Data exchange: ReqIF, Excel, Word and backup

Requirements travel between customers, suppliers and tools. The Data exchange page in the project overview bundles all ways in and out.

Direction	Format	Purpose
in	ReqIF (.reqif, .reqifz)	specifications from DOORS, Polarion, Jama, Codebeamer, Enterprise Architect and other tools
in	Excel, CSV	lists from spreadsheets, files returned from the Excel export
in	JSON backup	restore a project or move it to another instance
out	ReqIF (with images as .reqifz)	passing on to customers and suppliers
out	Excel, CSV	evaluations, coordination, editing outside ETRM
out	Word, print/PDF	readable documents of modules and baselines
out	JSON backup	complete backup of the project

Importing ReqIF

ReqIF (Requirements Interchange Format) is the standard for exchanging requirements between tools. Group admins start the import because it can create types and attributes in the project. You create a new project directly from a ReqIF file under New project → From ReqIF.

1. Upload the delivery

Choose the file and the source, for example “vehicle manufacturer A, BMS specification”. For the first delivery you create a new source. For further deliveries you choose the same source; ETRM then knows the mapping and the last applied delivery.

2. Check the mapping

ETRM suggests how the object types, attributes and relations of the delivery are mapped to the project: to existing types and attributes, to be created as New, or do not import. An attribute can also serve as title or text. The mapping is saved for the next delivery from the same source. The mapping log lists everything that is not imported.

3. Check and apply the delta

Instead of importing the delivery blindly, ETRM shows the differences between your state and the delivery:

State	Meaning	preselected
new	new in the delivery	yes
changed	changed by the customer, unchanged on your side	yes
changed only on our side	you changed it, the customer did not	no
conflict	both sides changed it	no
to trash	dropped in the delivery, unchanged on your side	yes
moved	outline of the delivery changed	selectable

For repeated deliveries, ETRM compares three states: the last applied delivery, the new delivery and your current state. Only this way can it distinguish whether the customer or your team changed something. You choose per artifact what is applied, as well as new and dropped links.

Applied changes go through the same logic as manual changes: they appear in the history, and dependent links become suspect. After a specification revision you therefore see immediately which system requirements and test cases have to be followed up (Traceability).

Limitations

• In ETRM, the outline is formed by headings. If a tool delivers requirements below requirements (without a heading in between), ETRM imports them as a flat list and notes this in the mapping log.
• Formatted text is converted to ETRM's restricted rich text; embedded images from .reqifz files are imported.

Exporting ReqIF

Under Export, choose the modules (no selection = all) and the format. ReqIF with images (.reqifz) includes embedded images. Each artifact carries its fixed identifier; if the recipient imports the file and sends it back, ETRM recognises every artifact again.

Excel and CSV

Export: in the table view, filter and choose the columns, then Excel or CSV.

Import: upload a file under Import Excel or CSV. Then

1. map each column to a field (ID, type, title, text or an attribute) or skip it; ETRM suggests the mapping based on the column headings,
2. choose the type for rows without a type column and the module for new artifacts,
3. start the dry run: it shows for each row whether it will be created, changed, unchanged or has errors, with the error text,
4. and apply with Apply rows without errors.

Rows with an ID (#12) change the existing artifact, rows without an ID create new ones. Enumeration values may be in the cell as label (“Muss”) or as value (muss). A text is only replaced if its wording really changed; this way formatting is preserved when going back and forth via Excel.

Word, print and PDF

• Word in the document view creates the module with chapters, numbers, texts, tables, images and attributes.
• A baseline can also be output as a Word document or printed via the browser, also as PDF.

Complete backup (JSON)

Complete backup (JSON) saves the whole project: configuration, modules with outline, artifacts with image references, links, comments and baselines. You restore it as a new project under New project → From backup.

REST API

For automated processes, for example importing test results from CI, a REST API is available.