Building Executable Tests

Although you can execute test scripts alone inside the eCATT development environment, this is normally only done during test development or troubleshooting. Test scripts can, and often do, contain default test data. However, a complete test case is represented by a test configuration, and it is test configurations that can be executed from the Test Workbench.

The graphic below shows the main components of a test configuration. As with other eCATT objects, the test configuration has mandatory attributes (title, package, person responsible, and application component) as well as attributes containing administrative information. At the core of the test configuration is the test script. Each test configuration references exactly one test script and the default variant is defined by the import parameters of the test script.

In the default setting, a system data container, one or more test data containers, and a start profile are referenced. However, these references are optional. You can create variants manually, by referencing data in the test data containers, or by referencing start profile test run parameters. In many cases, referencing test data containers provides the advantage of reusability. You can use the start profile test run data to create global parameters at the level of the start options for a test configuration or a test package.

The graphic below shows how the various eCATT objects work together.

The test script defines the actions to be executed. The system data container provides the system mapping that determines the systems affected by the commands. The system data container of the test configuration overrides all other system data containers.

The test script defines the importing parameters that make up the variants. The test data containers provide the bulk of the test data. The names of parameters defined in the test data containers do not need to be the same as those in the test configuration, although it can be convenient to arrange it so. There is considerable flexibility in building up variants. In one variant, you can link to fields in several different test data containers, manually enter values in other fields, and leave yet other fields empty to be filled with the default values.

You also have the option of assigning start profile test run parameters to test configuration variants. These parameters are transferred once, globally for the whole test run, irrespective of whether you start a single test configuration or an entire test package with multiple test configurations. These parameters can also be provided with other runtime values before the test package or test configuration is executed. For details, see Using Start Profile Test Run Parameters.