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# Relations and dependencies

This topic explains the concepts of related items and dependencies in ALM Octane, and describes how to create them.

In this topic:

## Related items

There are several types of relationships that can exist between items: covering tests, trace to/from, parent, covering requirement document, upstream/downstream dependency.

How to create relationships

Some relationships are created automatically. For example, when you create a test for a feature, a 'covering test' relationship is formed between the test and its feature.

You can also manually add relationships between items in the Relations tab.

How to view relationships

Open an item's details view, and select the Relations tab.

Use the Add and Remove buttons to manually add or remove related items.

You can view relations as a Chart or in the Viewer . The Chart is the default view for the Relations tab. Once opened, the relations tab saves the last view type per user, per entity. Relations can be added and deleted via the Chart or Viewer.

Layout | Details
--- | ---
Chart | The following describes the Chart behaviors: All the entity cards related to your item are organized according to relation type. The relation explanation displays between the entity types. To view different parts of the chart, drag the chart, zoom in or out with your mouse, or use the zoom button. Double-click the white space of the chart to return to the default zoom level. The number of items displays below each entity type at the bottom of the card. Click the number and it will automatically redirect you to those entities in the Viewer grid. For single-relation cards, click the ellipsis that appears on the card to add or remove links.
Viewer | The following describes the Viewer behaviors: Related items are listed and filtered according to the type you were viewing in the Chart. Each entity is clickable so you can review the details. When there are 100+ items, an ellipsis appears and the actual number is displayed in a tooltip.

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## Dependencies

Dependencies are the relationships between activities that determine the order in which the activities need to be performed.

How to create dependencies

Dependencies are items related by the Upstream and Downstream Dependency relationships.

You can create dependencies between features, user stories, and defects.

To create a dependency:

1. Open the Relations tab in the downstream item.
2. Click Add Relation > Upstream Dependency.
3. In the Add features, user stories, defects dialog box, select the item or items upon which the downstream item is dependent.

After the first dependency is defined, you can add more dependencies from the Dependencies Map. See below.

How to view dependencies

Dependencies are displayed in a dedicated Dependencies Map, and as part of the Relations Diagram.

To view the dependencies map, open an item's Details tab, and click the View Dependencies button. If the button is not available, the item does not have any upstream or downstream dependencies.

In the Feature Planning Board, dependent features are marked with an Dependencies exist icon. For details, see Planning Board feature dependencies.

In the display Grid View or Slim Grid View, you can add parent and child relations fields to the entity grid using Choose columns. For details, see Refine your display.

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See also:

- Link manual and Gherkin tests to automated tests
- Build the product backlog
- The Planning Board

https://admhelp.microfocus.com ALM Octane 8942
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