Test Lab

The Test Lab module enables you to create test sets that includes tests of your choice, and run manual and automated tests in your project to locate defects and assess quality.

Higher-level task: This task is part of a higher-level task. For details, see ALM lifecycle.

Tet execution overview

You begin test execution by creating test sets and choosing tests to include in each set. A test set contains a subset of the tests in an ALM project designed to achieve specific test goals. As your application changes, you can run the manual and automated tests in your project to locate defects and assess quality.

You can run ALM tests in different ways:

How to run ALM tests Details
Run tests using Functional test sets

Tests in Functional test sets are run using server-side execution. You do not have to be around to initiate and control the tests. Functional test sets are run via timeslots, so you can schedule a test set to be run immediately, or you can schedule it to be run at a future time. Once you schedule the test, ALM ensures that the necessary resources are reserved for the test set. The test set is launched without user intervention and run in sequence with the input you provide in advance.

Functional test sets are a key component in ALM's Continuous Delivery solution. They facilitate an automated, end-to-end deployment and testing framework that makes application development more efficient, reliable, and quick.

For detail, see Run tests in a Functional test set.
Run tests using Default test sets

Tests in Default test sets are run using client-side execution. You control the test directly from your local computer. You can run Default test sets manually or automatically in ALM.

For details, see Run tests manually and Run tests automatically.
Run tests using Performance test sets

LoadRunner Enterprise: You can run performance tests to create load on an application and test its performance.

For details, see theLoadRunner Enterprise help.

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Run tests workflow

The following instructions explain the general workflow of run tests in your project using the Test Lab module:

  1. Create test sets.

    Create and define test sets in the Test Lab module. After you have created test sets, you can assign test set folders to cycles defined in the releases tree in the Releases module.

    For task details, see Create test sets.

  2. Run tests in a Functional test set.

    ALM Editions: Functional test sets are available only for ALM Edition. For information about ALM editions and their functionality, see ALM editions. To find out which edition of ALM you are using, ask your ALM site administrator.

    The tests in Functional test sets run using server-side execution. You can reserve resources for running functional test sets to ensure that they are available for the duration of the run. To run tests in a Functional test set, do one of the following:

    • To schedule a test set run for the future, reserve a timeslot in the Timeslots module. For details, see Reserve timeslots for running tests.
    • To arrange for a test to run in a timeslot immediately, use the Execution Grid tab in the Test Lab module. For details, see Run tests automatically.

  3. Run tests in a Default test set.

    The tests in Default test sets run using client-side execution. You control and run the tests from your machine by using the Test Lab module. To run tests in a Default test set, do one of the following:

    • Run manual and automated tests manually, executing the test steps that you defined during test planning. For task details, see Run tests manually.

    • Arrange for manual and automated tests in a test set to run automatically. For task details, see Run tests automatically.

  4. Run Performance tests.

    LoadRunner Enterprise: You can run performance tests to create load on an application and test its performance. For details, see theLoadRunner Enterprise help.

    You can reserve the resources required for running performance tests to ensure that they are available for the duration of the test run.

    • To schedule a performance test run for the future, reserve a timeslot in the Timeslots module. For details, see Reserve timeslots for running tests.
    • To arrange for a test to run in an a timeslot immediately, use the Execution Grid tab in the Test Lab module. For details, see Run tests automatically.

      • ALM Editions:  Performance test execution is available only for ALM Edition and LoadRunner Enterprise. For information about ALM editions and their functionality, see ALM editions. To find out which edition of ALM you are using, ask your ALM site administrator.

  5. View and analyze test results.

    After you run tests, review results to determine if the actual results match the expected test results. For task details on viewing test results, see Test Runs.

    You can also analyze run data by creating graphs and reports. Do one of the following:

    View dynamic graphs of test set folders In the test sets tree, select a test folder, and click the Live Analysis tab. For task details on generating live analysis graphs, see Live Analysis graphs.
    View test set data in a graph On the Test Lab module menu, select Analysis > Graphs. For task details on generating graphs, see Generate an entity graph.
    Create a report of test set data On the Test Lab module menu, select Analysis > Project Report. For task details on creating reports, see Create and configure project reports.

    For details on additional analysis tools in ALM, see Analysis.

  6. Link to a defect.

    If a defect has been detected, you can create a new defect and link it to the test set, test instance, test run, or run step, or you can link it to an already-existing defect.

    For user interface details, see Linked Defects/Entities Page.

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    See also: