View the contents of an old baseline -peer reviews

[DavidL]

I want to setup a peer review on my model. I am using baselines to capture the state the model is in at the time of the peer review. Each person that peer reviews the model needs to look at that baselined version of the model.

The help on baselines said that old baselines are compressed XML stored in the main database. Is it possible to view the contents of a baseline without restoring it?

I would like to create a query (?) in "My Views" or in "Model Views" that shows the contents of the model at an old baseline. I want to look at this old baseline without changing the main model at all. Is this possible? Can anyone point me in the right direction?

[Paolo F Cantoni]

Hi David,

IIRC, the baselines are compressed XMIs, identical to that which you would have generated if you have exported the packages (or saved the Controlled package).

You could check this by comparing the baseline with the external file (I think).

When we did peer reviews, we distributed the XMIs which the reviewers imported into their local copies.  They could then annotate and change as required, without affecting the original baseline.  They'd then bring these models to the review session.

HTH,
Paolo

[DavidL]

Paolo,

These sound like great ideas. Thanks for the feedback.

If the baselined models are stored in the main database, it would be real nice to be able to filter the model to only see the old baseline. This would simplify the workflow. Does anyone know if there is a way to do this? I could not find anything in the SQL that let me select only the elements and diagrams located in a specific baseline.

[Paolo F Cantoni]

Paolo,

These sound like great ideas. Thanks for the feedback.

If the baselined models are stored in the main database, it would be real nice to be able to filter the model to only see the old baseline. This would simplify the workflow. Does anyone know if there is a way to do this? I could not find anything in the SQL that let me select only the elements and diagrams located in a specific baseline.

Hi David,

I think you missed the point I was making.  The baselines are compressed XMIs - from your perspective you have to treat them as "Blobs".  You have NO visibility into them.  When you do a baseline compare, EA expands the compressed Blob, and creates a parallel, in memory, model contained therein and then compares the live model with the uncompressed one.  It's a "live" thing.

Does that clarify matters?
Paolo

[DavidL]

Thanks for the clarification. I understand how this works now. ... I understand, but I do not like.