1. White Paper
Abstract
This white paper explains adopting types from repository,
editing and using them in xCP applications.
December 2013
TYPE ADOPTION IN xCP APPLICATIONS
Adopting types from repository to xCP applications

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Part Number h12702
2Type Adoption in xCP Applications

3. Table of Contents
Executive summary.................................................................................................. 4
Audience............................................................................................................................4
Overview................................................................................................................. 4
Adopting types to xCP 2.x Applications...............................................................................4
Editing and configuring Adopted Types...............................................................................9
The Runtime behavior.......................................................................................................12
References............................................................................................................ 12
3Type Adoption in xCP Applications

4. Executive summary
This preliminary white paper provides detailed overview of adopting types to xCP applications.
It explains adopting types from repository, editing, using them in Processes, creating pages and
other required artifacts within the application, deploying them and runtime behavior of adopted
type instances.
Audience
This white paper is intended for application designers who design applications using
xCP Designer. It assumes that reader possess basic knowledge of xCP.
Overview
Type Adoption allows xCP 2.1 applications deployed in the Content Server to take
advantage of the most important assets the content and type definitions in a
repository. Using Type Adoption, xCP 2.1 app will read or write data instances not
created through xCP clients but adopted in the xCP Designer. Similarly, new instances
of adopted types created in xCP 2.x applications can be read or written through other
clients like DA, Webtop, Taskspace etc. Thus, Type Adoption provides interoperability
in between older Documentum Clients like xCP 1.x, Webtop, MyD and 2.x client
applications in accessing data instances.
Type Adoption should be considered when
• You already have a good xCP1.x application running but want to upgrade to D7
platform and build new apps using xCP 2.x for improved user experience with
both xCP 1.x and 2.x sharing the data.
• Have to use the features in xCP2.x to fulfill the new business needs without
any data model refactoring from xCP 1.x. Build new xCP 2.x application as
replacement for 1.x application.
Adopting types to xCP 2.x Applications
Only the sub types of ‘dm_sysobject’, ‘dm_document’ and ‘dm_folder’ can be adopted by xCP
application. Types are adopted by importing them from repository to xCP application. In this
process to connect to repository, a Design-time Environment configuration is required. To adopt
the types use the ‘Adopt Data Type(s)’ option from ‘Object Model’ tab.
4Type Adoption in xCP Applications

5. Choosing Adopt Data Type(s) will prompt a wizard to adopt the types from repository to the
application. This process starts with selecting Design-time Environment .
5Type Adoption in xCP Applications

6. Choose the appropriate Design-time Environment from where types have to be adopted.
Clicking on ‘Next’ after choosing an appropriate Design-time Environment, will take to next step
‘Import Data Type(s) to Target Project’. Select the types to be adopted, the target project and
click on ‘Finish’ to complete the adopting.
6Type Adoption in xCP Applications

7. Clicking on ‘Finish’ button will show the confirmation dialogue ‘Adopt Data type[s]
Confimation’ on which types have been adopted successfully and not adopted.
7Type Adoption in xCP Applications

8. Adopted types will be seen ‘Object Models’ view according to their category.
8Type Adoption in xCP Applications

9. It would create object models with label value that been provided during type
creation. For example, if type ‘loan_customer’ has been created with label ‘Loan
Customer’ (this value stored in ‘label_text’ attribute of dmi_dd_common_info object
for type ‘loan_customer’) and when this type has been adopted to xCP Application,
the object model will be created with ‘Loan Customer’ as label and ‘loan_customer’
as system name.
If label is not provided during type creation, it would use the default label values set
by Content Server. The default values are according to Documentum super type of the
types. For sub types of dm_sysobject, it would be ‘Sysobject’. For sub types of
dm_content, it would be ‘Document’. And for sub types for dm_folder, it would be
‘Folder’. When multiple types which don’t have label values or same label values
adopted at a time, error(s) might be shown in ‘Problems’ tab of xCP Designer as
multiple object model may have same label . In such instances, designer should
change the object model ‘label’ values in appropriate manner to fix the error.
If a type which inherits from other types in repository is adopted, all of its super types
will also be adopted by default. For example, if the type ‘premium_customer’
inherited from type ‘privilaged_customer’ which in turn inherited from type
‘customer’, adopting the type ‘premium_customer’ would result in adopting its super
types ‘privilaged_customer’ and ‘customer’.
Since xCP Designer doesn’t support having DQL reserved words (mentioned in DQL
Reference Manual) as attribute names for types, types which contains DQL reserved
words as attribute names can’t be adopted to xCP Applications unless attribute
names are changed.
The Documentum fundamental types ‘dm_sysobject’, ‘dm_document’ and
‘dm_folder’ cannot be adopted.
Editing and configuring Adopted Types
Once the types are adopted to the project, they are like any other types created in xCP Designer.
They can be modified to add or remove attributes, relationships with other types can be
created, and type fragments can be attached. Permission sets can be applied.
An object model being created in xCP Designer can be inherited from an Adopted Object Model
(type). Relationships can be created from adopted types to adopted types, adopted types to
the regular types and regular types to adopted types.
Picklists can be added to adopted types
9Type Adoption in xCP Applications

10. And Business Events can be configured for Adopted types.
Pages for create, update and view operations, object selectors, action flows, page fragments
and context menus can be created. If Adopted Type being Content, ‘Import’ actions can be
configured
10Type Adoption in xCP Applications

11. Adopted Types can be used in Processes as packages or attachments. Real Time, Full Text and
Historical queries can be created for Adopted Types. Task List queries can be created with
Adopted Type’s attributes in Data Set if it is being used as package.
Note: System Name of adopted type represents the actual type name from the repository and it
can’t be changed in the xCP application. xCP does not honor the entire data dictionary, which
includes value assists, attribute label internationalization, constraints etc..
Deploying Adopted Types
Adopted types deployed along with other object models to the repository on
deploying the xCP Application to which they have been adopted. If the adopted type
doesn’t exist in target repository, it would create the type and publish it. If the
adopted type already exists in the target repository, it alters the type and publishes it
if there are any changes to it. Otherwise, type in the target repository remains
unaltered. Like any other types created within xCP Designer all the rules of different
Data Policies are hold good for Adopted Types as well. If Data Policies other than
MINIMAL or MAINTAIN are used, all the existing instances will be deleted. It is always
best practice to use ‘MAINTAIN’ data policy when deploying to avoid data loss.
From now on Business Events and Alerts will be triggered even if the instances of
adopted type is modified outside of xCP client
11Type Adoption in xCP Applications

12. The Runtime behavior
Once the Adopted Types are deployed, the existing instances of Adopted Types will behave
same as new instances created within or outside xCP clients. All the older instances will be
retrieved along with newly created instance after the deployment of adopted types when a real
time query is used. They can be viewed, edited and deleted. New instances can be created.
Alerts, Business Events will be triggered on such operations if they are configured. Both old and
new instances can be related with other object instances using relate action.
They can be attached to Packages or Attachments during workflow actions
References
Documentum Content Server DQL Reference Manual
Documentum System Object Reference Manual
12Type Adoption in xCP Applications