Requirements management baseline comparison misses changes in DOORS Next RM

ALM IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management
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1

We’re running DOORS Next RM on ELM 7.0.1 and encountering critical issues with baseline comparison reports. When comparing two requirements module baselines, the comparison viewer shows most structural changes but completely misses attribute modifications.

We’ve tried both the standard comparison mode and the advanced viewer, but neither captures attribute updates that we know exist between baselines. The CSV export also reflects this incomplete data.


Baseline A (v1.2) -> Baseline B (v1.5)
Expected: 47 attribute changes
Reported: 0 attribute changes
Shown: Only 12 requirement additions

This is blocking our change analysis for regulatory submissions. Has anyone successfully configured full comparison mode to capture all change types including attributes? We need the comparison patch functionality working reliably.

2

Thanks Sarah. Yes, we’re using several custom attributes for compliance tracking. Where exactly do I find the comparison schema configuration? I’ve looked through the project area settings and module properties but haven’t found anything specific to attribute registration for comparisons.

3

Let me provide a comprehensive solution that addresses all the focus areas you mentioned:

Full Comparison Mode Configuration:

First, enable comprehensive attribute tracking in your DOORS Next RM configuration:


// Update type system for custom attributes
<attribute id="custom_compliance_status">
  <versionable>true</versionable>
  <compareEnabled>true</compareEnabled>
</attribute>

For each custom attribute in your type system, ensure both versionable and compareEnabled flags are set to true. This is the root cause of missing attribute changes in comparison reports.

Advanced Viewer Setup:

The advanced viewer requires explicit configuration to display attribute-level changes. Navigate to Project Area Administration → Configuration Management → Comparison Settings. Enable “Include Attribute Changes” and “Show Custom Attributes” options. These are often disabled by default in ELM 7.0.1.

CSV Export Enhancement:

The CSV export limitation you’re experiencing is tied to the comparison filter configuration. Create a custom comparison view that explicitly includes attribute columns:


Comparison View Settings:
- Include: All artifact types
- Attributes: Select all (including custom)
- Change types: Additions, Deletions, Modifications
- Export format: Extended CSV with attribute deltas

Comparison Patch Functionality:

For the comparison patch to work reliably, verify your baseline integrity. Run a validation check on both baselines before comparison. In some cases, baseline metadata corruption causes the comparison engine to skip attribute analysis. Use the baseline validation utility:


Baseline → Validate → Check attribute consistency
If errors found: Rebuild baseline metadata index

Implementation Steps:

  1. Export your current type system definition (backup first)
  2. Modify attribute definitions to include versionable and compareEnabled flags
  3. Reimport the updated type system
  4. Configure the advanced viewer with attribute change tracking enabled
  5. Test comparison on a small module subset with known attribute changes
  6. Verify CSV export includes attribute delta columns
  7. Apply to production baselines

Regulatory Compliance Note:

Since you mentioned regulatory submissions, document this configuration change in your validation records. The baseline snapshots themselves remain unchanged, but the comparison interpretation is enhanced. This is considered a system configuration improvement, not a data modification, so existing approved baselines maintain their audit trail integrity.

After implementing these changes, your comparison reports should capture all 47 attribute changes you’re expecting. The comparison patch functionality will then provide complete change traceability for your regulatory analysis. Test thoroughly in staging before production deployment.

4

The comparison schema isn’t directly exposed in the UI for custom attributes. You need to verify that your custom attributes have the proper change tracking metadata enabled at the attribute definition level. In DOORS Next RM, go to the artifact type definitions and check each custom attribute’s properties.

One common issue is that attributes created before certain ELM versions don’t have change tracking enabled by default. You might need to recreate the attribute definitions or update their metadata through the REST API.

5

Lee, that sounds promising but also risky. Did you need to recreate baselines after modifying the type system? We have about 15 existing baselines that are already approved for audit purposes, and I’m concerned about invalidating them.

6

I had exactly this problem on a pharmaceutical project last year. The issue was that our custom attributes weren’t marked as “versionable” in the type system. Even though the attributes existed in both baselines, the comparison engine didn’t recognize them as trackable entities.

We had to export the type system definition, modify the XML to add versionable flags, and reimport. After that, the advanced viewer started showing all attribute changes correctly in the comparison reports.

7

I’ve seen this behavior before in ELM 7.0.1. The baseline comparison mechanism has specific filters that sometimes exclude attribute-level changes by default. Check your comparison settings - there’s a configuration option that needs to be explicitly enabled for attribute tracking.

Also, are you using custom attributes? The standard comparison viewer may not automatically include custom attribute types in the delta calculation unless they’re registered in the comparison schema.