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Developing
Learn how to develop schemas by using the HCL Compass Designer.
Developing Schemas
You can develop or modify schemas with the HCL Compass Designer.
HCL Compass schemas
This topic explains the concept of a HCL Compass schema.
Scripting languages
This topic provides information about the available scripting languages that you can use to write hooks.

Developing
Learn how to develop schemas by using the HCL Compass Designer.
- Developing Schemas
  You can develop or modify schemas with the HCL Compass Designer.
  - Understanding the functions of the HCL Compass schema developer
    This topic provides an overview of the tasks typically performed by a schema developer.
  - Overview of the HCL Compass Designer interface
    The HCL Compass Designer includes several different windows, or views, that you will use to perform your schema development tasks.
  - HCL Compass schemas
    This topic explains the concept of a HCL Compass schema.
    - Naming restrictions
      The naming restrictions that apply to a HCL Compass schema prevent naming conflicts.
    - Viewing the schema history
      You can view the history of changes that were made to a schema.
    - Modifying schemas
      When you modify a schema you must complete several tasks to ensure that your changes are validated, saved, and applied to user databases.
    - Creating a test database
      A test database is a temporary database that you create when developing a new schema or a new version of an existing schema. You then create a test configuration that uses the test database to verify that the new schema performs as expected, without risking damage to production data. Note that you can set up your test configuration to test your schema against multiple test databases.
    - Checking out schemas
      To customize a schema, you must first check it out from the schema repository. When you check out a schema, a copy of the schema is created for you to edit. The new version of the schema is created when you check in this modified copy.
    - Creating schemas from the Blank schema
      If you want to create a schema that differs substantially from the predefined schemas, start by checking out and editing the Blank schema.
    - Scripting languages
      This topic provides information about the available scripting languages that you can use to write hooks.
    - Validating schemas
      When you check in a schema, it must be validated to prevent checkin if the schema has any errors.
    - Creating a test configuration
      Using the Designer, you can create a test configuration that specifies the test database, or multiple test databases, to use with your schema.
    - Setting test preferences
      You can use the Designer Preferences window to customize the default behavior of your test configurations.
    - Testing schemas
      When you make changes to a schema, you must test the changes with the supported clients in your HCL Compass environment.
    - Checking in schemas
      After you edit and test a schema, you must check it in to the schema repository. When you check in a schema, the new version is saved in the schema repository.
    - Updating properties of user databases
      You can update the properties of a user database to include changes made for vendor database properties that map to the user database.
    - Upgrading user databases
      After you check in a schema, you can upgrade the user databases to use the newer schema version. The changes to the schema are available only after you upgrade the user databases.
    - Deleting schemas or schema versions
      You can delete a single version of a schema or all versions of a schema. Deleted schemas and schema versions cannot be restored.
    - Changing a database association to a different schema
      After a user database is associated with a schema, you cannot apply a new schema to the database. You can upgrade a database only with newer versions of the same schema.
    - Comparing and merging schemas
      You can compare and merge schemas.
    - Setting schema compare preferences
      You can use the HCL Compass Designer Preferences window to customize the default behavior of a schema comparison.
  - Customizing a schema
    To modify how change requests are handled, you need to use the Designer to customize the records and fields of a schema.
  - Schemas and packages
    This topic explains the concept of using schemas and packages in HCL Compass.
  - Packages and integrations
    This topic explains the concepts of HCL Compass packages and integrations.
  - Test Management and Requests
    You can use the Compass TestManagement and Requests feature to create and track test plans and add approval processes to the record.
  - Working with Forms
    You must create a record form for each record type in your schema. You can also define a submit form for each record type.
  - Creating a security model
    This topic provides an overview of the process to create a security model.
  - Using hooks to customize your workflow
    This topic provides guidelines for using hooks to implement your workflow.
  - Record locking
    When multiple users attempt to simultaneously update a record, the database locking model ensures that the update from each user succeeds as a unit, but each update overwrites the previous update.
  - Customizing the Web
    The Designer provides many ways to customize the underlying schema and functionality that the HCL Compass Web client accesses.
  - HCL Compass email
    This topic provides a description of the supported HCL Compass Web client email features.
  - Importing and exporting data
    This topic describes how to import and export data between HCL Compass databases, and how to import data into a HCL Compass database from another defect tracking system.

Scripting languages

This topic provides information about the available scripting languages that you can use to write hooks.

Hooks are scripts or triggers that run under a set of conditions to perform a specific task.

You can write hooks in BASIC (VBScript) for Windows™ and in Perl for Windows™ system.

If you are using the HCL Compass Web client, you can use either Perl or VBScript. If the Web server is installed on a Windows™ machine, you can run either Perl or VBScript hooks.

By default, scripts run in BASIC on Windows™ system. The Windows™ Scripting Language setting must be the same language as the language that the scripts are written in. For example, if BASIC is selected as the Windows™ Scripting Language and a hook is written in Perl, that hook is not triggered on Windows™.

The option to set the Windows™ Scripting Language is available on the Properties page for a checked-out schema.

For more information, see Using hooks to customize your workflow.