Frequently asked questions about using Project Tracker
Use this background knowledge to help you exchange information, track work and
collaborate with your team.
- ../faq/projecttrackerintroduction.html
- What is a Project Tracker artifact?
Each artifact type has a unique set of attributes that define the artifact type. These attributes determine if the artifact created using the artifact type is a Defect, Requirement, Enhancement, Employee profile, Inventory item or any other item that requires tracking.
- What is a global artifact type?
Global artifact types are artifact types defined for the site as a whole, which any project on the site can use.
- What can I do with an artifact?
Once an artifact has been created it is ready for assignment or manipulation.
- What kind of information should I put in an artifact?
A project created in Project Tracker is a collection of instances of various artifact types. An artifact type can be a Defect, a Request for Enhancement, or any other basic element of a project.
- How do I handle duplicate artifacts?
If you have duplication checking active, Project Tracker will use a subset of attributes to check for possible duplicates in the database.
- What happens when my artifact depends on another artifact?
Your ability to work with one artifact may depend on the resolution of other artifacts.
- Why would I use an artifact template?
You may find that you often enter the same values for attributes for similar artifacts. Templates allow you to save a set of values for quick access and use while creating artifacts. Templates store a descriptive dataset that can be used to populate values in future artifacts. Templates use the same attributes as are available for entering an artifact.
- How do attachments work?
You can enhance an artifact instance by including relevant documentation, screen shots, email threads, code, or any other supporting file.
- What is an attribute?
An artifact is a collection of attributes. For example, a Defect artifact may have attributes such as Summary, Description, Version Found In, and Version to Fix In. Project members supply values for attributes when creating, modifying, or searching for artifacts, and when running reports.
- What is a global attribute?
Global attributes are attributes that are defined for the site as a whole. They can be used in artifacts in any project on the site.
- What is a user attribute?
User attributes are used to create a relationship between a user and an artifact.
- What is the difference between a global attribute and a user attribute?
Global attributes define artifacts, while user attributes to associate users with artifacts.
- What is a state attribute?
A state attribute is a field that describes the state the artifact is in. It allows users to view where an artifact is within its lifecycle and to promote the artifact to a new state.
- How does search work?
You can search for artifacts using Project Tracker queries. You can create ad-hoc (one-time-use) queries, and you can save queries for re-use.
- How is Project Tracker search different from other popular search tools?
Searching Project Tracker is similar to searching Google or Yahoo. To find items containing a particular word, type that word into the Search field and hit Go or Search.
- What kinds of queries can I use?
There are several types of queries you can use to search for information on your project.
- What operators does the Project Tracker search tool take?
Project Tracker allows you to search within a specific field where you enter the search string. For example, if you enter the search string in the Summary field of an artifact, the search will restrict itself to that field in all the artifacts.
- Can I query more than one project at the same time?
Cross project queries allow you to search multiple projects or artifact types or both in a single query. With cross project queries you can quickly find artifacts of interest to you in multiple projects. By saving your cross project queries you can access them as you would any other saved query in Project tracker.
- What is a global query?
A global query is a query that is defined for the whole site and made available for use in projects as needed.
- Why won't my Project Tracker query run?
It may be too complex. Project Tracker cannot generate results for queries that contain too many variables.
- What Project Tracker data can I report on?
Project Tracker allows you to build reports that summarize any kind of information about your project.
- What does it mean for a user to be associated with an artifact?
Associating a user with an artifact means that the artifact can be acted upon by users other than the person who created the artifact.
- How should I handle user submissions?
Users can create personal artifact entry templates, reports and queries, and they can suggest customizations for all project users.
- What happens when I export artifacts from my project?
You can migrate your existing artifact database into a new Project Tracker database.
- What determines what a project member can do in Project Tracker?
What a project member can do in Project Tracker is determined by the project role assigned to the user.
- What should a data export script look like?
You can write scripts to automate the export of the results of Project Tracker queries and reports that you wish to run regularly.
- What happens when I import artifacts into my project?
You can migrate your existing artifact database into a new Project Tracker database.
- What is a Project Tracker namespace?
A namespace helps you segregate Project Tracker metadata, thereby avoiding conflicts of names. Every artifact type, artifact attribute, and global query is associated with a namespace.
- What is an activity signature?
Every change to an artifact is recorded as an activity. There is no activity-type element, so other details of the activity must be interpreted to determine the intent of the activity.
- Is Project Tracker a collaboration tool or a work tracking tool?
The success of any project depends on managing and solving problems. How you use the tools will depend on how your project is organized and your planned workflow processes.
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