Rationale (SysML)
A Rationale documents the justification for decisions such as and the requirements, design and other decisions. A Rationale can be attached to any model element including relationships. It allows the user, for example, to specify a rationale that may reference more detailed documentation such as a trade study or analysis report.
Create a Rationale from most item types or through a diagram:
• Through the context menu of an item: right-click the item, point to New, point to SysML, and then click Rationale.
• Through most diagram types: on the diagram, click the
![](../../Integrity_Modeler/images/di-rationale.gif)
Rationale button, and then click in free space.
After creating a Rationale, you specify the text of the Rationale through the Property Pages: click the Full Text tab, and type the text in the text box.
When you create a Rationale:
• From an item, the Rationale is owned by the item and applied to that owning item.
• From a diagram, the Rationale is owned by the item that owns the diagram, but not applied to that owning item.
You can apply a Rationale to items in the following ways:
• From an item, right-click the item, point to Links, point to Applied, and then click Comment. Alternatively, from an appropriate pane, you can drag an item to the Rationale.
• From an item's property pages, click the Items tab, select Comments (Applied) in the Show Associated list, click the
![](../../Integrity_Modeler/images/but-link_16.gif)
Link button, and then select the Rationales you want to apply. Note that Comments and Problems are also listed in the Links Editor.
• On a diagram, link the Rationale to an item through a Link Note.
You can view which items a Rationale applies to in the following ways:
• On a Rationale's Property Pages, you can see which items the Rationale is applied to through the Items tab: in the Show Associated list, select Annotated Items, and then the items to which the Rationale applies are listed.
• A Usage report for a Rationale reports which diagrams the Rationale appears on and which items the Rationale is applied to.
To view which Rationales are applied to an item through the item's Property Pages: on the Items tab, select Comments (Applied) in the Show Associated list, and then the Rationales (and Comments and Rationales) that are applied to the item are listed.
When shown on a diagram, a Rationale's notation is as follows:
The following sections provide information about how a Rationale is used in the model. For more information about a SysML diagram or item - click it.
Owned by
Most UML and SysML items and diagrams.
Owns
None.
Shown on these diagrams
Rationales can be shown on most UML and SysML diagrams.
SysML Properties
• isDeletedInRequirementTool - specifies that the Rationale's associated item in PTC Integrity Lifecycle Manager or DOORS has been deleted (used by Integration for PTC Integrity Lifecycle Manager and Integration for IBM Rational DOORS).
• isInRequirementTool - specifies that the Rationale is associated with an item in DOORS or PTC Integrity Lifecycle Manager (used by Integration for PTC Integrity Lifecycle Manager and Integration for IBM Rational DOORS).