iRise and the Tasktop Integration Hub provides a near-real time, bi-directional synchronization of requirements, stories and prototype links with JIRA, TFS/VSTS and dozens of other platforms.

This article is intended to give an overview of what the integration process entails.

Setting up the integration involves the following steps: 

The Tasktop Integration Hub sits between iRise and the system you're integrating with, so you'll need that setup first. 

A server environment (hardware or virtualized) is needed to install Tasktop. You'll need a user account on the server that has sufficient privileges to allow the download and installation of executable files. 

Download Tasktop Integration Hub: Installers for Windows or Linux are available here.

After we process your order, we'll send your organizations' designated technical contact a link to our software download site and your license key will come in a separate email from support@irise.com.

Installing the Tasktop Integration Hub on your server: Installation requirements and instructions are available here.

Once installation is complete, you can begin using Tasktop Integration Hub via your browser, at http://<servername>:8080/ or https://<servername>:8443/ in a browser. Before you can log on to Tasktop, you must first access the User Administration Console to create admin user(s).  

Once logged in, you will be prompted to set a Master Password, which will be used to encrypt your repository credentials.

You will also need to apply your license before configuring your integrations.  You can learn how to apply your license here.

A repository is any system that houses the artifacts that can be used in an integration. Repositories can be systems used as part of the software delivery process, like iRise, JIRA, TFS/VSTS, etc.

Tasktop requires an administrator account on both target repositories that will be used by the Tasktop Integration Hub to be able to perform synchronizations. 

Setting up an integration between iRise and another repository requires the following 4 steps:

What is a repository: A repository is any system that houses the artifacts that can be used in an integration. Repositories can be systems used as part of the software delivery process, like iRise, JIRA, TFS/VSTS, etc.

Why: Repository connections allow Tasktop to access artifacts (like requirements) from a given repository.

How: Create a connection to each repository in the Repositories tab of Tasktop Integration Hub with the Tasktop user accounts created in step 2 above. 

What is a model: A model is a tool that makes the integration process scalable by defining the fields for each artifact type you would like to integrate. 

Why: By mapping collections to the same model, you will be able to easily add new repositories and new projects within those repositories to your integration landscape.

How: Setup your model. 

What is a collection: A collection is a set of fields (Tasktop refers to these as artifacts) that are eligible to flow as part of your integration.  

Why: The collection mapping is where you define which fields (Priority, Status, Risk) will integrate with the other repository (JIRA, TFS, etc.) via the model.

How: Define a Work Item Collection for each repository. 

After saving your Work Item Collection, map the fields that should flow between a repository and the model.

What is an integration: An integration is simply the flow of artifacts between collections. 

Why: Configuring your integration (Tasktop refers to this as a work item synchronization), allows you to customize the field flow, routing, and filtering, as well as enable or disable comment flow and attachment flow.

How: Configure a work item synchronization or integration between iRise and the other repository. Once you've configured your integration, you can easily expand or modify your integration to include additional fields or projects.