User Guide > About the User Guide > Codebeamer: Common Concepts > Requirements Interchange Format (ReqIF) > Field Value Management During Round-Trip ReqIF Export and Import
Field Value Management During Round-Trip ReqIF Export and Import
In the export and import configurations during a ReqIF round-trip, you can define which field values to be exported from one project and be imported into another, and vice versa.
The operation of this function is demonstrated through the below examples.
Example Round-Trip
The ReqIF exports and imports are performed between Project A and Project B. A custom choice field is created in both projects with the relevant choice field values.
Choice Field Values
Project A
Project B
Approve
Rejected
Clarify
Approve
Rejected
Clarify
NotToEvaluate
Discarded
In Project A, items with the following choice field values are created in the Customer Requirement Specifications tracker:
Item
Choice Field Value
CRS2
Approve
CRS2
Rejected
CRS3
Clarify
First Round of ReqIF Export and Import
Export the content from Project A, and import into Project B.
Perform the following steps:
1. Export the Customer Requirement Specification tracker from Project A. On the Select project contents to be exported as ReqIF overlay,
1. Add the Destination on the top left.
2. In section Trackers, add the created choice filed to the list of fields to be exported.
3. Click OK and save the exported ProjectA-fide.reqifz file.
2. Import the ProjectA-fide.reqifz file to Project B. On the Import a ReqIF file/archive overlay,
1. Add the Source on the top left.
2. Click Specifications > Customer Requirement Specifications > Items > custom choice.
Since the Approve, Rejected and Clarify values are available in both projects, these are automatically mapped to each other.
3. Click OK to start the import.
Due to the above mapping, the CRS1, CRS2 and CRS3 items are imported into Project B with the proper choice field values:
Item
Choice Field Value
CRS2
Approve
CRS2
Rejected
CRS3
Clarify
Second Round of ReqIF Export and Import
In Project B, two more choice field values had been defined at creation. After importing ProjectA.reqifz successfully, two additional items, CRS4 and CRS5, are created. The items and choice field values are as follows:
Item
Choice Field Value
CRS2
Approve
CRS2
Rejected
CRS3
Clarify
CRS4
Discarded
CRS5
Approve
Export Project B as ReqIF, and import back into Project A.
Perform the following steps:
1. On the Select project contents to be exported as ReqIF overlay, ensure that the Curtail to previous imports checkbox is selected.
* 
In case the Curtail to previous imports checkbox is cleared, all the settings of previous imports from the given source are disregarded.
2. Click OK and save the exported ProjectB-fisrc.reqifz file.
3. Import the ProjectB-fisrc.reqifz file to Project A.
On the Import a ReqIF file/archive overlay, the Source is automatically selected. Click OK to perform the import.
After the successful import, the items and choice field values in Project A are as follows:
Item
Choice Field Value
CRS1
Approve
CRS2
Rejected
CRS3
Clarify
CRS4
–
CRS5
Approve
Since the choice field value of item CRS4 was set to Discarded in Project B, but that choice field value is not available in Project A, therefore, item CRS4 does not have any choice field value in Project A.
Remove Choice Field Values
Previously defined choice field values can be set as obsolete to prevent them from being exported.
Project B - Choice Field Values
Approve
Rejected
Clarify
NotToEvaluate
Discarded
To remove a choice field value in Project B,
1. Open the Customer Requirement Specifications tracker.
2. Click
> Configure > Fields.
3. Find the custom choice field created at the beginning and click Options.
4. On the Edit Option overlay, click the name of the choice field value to be removed.
In this example, the Discarded field value is removed.
5. Select the Obsolete checkbox on the Edit Option overlay.
6. Click OK on both overlays, then click Save to finalize the configuration change.
After the configuration change, the choice field values in Project B are as follows
Project B - Choice Field Values
Approve
Rejected
Clarify
NotToEvaluate
Export Project B as ReqIF, and import into Project A.
Perform the following steps:
1. On the Select project contents to be exported as ReqIF overlay, clear the Curtail to previous imports checkbox as this time the whole content of the custom choice field should be exported.
2. Click OK and save the ProjectB-fisrc.reqifz file.
3. Import the ProjectB-fisrc.reqifz file to Project A.
On the Import a ReqIF file/archive overlay, navigate to the custom choice field in the Specifications section. Since the Discarded choice field value had been set as Obsolete in Project B, it was not exported.
4. Click OK to finalize the import.
As the Discarded choice field value had been removed in Project B, it was not imported into Project A. Therefore, item CRS4 does not have any choice field value.
