Tool Mentor: Promoting Project Baselines Using Rational ClearCase

Purpose

This tool mentor describes how to assign promotion levels to baselines using Rational ClearCase Unified Change Management (UCM).

This section provides links to additional information related to this tool mentor.

• Promote Baselines

• Concept: Promotion Method

Overview

In ClearCase, UCM baselines typically represent a stable configuration for a component.

Baselines are assigned promotion levels that can be used to indicate the quality or degree of completeness of the work represented by a baseline. Generally, the promotion level indicates a level of testing. UCM provides an ordered set of default promotion levels, and also supports user-defined promotion levels. The action of changing the promotion level of a baseline is called promoting or demoting the baseline.

A recommended baseline is baseline that has been approved for general use. Recommended baselines are used in rebase operations. When a stream is rebased, it is reconfigured with the recommended baselines of the target stream. One use of promotion levels is to assign a set of baselines with the same promotion level to be recommended baselines for a particular stream.

This tool mentor is applicable when running Microsoft Windows.

Tool Steps

This procedures describes how to change a baseline's promotion level and how to make baselines with a particular promotion level recommended baselines for the stream:

1. Change the promotion level of a baseline
2. Based on promotion level, set a baseline to be a recommended baseline for the stream

For further information, see the Rational manual titled Managing Projects with ClearCase.

1. Change the promotion level of a baseline

1. In ClearCase Project Explorer, select a stream. Click File > Properties to display the stream's property sheet.
2. Click the Baselines tab.
3. In the Components box select the component whose baseline you want to promote. The component's baselines are displayed in the Baselines box. Select the baseline and click Properties to display the baseline's property sheet.
4. At the General tab, click the down arrow in the Promotion Level list to display all available promotion levels. Select the new promotion level. Click OK.

2. Based on promotion level, set a baseline to be a recommended baseline for the stream

• Click Start > Programs > Rational Software > Rational ClearCase > Project Explorer.
• Select a stream.
• Click Tools > Recommend Baselines to display a list of the current recommended baselines for the stream.
• In the Set List area, select a promotion level from the pull-down list.
• Click Set List to make the most recent baselines at or above the promotion level recommended baselines.  
• Click OK.

Rational Unified Process