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Function documentationCopying Objects with the Mass Change Tool

 

You use the mass change tool for copying BRFplus objects mainly for the following reasons:

  • You need a copy of a number of already existing objects for a new business rule scenario that is identical in structure to an already existing application, with only a few changes.

  • You need a copy of a particular complex object and want to make sure that all dependent objects of that object are copied, too.

Features

The mass change tool offers different options that let you control how exactly objects are copied and what copied objects look like with respect to their dependent objects. These options are available through different menu commands combined with the status of the Uses flag of the objects to be copied:

Scenario 1: Copy marked items, leave references to dependent objects unchanged

For this scenario, choose the following:

  • Start of the navigation path Copy Next navigation step Copy Marked Items End of the navigation path

  • Uses flag: not set

In this scenario, the system copies all marked items. The newly created objects contain references to exactly the same dependent objects like the original objects that have been copied.

Example Example

You want to create a copy of function F. F has decision table DT attached as its top expression. DT uses three data objects DO1, DO2, and DO3. Copying F with the settings mentioned above leads to the following result:

Before

After

Comment

Function F

Function F

Refers to DT

Function F'

New function F' refers to DT like F (that is, to the same object)

Decision Table DT

Decision Table DT

Used by F and F'

Data object DO1

Data object DO1

Used by DT

Data object DO2

Data object DO2

Used by DT

Data object DO3

Data object DO3

Used by DT
End of the example.
Scenario 2: Copy marked items and dependent objects, leave references to dependent objects unchanged

For this scenario, choose the following:

  • Start of the navigation path Copy Next navigation step Copy Marked Items End of the navigation path

  • Uses flag: set

In this scenario, the system copies all marked items. Due to the Uses flag being set, the dependent objects of the higher-level objects are copied as well. However, the newly created higher-level objects still refer to the same dependent objects like the original objects.

Setting the Uses flag for function F leads to the selection of all objects involved in this example:

  • Function F

  • Decision table DT (used by F)

  • Data objects DO1, DO2, DO3 (used by DT)

Example Example

You want to create a copy of function F. F has decision table DT attached as its top expression. DT uses three data objects DO1, DO2, and DO3. Copying the marked objects with the settings mentioned above leads to the following result:

Before

After

Comment

Function F

Function F

Refers to DT

Function F'

New function F' refers to DT like F (that is, to the same object)

Decision Table DT

Decision Table DT

Used by F and F'

Decision Table DT'

New decision table DT' has been created as a copy of DT, but is currently unused.

Data object DO1

Data object DO1

Used by DT and DT'

Data object DO2

Data object DO2

Used by DT and DT'

Data object DO3

Data object DO3

Used by DT and DT'

Data object DO1'

New data object, currently unused

Data object DO2'

New data object, currently unused

Data object DO3'

New data object, currently unused
End of the example.
Scenario 3: Copy marked items and dependent objects, change references to copies of dependent objects

For this scenario, choose the following:

  • Start of the navigation path Copy Next navigation step Copy Marked Items Recursively End of the navigation path

  • Uses flag: not set

In this scenario, the system copies all marked items. For each item, the system also recursively copies the complete hierarchy of dependent objects. The objects being copied are the same as in Scenario 2 described above, although only function F has been marked. Once all objects have been copied, the system recreates the original object hierarchy using the newly created objects. In other words, the original objects are completely mirrored by the newly created objects.

Example Example

You want to create a copy of function F. F has decision table DT attached as its top expression. DT uses three data objects DO1, DO2, and DO3. Copying F with the settings mentioned above leads to the following result:

Before

After

Comment

Function F

Function F

Refers to DT

Function F'

New function F' refers to DT'

Decision Table DT

Decision Table DT

Used by F

Decision Table DT'

New decision table DT' used by F'

Data object DO1

Data object DO1

Used by DT

Data object DO2

Data object DO2

Used by DT

Data object DO3

Data object DO3

Used by DT

Data object DO1'

Used by DT'

Data object DO2'

Used by DT'

Data object DO3'

Used by DT'
End of the example.
Further Considerations

With the Copy Marked Items Recursively command used in the last of the above scenarios, the system implicitly drills from the marked top-level objects down to all of their components and subcomponents. Therefore, the Copy Marked Items Recursively cannot be used in combination with the Uses flag set.

Although you can use the mass change tool for copying objects from one application to another, the tool cannot resolve object relationships that go beyond application boundaries. Such cross-application constellations can occur with objects whose access level has been set to a less restrictive level than the Application level defined as the system default. Here, the object drilldown stops whenever the tool determines a dependent object that originates from a different application. For a working copy, you have to add the missing objects manually.