-
-
Re: versioning and automated documentation
Thanks for the quick answer. in4bi is indeed alluring, in older posts I read you write about a 'team foundation' project. May I ask if you abandoned it?
-
Re: versioning and automated documentation
Team Foundation (TFS) is Microsoft's version control system. Like CVS, SVN or GIT, it can be used to version and manage QlikView's -prj folders. Some people have success using the -prj facility to do their versioning and team parallel development. This is a viable approach.
There is some integrated support for source control in the QlikView Developer File menu. However, you don't need to use the integrated menu, you can use desktop tools of the version control system (eg TortiseSVN, Git Desktop, etc)
-Rob
-
Re: versioning and automated documentation
There where some drawback in the TFS approach, one of them was the variables values lost after checkout causing a lot of disagreements.
-
Re: versioning and automated documentation
The remedy for that is to set your variables in the script.
We use GIT to manage our -prj folders in QV and it works very well. I can't quite understand how anyone can work without version control. :-)
-
-
-
Re: versioning and automated documentation
Hi,
we have evaluated PlatformManager from in4bi
It could be ok but it is an invest to take and another dependency from a software vendor.
Some enhancements should be made to the software dialogs and it could be more training necessary for external developers.
We decided to use an organizational way with clear roles in conjunction with simple Rational Clear Case checkout / checkin and Jenkins for deployment.
Just evaluating git-lfs instead of git-annex because Clear Case can be non-future proof.
Nevertheless you have to train and organize documentation over and over again, put it as a task into your quality gateway.
Richard
-
Re: versioning and automated documentation
Richard,
Are you putting the qvw binary in Clearcase or the xmls in the prj-folder?
-
-
Re: versioning and automated documentation
Erik,
after a long period of evaluation and conceptual work we decided for an organizational programmatic way instead of another tool or the "prj xml does not stick together what is was before approach":
We prepare our qvw files for version control with this simple 2 actions:
Action A:
1 click: remove all data: for qvw types like qvd_generator.qvw, datamodel.qvw, datamodel_with_secu.qvw
Action B:
Some clicks and remove data --> keep possible values: for qvw types which have frontend objects and layout for enduser focus: make some simple selections on level 0 of all dimensions to select a few data records, layout and "always one selected value-property" still exists afterwards. If you have alternate state you have to make the selection on default state.
It works quite well and reduces 1GB files to less 4MB for all our qvw files, the 4 MB binary is stored in Clear Case then.
Next idea is to work with git-annex or git-lfs to get rid of the actions.
What happen if we have to use Sense? not yet thought about it, do you have ideas? do we need a new concept
-
Re: versioning and automated documentation
Thanks, Richard,
When you put the reduced qvw file in Clear Case, can you then see the specific changes between versions?
-
Re: versioning and automated documentation
Erik,
no we can't see the differences.
We discussed it several times but have heterogenic developer styles and not a full .qvs modular (include) approach within the .qvw files.
I trained in the way that inline code documentation and comment in Clear Case with labeling have to fit together to identify the right version. You have to proof that in your quality gateway too.
As long as the vendor does not split script code, data and layout into separate files / database it will be difficult to diff versions.
Thanks,
Richard
-
Re: versioning and automated documentation
We use different branches, and labels of course, to know what resides on each server. That gives us full control. Also being able to diff the apps in different versions is great help when searching for.. abnormal behaviour. :-)
It also helps when we do peer reviews. Then we can see exactly what is new and what is changed.
When it comes to Sense, we're still a bit in the dark. We want to work in the same way but we have not quite been able to bend it to our will yet.
-
-
-
-
-
Re: versioning and automated documentation
Hi Richard,
Have you been able to source control "Qlik Sense" with Rational Clear Case checkout / checkin and Jenkins for deployment.
I would be interested to know how to?
Thanks, JP
-
-
Re: versioning and automated documentation
Qlik Sense apps are stored in a GUID encrypted form filenames and the names of applications are stored in qlik sense repository database. Some other metadata are also stored in the repos. Sense use a hybrid file / database system
Qlik Sense it not anymore like Qlik View file based and deploying / Publishing need to call the Rest API
It's why we have developed WIP (and before Version Manager) and that we have a growing number of customers because it's very difficult or quite impossible to do source control and deployment in Sense without such tools.
Contact us once you need something for Qlik Sense we can help for sure
JP
-
Re: versioning and automated documentation
May I ask how you were able to extract and restore images?
-
Re: versioning and automated documentation
We don't use prj files only qvw files that we reduce data fully or keeping possible values in certain conditions.
Like this we keep the document integrity not loosing anything you will loose using .prj method.
The we scan the document to see differences and can even visual compare the graphs images
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Re: versioning and automated documentation
To make versioning of a prj Qlikview folder I used SVN with Tortoise as client and it worked very well.
About Qlik Sense you can take a look at this extension Qlik Branch.
-
Re: versioning and automated documentation
Hi Riccardo
You can have a look at WIP from ebiexperts. It's a lifecycle management solution for managing your files from requirement (Kanban), source control, quality management, publications, and audits. Fully integrated to QV & QS.
There is a webinar video once you have logged in that gives a pretty good overview of the product - www.ebiexperts.com
Regards
JP
-
-
-
Re: versioning and automated documentation
Terrific = Awesome, sorry for my bad English.
Full modern angular UI like Qlik Sense, easy to use and we love the integrated Complexity Analyzer.
-
-
-
-
Re: versioning and automated documentation
With my team we are investigating what is the best option for us, I think there is not a single correct answer to this question but I'll let you know what our choice will be.
Thanks everyone who have answered already and to who will add even more info later.
-
Re: versioning and automated documentation
I'm currently in the process of implementing the QDF - Qlik Deployment Framework, and using mostly external linked QVS files for code, and storing all of that within a Git repository. That way, we can control versioning, allow for multiple user development, and have a distributed backup of our versions.
Granted, this doesn't address documentation, so I've been attempting to figure out something that can work within a Git repository to record our activities.
-
