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Prerequisites

  • Administrator access to the Polarion server
  • SVN access to the global repository (.polarion directory at repository root)
  • Familiarity with YAML syntax and Powersheet sheet configuration concepts

Understand the Configuration Hierarchy

Powersheet resolves configuration at three levels. Global configuration provides defaults that project-level and document-level settings can override.
diagram
1

-- Locate the Global Configuration Directory

Global configuration is stored in the SVN repository root, not inside any individual project. Access it via the Polarion administration UI or directly through SVN.Via Polarion UI:
  1. Navigate to Administration > Nextedy Powersheet
  2. Open the Global Settings section
  3. Review the data models and sheet configurations listed
Via SVN:The global configuration resides at the repository root level:
The global .polarion/nextedy/ directory must be at the SVN repository root, not inside a project folder. Placing it inside a project makes it a project-level configuration, not a global one.
2

-- Edit the Global Data Model

The global data model defines entity types and relationships available to all projects that do not declare their own model.
  1. Check out the repository root via SVN:
  2. Open the global data model YAML file and edit the entity types:
  3. Save and commit:
Define entity type names in PascalCase (e.g., UserNeed, SystemRequirement). This convention keeps binding paths readable across sheet configurations and expansion paths.
3

-- Edit the Global Sheet Configuration

Global sheet configurations define default column layouts available across all projects.
  1. Open the global sheet configuration file:
  2. Adjust columns, widths, and views as needed for your organization’s defaults.
  3. Commit via SVN.
The exact set of global sheet configuration properties may vary by Powersheet version. Test your changes in a non-production environment first.
4

-- Override Global Settings at Project Level

When a project needs different behavior, create a project-level configuration that overrides the global one.
  1. Navigate to the project’s SVN directory:
  2. Create or edit the model and sheet configuration files inside the project’s .polarion/nextedy/ directory.
  3. Any entity types, relationships, or columns defined at the project level replace the corresponding global definitions for that project.
5

-- Validate and Reload

After committing global configuration changes:
  1. Trigger a reload --- In Polarion, navigate to Administration > Nextedy Powersheet and click Reload Configuration (or restart the Polarion service if no reload button is available).
  2. Verify in a project --- Open a project that relies on global configuration. Open a sheet and confirm:
    • Entity types from the global data model appear in expansion paths
    • Global columns display with the expected headers and widths
    • Views defined globally are selectable in the sheet toolbar
  3. Check for conflicts --- If a project has its own configuration, verify that the project-level settings take precedence as expected.
Polarion may cache configuration from SVN. If changes do not appear after committing, perform a server-side cache refresh or restart the Polarion service.

Common Pitfalls

If a project defines its own data model, the global model is not merged --- it is replaced entirely. Ensure project-level models include all entity types the project needs, even those that were inherited from the global model.
When checking out the repository root, use --depth immediates to avoid downloading all project data. Then selectively deepen only the .polarion/nextedy/ directory.
Since all configuration lives in SVN, you get full version history automatically. Use meaningful commit messages to track why changes were made, making it easy to roll back if a configuration change causes issues.

Verification

You should now see:
  • Global data model entity types available in any project that does not define its own model
  • Global sheet configuration columns and views appearing as defaults in sheets across your Polarion instance
  • Project-level overrides correctly replacing global settings where defined

See Also

Last modified on July 10, 2026