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Test Author Guide
This guide describes how to create test scripts and enhances them by applying different test elements such as dataset, variables, and verification points.
Testing in the Functional Test perspective
When you develop Java, HTML, or Terminal-based applications, you can use IBM® Rational® Functional Tester to create traditional functional tests for these applications. You must first record the tests and then use Rational Functional Tester to run the tests before you can view the test results.
Driving functional tests with external data
This section describes techniques you can use to data-drive functional tests with external data.
Data-driving tests overview
When you data-drive a test, the script uses variables for key application input fields and programs instead of literal values so that you can use external data as you data-drive the application you are testing.

Test Author Guide
This guide describes how to create test scripts and enhances them by applying different test elements such as dataset, variables, and verification points.
- Testing in the UI Test perspective
  When you develop web applications, Windows-based applications, or mobile applications, you can use IBM® Rational® Functional Tester to create functional tests for these applications. You must first record the tests and then use Rational Functional Tester to run the tests before you can view the test results.
- Testing in the Functional Test perspective
  When you develop Java, HTML, or Terminal-based applications, you can use IBM® Rational® Functional Tester to create traditional functional tests for these applications. You must first record the tests and then use Rational Functional Tester to run the tests before you can view the test results.
  - Preparing the functional test environment
    This section describes the tasks you must perform to configure the functional test environment.
  - Managing functional test projects
    A functional test project stores application test assets such as scripts, object maps, verification point baseline files, and script templates. You must create a functional test project before you can record scripts.
  - Working with functional test scripts (Windows-only)
    This section describes the process of creating functional test scripts to test your applications.
  - Working with verification points
    Verification points verify that a certain action has taken place, or verify the state of a control or an object. When you create a verification point, you are capturing information about a control or an object in the application to establish this as baseline information for comparison during playback.
  - Driving functional tests with external data
    This section describes techniques you can use to data-drive functional tests with external data.
    - Data-driving tests overview
      When you data-drive a test, the script uses variables for key application input fields and programs instead of literal values so that you can use external data as you data-drive the application you are testing.
    - Data-driven functional tests
      To data-drive a test script, you need to select the controls or objects in the application-under-test using either the Object Finder Tool method or the Test Object Browser method.
    - Working with datasets
      A dataset is a collection of related data records which supplies data values to the variables in a test script during test script playback.
    - Creating a dataset
      A dataset is a collection of related data records which supplies realistic data values to the variables in a test script during test script playback. You can create data from scratch or import existing data into a new dataset from another dataset or a .csv file.
    - Importing to datasets
      You can import test data into a dataset using a comma-separated value (CSV) file that enables you to import large volumes of test data to a dataset rather than manually entering them.
    - Inserting data-driven commands into a script by using an application visual
      You can add data-driven commands to the script by using an application visual.
    - Associating a dataset with a group in a simplified script
      You can associate a dataset with a group in a simplified script. With this capability, you can create multiple datasets for a script and associate the datasets with the groups in a script.
    - Encrypting datasets
      To secure test data, you must encrypt datasets. You can encrypt one or more columns of a dataset using a password. You are prompted to enter your password when you run a test that utilizes dataset with encrypted variables.
    - Decrypting Datasets
      You must decrypt the dataset if you want to export a dataset into a .csv file. If you decrypt a dataset, it revokes the protection offered to the test data in it.
    - Editing datasets
      After you data-drive a test to create a dataset or create an empty dataset, you can edit the records and variables in the dataset.
    - Replacing literals with dataset references
      If you have an existing test script, you can replace literal values in the script with dataset references to add realistic data to the script. You can find and replace all literals, or just the number, string, or boolean literals with a dataset reference.
    - Dataset references and verification points
      When you create a verification point with a dataset reference, you can supply variable data to make your tests more realistic.
    - Changing the dataset record selection order
      The test dataset record selection order determines how a test script accesses records in the test script's associated dataset when you play back the test script.
    - Associating a dataset with a test script
      You can associate a test script with a dataset to use external data to drive the application instead of using a literal value.
    - Associating a test script with a dataset
      You can associate a test script with a dataset to use external data to drive the application instead of using a literal value.
    - Removing a dataset association
      You can remove dataset association with a test script.
    - Deleting a dataset
      You can delete a dataset if you no longer require it.
  - Managing functional test assets
    You can integrate Rational® Functional Tester with Rational Team Concert™ and manage functional test assets using any of these source control management tools.
  - Testing terminal-based applications
    Use the Rational® Functional Tester Terminal-based Applications feature to create test scripts and automate your host-application test cases. You can test host attributes, host field attributes, and screen-flow through a host application. It uses terminal verification points and properties, as well as synchronization code to identify the readiness of terminal for user input.
  - Troubleshooting issues
    You can find information about the issues or problems that you might encounter while you work in the Functional Test perspective of Rational® Functional Tester. You can also find the details about the causes and resolutions that you can apply to fix the issues.
- Extending the UI Test perspective with custom code
  You can use custom code to extend the default Web UI testing capabilities. You can write custom Java™ code and call the code from the test. You can also specify that results from the tests that are affected by your custom code to be included in reports.
- Extending the Functional Test perspective
  You can use custom code to extend the default functional testing capabilities. You can write custom code and call the code from the test. You can also specify that results from the tests that are affected by your custom code to be included in reports.
- Experimental Features
  Rational® Functional Tester contains a set of pre-releases that enable you to test various experimental features. These experimental features, while still in progress, are introduced early in the release to seek your feedback on its overall functionality and performance. You can play around with these capabilities before they are made available and supported as a general feature in an upcoming release.

Data-driving tests overview

When you data-drive a test, the script uses variables for key application input fields and programs instead of literal values so that you can use external data as you data-drive the application you are testing.

Data-driven testing uses data from an external file, a dataset, as input to a test. A dataset is a collection of related data records. When you data-drive test, datasets supply data values to the variables in a test scripts during test script playback.

Because data is separated from the test script, you can:

Modify test data without affecting the test script
Add new test cases by modifying the data, not the test script
Share the test data with many test scripts

The diagram on the left shows a test script, which uses data with hard-coded, literal references in the test script. The diagram on the right shows a data-driven test script that uses data from an external file, a dataset.

Hard-coded test script Data-driven test script

Hard-coded test script with literal references Data-driven test script with a dataset

Here are some examples of problems that data-driving tests solves:

Problem: During recording, you create a personnel file for a new employee, using the employee's unique identification number. Each time the test is run without data-driving the test, there is an attempt to create the same personnel file and supply the same identification number. The application rejects the duplicate requests.

Solution: You can data-drive the test script to send different employee data, including identification numbers, to the server each time the test is run.

Problem: You delete a record during recording. When you run the test without data-driving the test, Rational® Functional Tester attempts to delete the same record, and Record Not Found errors result.

Solution: You can data-drive the test script to reference a different record in the deletion request each time the script is played back.

Data-driving tests gives a more accurate picture of the way the application under test works in the real world with real data.