TestBench-PC

Introduction

Without TestBench, developers have to manually verify test results, or use tools that are limited to the playing of scripts and the automatic comparison of screens.

The TestDrive-Green and TestDrive-Gold components provide easy to use script capture, playback and Screen compare.

When used on an Oracle or iSeries server, TestBench is also able to focus on the ‘invisible’ underlying system database as well as the ‘visible’ system aspects.Errors in the database are harder to find than screen errors and are more difficult to correct and retest if found, and yet can make business critical systems unusable for days.

TestBench combines wide-ranging functionality with inbred ease-of-use, to encourage consistent, regular and effective use.

Getting Started

The User ID and Password are optional fields and should be entered if your database requires it. For Oracle and SQL Server, if you are using Windows authentication then the User ID and Password should be left blank.

Connection Shows the name of each server for which there is an ODBC connection available. When a System is selected, an ODBC connection will be made (taking anything from 2 to 30 seconds). Only ODBC Data Sources which include the word ‘TestBench’ will be displayed.

Library If using the IBM iSeries as the server this is the library in which the TestBench application is stored and should be left as the default TB_xPO. For SQL, Oracle and Access this is the name of the TestBench database.

Product Registration

Without any product registration, TestBench-PC simply provides a view of the product structure which includes Projects and Test Cases, and allows these placeholders to be defined andmodified. However, in order to create scripts, run tests and manage the database, one or all ofthe following products should be registered.

TestDrive-Gold – Record and play back scripts over Windows and Web applications.

• TestDrive-Green – Record and play back scripts over iSeries applications.

• TestDrive-Assist – Make use of the manual testing functionality to document screen and database test results.

• TestBench for Oracle – Manage an Oracle database by extracting test data and rolling back changes made as a result of testing and run integrated tests which provide database and log information in addition to the visual layer testing.

Click on the ‘Help’ menu

Click on the ‘About’ option

Click on the ‘Register’ button

This code should be obtained from your supplier. Click on the ‘Details’ button to list out the information that will be required by your supplier before a code can be provided.

TestBench-PC Panel

Main Panel – Database View

Main Panel – Project View

Main Panel – Test Case View

Main Panel – Action Maps View

Main Panel – Variable Data View

Main Panel – Script View

Home Tab

Click on the far left tab to display the Announcements Area of the Original Software web site. All of the latest product news can be viewed here and it is also a point of contact for support and sales staff at Original Software.

Test Case Maintenance

The following screen is displayed when either the New or Edit options are taken for a Test Case. The Protection and Data Rules options are only available when used with Test Cases on the iSeries or Oracle. Timeline can be used on an Oracle server only and when a valid TestBench for Oracle license exists. Error Severity is only applicable to iSeries installations. Code

Variable Data Sets

Right click on the single grey box in the top left of the Edit Variable Data window to begin creating variable data fields and transactions for new Variable Data Sets.

Column Options

Column Options Row Options

Data Rules

Data Rules represent a key component of TestBench as they allow the database effects of a test run to be proactively checked without requiring further action by the user. Data Rules are available both on the iSeries and on Oracle if a valid TestBench for Oracle license exists. However, if the iSeries is the server then Data Rules must be defined and their results viewed on the server (see the Testing chapter of the TestBench User Guide for more information), only TestBench for Oracle Data Rules can be managed using TestBench-PC.

In TestBench for Oracle, Data Rules can be defined at the Project level or for an individual Test Case. If defined at a Project level then they will be automatically applied to all Test Cases, unless the option on the Test Case is set to exclude them. Data Rules can be defined for any table and there is no limit to the number of Data Rules that can be defined for a single table.

Data Rules can be used in all aspects of testing, but they are often constructed by Systems Analysts, Database Designers and Technical staff. However, their power to validate can be maximised if they are also applied during later phases of testing such as regression or UAT.

How Data Rules Work

A data rule consists of two main components - WHEN rules (selection conditions) and TEST rules (rules for validating data). The WHEN portion of the rule is used to identify which rows the TEST portion can be applied to. This means that different rules can be set up for data in different conditions, for example one rule for Invoices and another for Credit Notes. If there are no WHEN conditions, the rule will apply to all rows.

At the end of each test, Data Rules are applied and checked against the database effects captured from the test and any discrepancies are reported as Warnings. The full details of the discrepancy can be viewed side by side with the Data Rule in TestBench-PC results.

When is a Data Rule Checked?

1. A database effect must be generated in the Environment associated with the Test Case as a result of a write, update or delete operation. 2. The rule must be active. The Test Case contains an option to specify whether Project, Test Case, All or No rules should be applied. 3. The data in the row must match any selection (when) conditions for the rule.

Test Environments

When a valid TestBench for Oracle license exists, an additional Test Environments tab is available in TestBench-PC. Test Environments consist of a list of Schemas which contain the test data for an application. If a Test Environment is defined for a Test Case, when any scripts stored within that Test Case are played back with the ‘Activate Test_IT’ option checked, results in the form of database effects and data rules are reported. Test Environments also enable data that has been changed by a test to be rolled back to a previous state, thus allowing you to run a program many times knowing that the starting point of all the tables will be consistent. This capability is essential if you are using a ‘record and playback’ tool such as TestDrive-Gold to exercise your interactive programs, as without a data starting point identical to that when the script was created, it is inevitable that many differences will be found during the execution of the script. This can be done even if TestBench is not being used to initiate tests via Test Cases and Scripts, but when testing is being performed in your application directly.

Checkpoints A checkpoint consists simply of a description which can be changed in edit mode at any time without affecting the operation of the Checkpoint.

Launch Files

Launch files are used for two purposes. Firstly they support integration with Mercury Quality Center and enable you to launch a particular Script, Map or set of Results without going through TestBench-PC. To use the file in Quality Center simply add it as an attachment as you would any other PC file. To launch outside of Quality Center simply right click the file and select ‘Launch’. Secondly they enable complete information to be specified which facilitates the fully automated execution of a Script or Action Map in unattended mode. This means that a scheduler can be used to launch a series of tests at a specified date and time.

Maintenance Launch files of the first type can be created for an entire Project or Test Case by right clicking the Project or Test Case in TestBench-PC and selecting the ‘Create Launch File’ option. The launch files are created in a folder called My Original Software\Launch Files in the MyDocuments folder on the PC and have the extension .TBC. Files of both types can be created for individual components by either right clicking a Script or Action Map in TestBench-PC, or by selecting the option from the File menu when the Script or Action Map is open. The following wizard is then used to specify the required parameters.

Test Case Results