Getting started with Architecture Dashboard
After setting up Architecture Dashboard and as soon as the first data synchronization occurs, you are ready to use Architecture Dashboard.
The following guides help you get started on your journey as an Architecture Dashboard user:
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If you are an Architect, start with how to check the technical debt of all the apps in your infrastructure.
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If you are a Team Lead, start with how to check the technical debt of your team's apps.
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If you are a Developer, start with how to find and fix technical debt in an app.
Check the technical debt of all the apps in your infrastructure
This guide assumes the following:
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Your infrastructure is already set up in Architecture Dashboard.
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Your IT user is already associated with Architecture Dashboard.
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You have the Administrator role in LifeTime.
After logging in to Architecture Dashboard with your OutSystems account, follow these steps:
Check the technical debt of all your apps
In the canvas, you get an overview of all the apps on your infrastructure.
Each square is an app. It shows the app name and the app type.
The color of each app shows you how high the technical debt is in that app. Technical debt tells you how difficult it's to change and maintain an app or module.
Find an app with high technical debt
Red means the app has high technical debt.
Select a red app. If you don't see a red app, select another app, preferably orange or yellow.
Check the dependencies of the app
Selecting an app highlights the dependencies of that app. Use this information to help you decide which apps should be improved first.
Find out which team owns the app
On the side panel, check the team that owns the app.
You can use this information to ask for improvements to the app.
Check how technical debt has changed with time
The mini chart shows how technical debt has changed over time.
To get more detail, select the mini chart.
The technical debt chart includes a technical debt trendline and a trend value.
This information lets you know if your technical debt is increasing or decreasing with time.
To get information for a specific date, hover your mouse over the chart.
You can select another date range.
Remove modules from technical debt score
You can remove specific modules from the technical debt calculation for your infrastructure, by setting them as ignored modules.
To set a module as ignored, follow these steps:
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In the top bar, select your user name, and then select Maintenance.
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In the Ignored Modules maintenance screen, set the Status filter to All, and find the module you want to remove from the technical debt calculation.
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Set the Ignored toggle to ignore the module.
After completing these steps and once the next synchronization occurs, the findings associated with the ignored module are resolved and removed from the technical debt score.
Check the technical debt of your team's apps
This guide assumes the following:
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Your infrastructure is already set up in Architecture Dashboard.
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Your IT user is already associated with Architecture Dashboard.
After logging in to Architecture Dashboard with your OutSystems account, follow these steps:
Check the technical debt of your team apps
In the canvas, you get an overview of all the apps on your infrastructure.
To only see apps from your team, select your team in Team.
Each square is an app. It shows the app name and the app type.
The color of each app shows you how high the technical debt is in that app. Technical debt tells you how difficult it's to change and maintain an app or module.
Red means the app has high technical debt.
Check the technical debt of the modules of the app
To get an overview all the modules of an app, double-click an app.
Selecting a module highlights the dependencies of the module.
Find and understand the causes of technical debt in an app
To go back and see all the app of your team, select Applications in the breadcrumbs.
Select the app again. Make sure you don't double-click the app this time.
To see the causes of technical debt in the app, select Open Report in the side panel.
To see details about a code pattern that causes technical debt, select Impact.
The Impact details why a code pattern creates technical debt.
To check how to fix the code pattern, select How to fix. You can also use this information to understand the effort involved in fixing a code pattern.
In Findings you can check all the occurrences of the code pattern. You can also see in which module each finding occurs, and even in which element it occurs.
After checking a finding you can change it's state:
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If you fix the finding, set the state to Resolve as already fixed to let other developers in your team know it's fixed. After the next synchronization occurs the finding disappears if you solved it correctly. Otherwise the finding reverts to Open.
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If the finding is a false positive, set the state to Resolve as false positive. After the next synchronization the finding stops counting towards the total technical debt score.
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If the finding isn't a false positive, set the state to Resolve as won't fix and detail the reason for not fixing it. After the next synchronization the finding stops counting towards the total technical debt score.
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To temporarily remove the finding from the total debt calculation, set the state to Remind me later (30 days). After the next synchronization, and during the next 30 days, the finding stops counting towards the total technical debt score.
Find and fix technical debt in an app
This guide assumes the following:
-
Your infrastructure is already set up in Architecture Dashboard.
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Your IT user is already associated with Architecture Dashboard.
Check the technical debt of the modules of an app
In the canvas, you get an overview of the apps in the infrastructure that you have access to.
Each square is an app. It shows the app name and the app type.
The color of each app shows you how high the technical debt is in that app. Technical debt tells you how difficult it's to change and maintain an app or module.
Red means the app has high technical debt.
To get an overview of the modules of an app, double-click the app.
Selecting a module highlights the dependencies of the module.
Find and understand the causes of technical debt in the module
To see the causes of technical debt in the app, select Open Report in the side panel.
To see details about a code pattern that causes technical debt, select Impact.
The Impact details why a code pattern creates technical debt.
To check how to fix the code pattern, select How to fix. You can also use this information to understand the effort involved in fixing a code pattern.
Fix and resolve technical debt findings
In Findings you can check all the occurrences of the code pattern. You can also see in which module each finding occurs, and even in which element it occurs.
To open Service Studio and navigate to the element where a code patterns occurs, select Open in Service Studio.
Your browser may ask you to confirm that you want to open Service Studio.
In Chrome confirm you want to open Service Studio by selecting Open URL:ServiceStudio Protocol.
After checking a specific finding, change the state of the finding depending on your action:
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If you fix the finding, set the state to Resolve as already fixed to let other developers in your team know it's fixed. After the next synchronization occurs the finding disappears if you solved it correctly. Otherwise the finding reverts to Open.
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If you don't fix the finding because the finding is a false positive, set the state to Resolve as false positive. After the next synchronization the finding stops counting towards the total technical debt score.
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If you don't fix the finding but the finding isn't a false positive, set the state to Resolve as won't fix and detail the reason for not fixing it. After the next synchronization the finding stops counting towards the total technical debt score.
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To temporarily remove the finding from the total debt calculation, set the state to Remind me later (30 days). After the next synchronization, and during the next 30 days, the finding stops counting towards the total technical debt score.