Dataset business object configuration

Purpose
The purpose of this lesson is to extend Teamcenter with a Dataset business objects and
a Tool extension.

Objectives
After you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

 Create a Dataset business object.

 Configure the new dataset business object to use an existing Teamcenter tool.
 Create a Tool extension.

Help topics
Additional information for this lesson can be found in:

 Create a dataset business object

 Add a tool

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Introduction to dataset business objects
Datasets are objects used to manage file data associated with external software applications.

Datasets typically consist of a single application data file or logical groupings of application data files.
There are numerous types of datasets predefined in Teamcenter. However, your site may need to add
more types to be able to manage your site’s specific application data files and the viewing/editing
software applications associated with these files.

Use the Dataset business object to represent a file from a specific software application. For example, files
created in Microsoft Word are represented by the MSWord dataset object, text files are represented by
the Text dataset object, and so on. You can associate a tool with each dataset type so that the
appropriate software application launches when you open a file in Teamcenter.

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Named references
Named references are files attached to a dataset object.

A single dataset object may have one or more named references. To view the named references of a
dataset from the Teamcenter rich client, in My Teamcenter, select the dataset and choose View→Named
References, or right-click and choose Named References.
Named references are not to be confused with dataset references, which are the type of applications
associated with a dataset type.

Dataset and named references

You can import files created in the native environment and manage these files with datasets. When you
import files, a dataset is created with named references to a copy of the original files located in a
database volume.
You may import files for these reasons:

 Importing document, images, or other data created outside the database

 Migrating legacy data
You can use both interactive and batch mechanisms to import data. You can import data to Teamcenter
using:

 Rich client interface

 The import_file utility for batch import

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Create a dataset business object
1. Set the active extension file to where you want to save the data model changes.
2. Open the New Dataset wizard with one of these methods:
o Choose BMIDE→New Model Element, type Dataset in the Wizards box, and click Next.
o In the Business Objects folder, right-click the Dataset business object and choose New
Business Object.

Creating a custom dataset business object

3. Note:
4.The Tools for Edit pane and Tools for View pane require an existing tool definition.

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 5. In the Dataset dialog box, enter the following information:
o Name
The name cannot contain spaces. A prefix from the template is automatically affixed to the
name.
o Display Name
Type the name as you want it to appear in the user interface.
o Description
Type a description of the new business object.
o Use these default settings:
 Create primary Business Object.
 Is Abstract?
o Tools for Edit
To the right of the Tools for Edit pane, click the Add button to select the software application
to launch when the dataset is selected in Teamcenter.
o Tools for View
To the right of the Tools for View pane, click the Add button to select the software application
to be used to view the dataset files.
Click Next if you want to add references and parameters to the dataset. Otherwise, click Finish to
complete the dataset creation.

Set up the dataset named references

The file name references to associate with the dataset must be defined to complete the Dataset business
object creation. Tool parameters must be associated with the file name reference(s) for the possible
actions the user may perform on the dataset, for example view, edit and print.
Provide the References information to add file name references to associate with the dataset in
the Dataset References dialog box:

 Reference
Type unique name for this file reference.
 File Type
Specify the file name extension (for example, txt, pdf, doc, and so on).
 Format
Choose whether the files are binary, object, or text.
Provide the Tool Action information to modify the action that a software application takes when a dataset
is launched in the Add/Modify Dataset Tool Action dialog box:

 Tools
Select the tool you previously chose to use for viewing or editing this dataset. The only available
tool is the one you previously selected.
 Operations
Choose the operation to use with the dataset. For example, Open, OpenUsing, Print, PrintUsing,
or Send.
Note:
The OpenUsing operation allows the user to select the tool to use for opening the dataset, and
the PrintUsing operation allows the user to select the tool to use to print the dataset.

 References
The file name extensions to associate with the action. Click the arrow in the Select the Reference
Name box to choose the file name reference for this tool action. Select the Export check box to
export it to the database.
 Parameters
Parameters to be passed with the action.

