Streamlined Master Data requests (revised)

There are a lot of manual steps - and re-keying - in the way model authors currently request new Master Data. This feature request proposes a way of streamlining these.

For a regular author, the option to request a new MD item will be removed. The author will simply add a local resource in the traditional way: if a Master Data model is associated (in the stencil) with the property, then the system will automatically generate a ‘Master Data request’ task for the author of the Master Data model.

This task will identify:

• The author making the request

• The id of the model they are editing, and (from the stencil) the id of the Master Data file that the resource should be stored in

• The id of the new resource, with the name and description (explaining why the item is needed) given to it by the author

When an MD author opens an MD model (whether or not from an MD request task), a list of all outstanding MD request tasks for that model will be shown (e.g. in a non-model pop up, or in a new tray). For each request, the MD author may choose:

• Reject, to leave the MD file unchanged, but provide an explanation for  the originating author (e.g. by reassigning the task, or creating a new one, or just as a comment on the MD)

• Accept, to copy the resource into the MD file, with the same id, name and description. The MD author may then edit the name and description, and move the item to a different position in the hierarchy. No change will be made to the requesting author's model - see below for how this will be handled.

(Ideally, there would be a third option: to 'Redirect' the request to an existing MD item. This may be addressed in future: for now, it will be handled as a Reject, with a message from the MD author describing which existing MD item should be used in place of the requested resource)

When the system opens a model (whether to generate an output or to load it into the Author), it should detect any local resource whose id is the same as that of a part in an included Master Data file, and ignore (by logical deletion or otherwise) the local resource: any reference to it will thus automatically be treated as a reference to the Master Data part.

When an author saves a model with such a logically deleted local resource, the local resource will be physically removed from the file.