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# Testing overview

As you develop your application, testing is a critical part of the process. Testing ensures that the product meets your organization's quality standards.

In this topic:

## Overview of test types

ALM Octane helps you manage different types of testing processes:

Type | Details
--- | ---
Manual tests | In Manual tests, the tester uses the application to make everything works as expected. Manual tests list each step and you perform the test, step by step. Gherkin tests are an advanced type of manual test, and contain scenarios that describe what to test and what to expect.
Automated tests | Automated tests are helpful for repetitive tasks and performing difficult tasks. Use automated tests for unit testing, regression testing, and continuous integration. You maintain automated tests in external testing tools. The recommended methodology for working with automated testing in ALM Octane is using the BDD testing framework. For details, see BDD testing framework.

ALM Octane incorporates test run results in dashboard and quality analysis.

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## Testing entities

The following table lists the various testing entities:

Test entity | Description
--- | ---
Manual Test | Manual tests make sure an application works as expected by testing most of its features. Manual test types include acceptance, end-to-end, regression, sanity, security, performance, and others. This entity represents the test steps to perform in the application under test. For details, see Manual testing.
Gherkin Test | Gherkin tests are a type of manual test. They use the Gherkin syntax and scenario structure. Gherkin test subtypes also include acceptance, end-to-end, regression, sanity, security, and performance. This entity represents the scenarios to perform on the application under test.
Automated Test | This entity represents the script that is stored and maintained in the external tool. Executable automated tests can run as part of a test suite in ALM Octane. For details, see Automated testing and Add UFT One tests from an SCM repository.
Test Suite | A container with a set of tests grouped in one unit. Test suites contain no independent steps of their own. A test suite can contain: Manual and Gherkin tests that run sequentially. All manual and Gherkin tests run in the ALM Octane Manual Runner. Executable automation tests that are triggered to run on the CI server. When you run the test suite, the automated tests run on the CI server. You assign test runs to people, and run each test individually. After finishing all the test runs, ALM Octane aggregates the results of each test run into a single suite run.
Manual Test Run | A manual run of a test. See Manual test syntax for usage examples.
Gherkin Test Run | An automated run of a Gherkin test.
Test Suite Run | A run of a test suite.
Automated Test Run | A run of an automated test, by a CI server such as Jenkins or TeamCity.
Pipeline | ALM Octane pipelines consist of pipeline steps, which represent the jobs that run on your CI server. Pipelines enable you to interact with your CI server. For example, ALM Octane collects the results of automated tests that run on the CI server.
Pipeline Run | A run of a pipeline, by a CI server such as Jenkins or TeamCity. Pipeline runs consist of builds, and can include information about failing automated tests, SCM commits related to this pipeline run, and more.
Build | A build is the result of a pipeline step run. A pipeline run consists of builds. If a pipeline step runs automated tests, its build consists of automated test runs.
Vulnerability | Vulnerabilities are security issues found in your code by a security testing scan. After reviewing a vulnerability, you can create a relevant defect to fix in your code, or dismiss and close the issue.

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## Test runs grid

The Runs tab in the Quality module provides a unified grid of runs across all tests, both planned and executed. Testing managers can filter the grid, and do bulk updates on runs across different tests.

Note: By default, the Runs tab is accessible to workspace administrators only. For details on allowing access to other roles, see Roles and permissions.

Display limits

Some filter definitions on the Runs tab can result in a large number of matching runs. The Runs grid will include the first 2000 runs in the filter, according to the sort-by field. Refine the filter to make sure that all the runs you are interested in are included.

The following applies to grids with over 2000 runs:

- You can sort the grid according to the following fields: ID, Started, Creation time, and Latest pipeline run.

- If you sort by any other field, the grid will not display any results.

- No results will display if the grid is grouped.

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## Test run statuses

Test runs have two status fields: Native status and status.

- Native status. The test run's actual status. Can be any of the following values: Passed, Failed, Blocked, Skipped, In Progress, Planned

- Status. A reduced list of test run statuses, used for widgets and coverage reporting. Can be any of the following values: Passed, Failed, Requires Attention, Skipped, Planned

The Status value is derived automatically from the Native status value. The two fields are mapped as follows:

"Native status" value | Mapped "Status" value
--- | ---
Passed | Passed
Failed | Failed
Blocked | Requires Attention
Skipped | Skipped
In Progress | Requires Attention
Planned | Planned

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See also:

- Automated testing
- Create test suites
- Analyze product quality

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