About mastership

In a HCL Compass MultiSite environment, tracking changes and preventing data corruption is accomplished with an exclusive right-to-modify scheme called mastership. Mastership determines when a user of a database replica is allowed to modify data.

Without mastership, different users can modify the same record in different replicas independently and simultaneously, creating chaos. For example, suppose the record SAMPL00001 is modified in three replicas at the same time. Which is the real record SAMPL00001? What happens to the other two versions?

With mastership, database records and other workspace items (queries, reports, and charts) are assigned a mastering replica. Initially, the mastering replica of a record or workspace item is the site where it is created. During the project life cycle, the mastering replica can change.

HCL Compass for Windows™ displays dimmed icons in the workspace for queries, reports, and charts if the workspace item is mastered remotely. Records in a result set that are mastered remotely are marked with a lock icon.

HCL Compass Web displays different icons in the workspace (for queries, reports, and charts) and in a result set (for records) depending on whether the workspace item or record is mastered locally or remotely. When you view a record, HCL Compass Web displays mastership information on the record form.

HCL Compass Client display a lock icon next to workspace items in the Navigator view and next to records in the Query Results view when the workspace items or records are mastered remotely.

User privileges and mastership

The operations that you can perform on a record or workspace item depend on where it is mastered. When a record is mastered remotely, you can view and print it, but you cannot modify it or change its state. When a workspace item is mastered remotely, you can query and view it, but you cannot rename, edit, delete, or move it.

Your ability to change the mastership of a workspace item or record depends on several factors:

  • Mastership
  • Your privileges
  • For records, how the record is defined in the Designer

Mastership of a workspace item or record can change, depending on the actions performed on it or the mastership of your user record. For example, suppose you create a query on Replica A at Site A. Later, you change your job and move to Site B. Mastership of your user record moves with you to Replica B at Site B. Likewise, mastership of the query that you created on Replica A also moves with you to Replica B.

Additional restrictions are implied by mastership location. You can perform the following tasks only when you are logged in to the replica where your user record is currently mastered:

  • Modify your user profile
  • Assign startup queries
  • Save default values while submitting queries

You cannot modify named lists (dynamic lists) that are mastered remotely.