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Configure dataset view and open
In the Teamcenter rich client, you can select a dataset, and choose File→Open With to choose the tool
to open the dataset or choose File→View With to choose the tool to view the dataset.
By default, a set of tools are assigned to each kind of dataset. These tools are initially set up when the
dataset is created.
If you want to be able to use a different tool to open or view a dataset, you can add it to the set of
available tools for that dataset type. For example, if you want to use Microsoft Word to open text datasets,
you can add it to the tool set.
Using this example, provide this information in the Business Modeler IDE:
1. The program executable for the tool:
o Open the MSWord tool.
o Shell/Symbol - set the executable as winword.exe.
2. The tool to be used to view and open the dataset:
o In the Business Objects view, open the Text dataset business object.
o Tools for Edit - choose the MSWord tool.
o Tools for View - choose the MSWord tool.
o In the Add/Modify Dataset Tool Action dialog box, for the Tools box choose
the MSWord tool.
 Open - choose the MSWord tool.
 OpenUsing - choose the MSWord tool.
From the example, set up the MIME types so that the tool can be used to open the dataset.:
1. Create new action for the file type:
o In Folder Options choose TXT, and in the Edit File Type dialog box, click New.
o In the New Action dialog box, type Open with MSWord in the Action box and located
the winword.exe file.
2. Modify the dataset preferences using the My Teamcenter application in the rich client:
o With Edit→Options, select Dataset.
o Dataset Type - select Text.
o Default Tool - select MSWord.
o Select the Use MIME Type to Search Application for Default Tool check box.

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Introduction to tools
Tool describes a software application behaving in a specific manner.

The Teamcenter tool definition relates to the operating system application by specifying the MIME/type
definition for the software application on the workstation. Tools are used by dataset business objects.

Add a tool
A tool represents a software application, such as Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat. You associate a tool
with a type of dataset so you can launch the dataset file from Teamcenter.
When you create a new dataset business object in the Business Modeler IDE, you can select the new tool
in the Tools for Edit or Tools for View boxes.
1. Prepare to define the tool.
o Set the active extension file to where you want to save the data model changes, for
example, options.xml.

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 o Expand the project and the Options→Tool folders.
o Right-click the Tool folder and choose New Tool.
2. Provide this information to define the tool.
o Name
o Description
o MIME/TYPE (for the kind of application association)
For example, for Acrobat, type application/acrobat, or for Microsoft Word,
type application/msword. This setting is not required by Windows systems, because Windows
systems use the file extension to determine the MIME type.
o Shell/Symbol
The full path and program name to be run in a shell. For example, for Microsoft Word,
type $TC_BIN/msword.
o Vendor Name
o Revision
o Release Date (the release date of the application)
3. Provide this information in the New Tool Input/Output dialog box:
o Input
Type of data the tool accepts, for example, ASCII or Binary.
o Output
Type of data the tool outputs, for example, ASCII or Binary.
4. Provide this information in the New Tool Markup Information Page dialog box to define view and
markup capabilities:
o In the Mac Launch Command box, type the command to launch the tool in the Macintosh
operating system, for example, sample.app.
o In the Win Launch Command box, type the command to launch the tool in the Windows
operating system, for example, sample.exe.
o Select the Download Required? check box to indicate that the application launcher must
download any files before launching the application.
o Select the Callback Required? check box to enable callback through the application launcher
for a non-Teamcenter application.
o Select the View Capable? check box to indicate whether the defined application can view files.
o Select the Markup Capable? check box to indicate whether the defined application can
perform markups.
o Select the Embed Application? check box to indicate the defined application is an embedded
rich client tool. For these tools, the Shell/Symbol box contains the command to launch the
embedded tool.
o Select the VVI Required? check box to indicate that the defined application accepts Velocity
Vector Imaging (VVI).
o Select the Digital Signature Capable? check box to indicate whether the defined application
can do digital signing.
Note:
The digital signature capability is currently not used.

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Summary
The following topics were taught in this lesson:

 Create a Dataset business object.

 Configure the new dataset business object to use an existing Teamcenter tool.
 Create a Tool extension