Test execution overview

IBM® Rational® Quality Manager provides a variety of test execution options, making the tool adaptable for many types of test teams. This topic provides an overview of these options.

Fast-path execution using test cases

With Rational Quality Manager, the most basic component is the test case. In the fast-path test execution scenario, you create a test case and run it.

When you run a test case, the associations with other test artifacts, such as test plans, test scripts, test environments, and test execution records are completely optional. You can make these associations if you choose and take advantage of the full range of features in Rational Quality Manager, but there is no requirement to do so.

In fast-path execution, the test case often runs in the local environment, and when the test run is finished, you update the execution results as needed. As such, this scenario is useful if your test execution requirements are relatively basic and you do not need to support multiple platforms and test environments. In this scenario, you can get up and running quickly.

Test execution with test suites

A test suite is a collection of test cases that are grouped for test execution purposes. Test suites can include both manual and automated tests, but they are most beneficial when you have a series of automated tests that you can run without supervision. When running a suite, you can specify whether to run the test cases in the suite sequentially or in parallel.

Test execution records

Test execution records map the test environment information to the test case. They specify the hardware and software environment for execution. They basically define a test this way: Run the test case in this environment, for example, on this particular hardware platform, running this particular operating system, and using this particular browser. To ensure that your test case passes when it runs in four different test environments, you can create a test execution record for each test environment.

Test execution records also contain the overall result (pass, fail, blocked) that is associated with the execution of a test case. In order for the test case to pass, all of its test execution records must pass.

You can create test execution records individually or use a wizard to generate several at once automatically.

Manual and automated test types

With Rational Quality Manager, you can create and run both manual and automated tests, including these tests:

When you create automated tests, you create references to the actual tests that are recorded or created with the automated test tool. The actual tests can reside on a test machine in your test lab or at a shared network location. When you run a test from a shared location, Rational Quality Manager copies the test to a test machine, and then runs it.

Defect tracking

With Rational Quality Manager, you can manage defects within the tool itself or you can use other tools, such as IBM Rational Team Concert or IBM Rational ClearQuest®.

If the application under test is being developed in Rational Team Concert, you can manage your defects using defect work items in Rational Team Concert.

If your team uses Rational ClearQuest to track defects, you can use the defect work item type in Rational Quality Manager and use the Rational ClearQuest Connector to synchronize the local defect repository and Rational ClearQuest.


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