users to check out packages from VC to work on privately (or offline) as needed. I was wondering if there was likely to be any problems with this ? Would it for example be difficult to get the offline changes back into the shared model in a controlled manner ? Or perhaps the changes would need to be checked back into VC first before being applied to the shared model.

By the way do you or anyone else have any thoughts on how to do baselines ? I see there are 2 mechanisms (i) EA baselines (ii) VC tags. I haven’t gone through a project yet so don’t know how I would best use these mechanisms, but was curious to know if you had any thoughts.

Thanks
   James

[Jan Pacovsky]

Finally I decided to set-up the project as I described it in discussion. We have central EAP file accessible over our local area network. This is the place where we make changes when we are online. Many packages are under version control. But until now, noone had to work offline so we haven't tried it yet.
    But theoretically this solution should work: when you want to work offline, you:
   1) have to check-out packages you plan to modify.
   2) have to create your local copy of master EAP file (with these packages checked-out)
   3)  can offline modify checked-out packages.
When you're again in your LAN, you will
   4) open your local copy of EAP.
   5) check-in modified packages.
   6) close your local copy of EAP.
   7) open central EAP.
    update previously modified packages from CVS.

But as I said before, this is only my theory based on my EA knowledge. Someone have to try it.  

[peter.zrnko]

I've tried it, it works, as you described it. You can even "check out" packages while being offline. EA will worn you, but let to do it.

Another question is to work localy on project things like Glossary. It's possibly only when you are sure, nobody will change them in the shared project.

Peter

[Tom.Beran]

Finally I decided to set-up the project as I described it in discussion. We have central EAP file accessible over our local area network. This is the place where we make changes when we are online.

We are starting team development with EA in our comapny. We have Corporate edition.We use CVS for version control. Is better solution to save project in DMBS or to save it in MS-ACCESS files (EAP) shared over LAN?

Because we use CVS, and because all packages are under CVS control, then only job for EA project (EAP file or project saved to DBMS) is to keep project tree, project settings and discusion forum ... all other other job do for us CVS through check-in and check-out of XMI files.  Is my  thought true?

[Jan Pacovsky]

Yes. I think you're right. If you decide to store your model in RDBMS, you wouldn't be able to work easily offline.
Shared EAP model gives you the advantage of taking the whole model and working offline. Then, while online again, you can check-in changes to CVS from your private model. In the end you have to open shared EAP model and run update from CVS.

[peter.zrnko]

The same process as Jan has descibed is possible also when you  store EA project in DBMS. Only the first step is not
"take a copy of shared file home"
but
"export the project from DBMS to local file and take it home"
The rest is the same.

In our company we have independent teams. One has decided to use shared EA project file and second to use DBMS. Both live without problems.

[Tom.Beran]

Thanks to Honza and Peter for their suggestions.

When i have project in DBMS, i can

a) access it from home through VPN
b) export it to EAP file using "project transfer", and take it offline

I dont have good feeling  about data files shared over network, there is still posibility of corruption of this file ...

 I's there a possibility to automaticly propagate the changes maked in exported EAP file back into DMBS project?
I'm not  thinking about changig packages - this is OK, the work makes CVS for me, i'm thinking about adding new packages.

[Jan ´Bary´ Glas]

  I's there a possibility to automaticly propagate the changes maked in exported EAP file back into DMBS project?
I'm not  thinking about changig packages - this is OK, the work makes CVS for me, i'm thinking about adding new packages.

I do not know about any automation, but you may use XMI Export/Import.

[peter.zrnko]

It's possible to synchronize EA project saved as .eap file (MSAccess) with it's local copy. It is described in help. It use the MSAccess synchronization and therefore it's available only for this project format.

I don't know whether it's possible to use synchronization and CVS together in the same project.