The items and choice field values in Project A are as follows:
Item
Choice Field Value
CRS1
Approve
CRS2
Rejected
CRS3
Clarify
CRS4
-
CRS5
Approve
Restore Obsolete Choice Field Values
To make the Discarded choice field value available in Project B again,
1. Click then select Configure > Fields.
2. Find the related custom choice field and click Options.
3. On the custom choice Options overlay, click the name of the Obsolete choice field value to be restored.
4. Clear the Obsolete checkbox on the Edit Option overlay.
5. Click OK on both overlays, then click Save to finalize the configuration change.
Export Project B as ReqIF, and import into Project A.
Perform the following steps:
1. On the Select project contents to be exported as ReqIF overlay, clear the Curtail to previous imports checkbox as the whole content of the custom choice field should be exported.
2. Click OK and save the ProjectB-fiscr.reqifz file.
3. Import the file into Project A. On the Import a ReqIF file/archive overlay, navigate to the custom choice field in the Specifications section. Since the Discarded choice field value has been restored, it is listed in the mapping and imported into Project A.
4. Click OK to finalize the import.
Add New Attributes to the Export Configuration
When exporting a project with the Curtail to previous imports checkbox selected on the Select project contents to be exported as ReqIF overlay, in addition to the fields, references and associations that were part of the previous import, the following fields are available to be added to the export from the Trackers > Fields > More Fields... drop-down list, even if those were not included in the previous import:
• ID
• Submitted by
• Submitted on/at
• Modified by
• Modified on/at
• Deleted
ReqIF Foreign ID
If the ID field is part of the initial ReqIF export, each time a subsequent export is performed, a ReqIF.ForeignID is exported and saved in the .reqifz file regardless of whether the Curtail to previous imports checkbox is selected or not. Earlier, the exported ReqIF files did not contain the ReqIF.ForeignID if the Curtail to previous imports checkbox was selected.
Example:
<ATTRIBUTE-DEFINITION-STRING IDENTIFIER="CB-fcec4820-c747-43ae-854b-6ac42383ae7a-spec-0" LAST-CHANGE="2024-01-17T12:09:46+01:00" LONG-NAME="ReqIF.ForeignID" IS-EDITABLE="false">
During a round-trip ReqIF export and import, the ReqIF.ForeignID must be the same in the ProjectA.reqifz and in ProjectB.reqifz files.
Attribute Synchronization Options
During ReqIF file imports, four attribute synchronization options are available on the Import a ReqIF file/archive overlay to further customize and refine the round-trip ReqIF export and import processes.
The attribute synchronization settings can be customized in case of:
• Relations, that is, references and associations,
• Trackers,
• Fields.
To set the attribute synchronization option, click the
next to the relevant relation, tracker or field on the right-hand side Target section of the Import a ReqIF file/archive overlay.
The following table lists and describes the operation of the synchronization options:
Synchronization Option
Description
Ignore
The related field, tracker or relation is totally ignored during exports and imports.
* 
Choosing this option results in loosing the mapping between the ReqIF attribute and the Codebeamer field. This could cause import issues in certain third-party systems if the field is re-added in a later export!
Ignore attribute at export
The related field, tracker or relation is imported at ReqIF imports but is not included in the exported ReqIF file if the Curtail to previous imports checkbox is selected.
Ignore attribute at import
The related field, tracker or relation is imported but without its value. Only the field, tracker or relation is imported so that it is created in the target project. When performing an export, the .reqifz file will contain the related field, tracker or relation.
Synchronize
The related field, tracker or relation is part of the round-trip ReqIF exports and imports.
Example
The following example demonstrates the operation of the Ignore attribute at import synchronization option during a round-trip.
First Round of ReqIF Export and Import
Perform the following steps:
1. In Project A, go to Customer Requirement Specifications tracker > create the CRS1 item.
2. Set the value of its Complexity field to Simple.
3. Export and save ProjectA-fide.reqifz.
4. Import ProjectA-fide.reqifz into Project B.
5. On the Import a ReqIF file/archive overlay,
1. Set the Source.
2. Click Specifications > Customer Requirement Specifications > Items > Complexity.
3. On the right-hand side Target section, click
to open the attribute synchronization settings menu, select the Ignore attribute at import option, and import the file.
4. Click OK to start the import.
In Project B, the Complexity field has been created with the import, however, its value for item CRS1 is empty, since the Ignore attribute at import option was selected.
Second Round of ReqIF Export and Import
Perform the following steps:
1. In Project B, change the value of the Complexity field of item CRS1 to Complex.
2. Export Project B. On the Select project contents to be exported as ReqIF overlay,
1. Add the Destination.
2. Select the Curtail to previous imports checkbox.
3. In the Trackers section, click Customer Requirement Specifications. The Complexity field is now available for export, since the Ignore attribute at import option was selected which has no effect on the exports.
3. Export and save ProjectB-fisrc.reqifz.
The value of the Complexity field is exported as well.
4. Import ProjectB-fisrc.reqifz to Project A.
As a result, in Project A, the value of the Complexity field of item CRS1 is updated to Complex.
Was this helpful?