Areas and Iterations in TFS 2010

Question

What is the difference between the Areas and Iterations section here below

IMAGE-A

and this one here below

IMAGE-B

I tried giving the contributors group privileges to the root iteration node in IMAGE-B above but they could not save new custom queries under Work Items-> Team Queries -> Iteration 1. Only when I added the contributors to the Iteration 1 folder in IMAGE-A as above were they able to save new custom queries.

What area and iteration section does the prompt shown in Image-B cover?

Answer 1

Hi LBMumbai, 

Thanks for your post.

Which permissions you set for your contributor group on Iteration node? Before save your custom query, try to run your custom query, could get the correct work item query result? We need to ensure the custom query can be run correctly before you save it.       

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John Qiao [MSFT]
MSDN Community Support | Feedback to us

Answer 2

You define areas and iterations for a team project to support the grouping of work items into useful categories, such as milestones and related features. You can also control who can modify work items that are assigned to an area or iteration. You define areas to organize work items into logical, physical, or functional categories. You define iterations to group work items into milestones or time cycles.

By assigning permissions, you can scope the set of actions that users or groups can perform on work items or test plans that are assigned to an area or iteration. You can also restrict or allow users or groups to manage the project structure for an area or iteration.

To control access to an area or an iteration by using Team Explorer, Microsoft Excel, or Microsoft Project

1. Connect to the team project by following one of these steps:

   • In Team Explorer, click the team project for which you want to set permissions.

   • For detailed instructions about how to connect to the team project by using Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Project, see Connect a Microsoft Office Document to Team Foundation Server.

2. Follow one of these steps:

   • In Team Explorer, on the Team menu, point to Team Project Settings, and then click Areas and Iterations.

   • In Office Excel, on the Team tab, in the Work Items group, click Edit Areas and Iterations.

   • In Office Project, on the Team menu, click Edit Areas and Iterations.

3. In the Areas and Iterations dialog box, click the area or iteration whose permissions you want to set, and then clickSecurity.

   The Project Security dialog box appears, as the following illustration shows:

   

   You can add users or groups and then set the Allow or Deny permissions for each user or group. Specifically, you can grant or deny permission to manage the structure of a node, to view or modify work items that are assigned to that node, and to manage test plans.

   For more information, see Change Permissions for a Group or User.

4. When you have finished modifying the permissions, click Close, and then click Close again to close the Areas and Iterations dialog box.

Does that answer your question?

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Answer 3

Hi Tarun,

That was very informative !

I have a doubt here..

By using this 'Area and Iteration' Security, Can we setup the team portal in such a way that, team members belonging to a particular area can only access the data related to them? They should not be able to access the information related to other areas. 

Where as Project Leads,Managers should be able to see the information related to entire team project.

Can this type of setup be implemented if we set the Security of Areas and Iterations, as you described in the above post..? (Or) Do we need to follow another procedure to implement this..?

Regards.

Answer 4

Thanks for the detailed reply Tarun. However that did not answer my question. I wanted to give contributors access to create and save Team queries, so I got the Access and Iteration pane up as below and gave the TFS Contributors group full access over for each node

However that did not work. They were able to create a query and run it. But not able to save it. They would get an error message saying domain\user needs contributor access. But I just did that above, didn't I?

So after checking further I found that right clicking on the Iterations folder as below also I can open up the privileges to that folder.

so after right clicking on Iteration 1 as below and selecting Security I gave contributors full access, after which they were able to save their queries.

now the question is: What and where did I open access to by giving privileges on the first image above ??

Answer 5

Hi Newbie, 

Thanks for your reply. 

Yes, if you deny the View work item in this node permission(on one Area path) for a TFS group(or user), the users will can’t access the work items which area is that Area path(you denied), whether in VS, or in team project portal.      

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John Qiao [MSFT]
MSDN Community Support | Feedback to us

Answer 6

Hi LBMumbai,

Thanks for your reply.

If the user want the work item displayed in the query result, the user need to has the View work item in node permission on each Aare path node(similar to Iteration path).

Please refer to the Team Queries permissions and their support tasks detailed information in this document: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd286628.aspx.    

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John Qiao [MSFT]
MSDN Community Support | Feedback to us

Answer 7

Hi LBMumbai,

Thanks for your reply.

If the user want the work item displayed in the query result, the user need to has the View work item in node permission on each Aare path node(similar to Iteration path).

Please refer to the Team Queries permissions and their support tasks detailed information in this document: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd286628.aspx.    

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John Qiao [MSFT]
MSDN Community Support | Feedback to us

Thanks Jon. I understand how to give permissions to team members to save and view queries. what I dont understand is, what is this screen for?

What area of TFS am I securing by giving/revoking rights here? 

Answer 8

Hi LBMumbai, 

Thanks for your reply.

This Areas and Iterations window use to create and modify Areas and Iterations for Team Project, the Security feature use to controlling access to work items assigned to an Area or Iteration, please refer to the detailed information in this document: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms181692.aspx.

For more information about the permission name and permission description in Area-level and Iteration-level, please refer to: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms252587.aspx.   

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John Qiao [MSFT]
MSDN Community Support | Feedback to us

Answer 9

This Areas and Iterations window use to create and modify Areas and Iterations for Team Project, the Security feature use to controlling access to work items assigned to an Area or Iteration, please refer to the detailed information in this document: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms181692.aspx.

See that is where you are wrong. I agree that here is where Areas and Iterations can be created as shown in the screen depicted in the image below. But you cant assign security privileges in this screen that stop or allow anyone from adding/modifying work items. I tried it and it did not work which is why I posted on this forum asking, what is the purpose then of this security button over here.

Here in the screen depicted in the image below is where you can actually stop or allow anyone from adding or modifying work items.

Try it and see....

Answer 10

Hi LBMumbai, 

Thanks for your reply.

Could you provide your detailed reproduce steps here? I will follow your detailed steps to reproduce your scenario in my TFS 2010.  

And please ensure your account’s permissions in all the TFS groups which it belong to.  

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John Qiao [MSFT]
MSDN Community Support | Feedback to us