This guide describes how to create test scripts in Rational® Performance Tester and enhances tests by applying different test elements such as dataset, variables, and verification points. This guide is intended for testers.
After you record a test, you can edit it to include datasets (to provide variable data rather than the data that you recorded), verification points (to confirm that the test runs as expected), and data correlation (to ensure that returned data is appropriate for the corresponding request). You can also add protocol-specific elements to a test. When you edit a test, the modified items appear in italic type. The italic type changes to regular type after you save the test.
Improve the Socket tests by adding test elements.
To create a test, you record representative interactions with an application.
After you record a test, you can edit it to include variable data rather than the data that you recorded and can include verification points to confirm that the test runs as expected. You can also edit the test to include [NB1] transactions, conditional processing, custom code, and standard header or custom header to a request or response.
After you record a test, you can edit it to include variable data (rather than the data that you recorded) and verification points (to confirm that the test runs as expected).
After you record a test, you can edit it to include variable data (rather than the data that you recorded), verification points (to confirm that the test runs as expected), transactions, conditional processing, and custom code.
After you record a service test, you can edit the calls and message returns to include variable data (rather than the data that you recorded). You can add verification points (to confirm that the test runs as expected), transactions, conditional processing, and custom code.
You use the test editor to inspect or customize a socket API test that you recorded.
A socket test provides the flexibility to add close, send, and receive elements to the test.
Add the different verification points to verify the responses in a socket test.
With the Organize wizard, you can merge consecutive send or receive elements that use the same connection to improve the clarity of your socket test.
You can perform global changes to multiple send and receive elements in a socket test.
After you record a test, you can split it into smaller tests. Splitting tests enables you to create modular building blocks of smaller tests and combine them to make bigger tests. The original test is unchanged. You can recombine these building blocks in a schedule, including loops and conditions.
You can write a custom Java™ class to specify when a socket receive element stops receiving. This offers the most flexibility, but requires that you write your own Java class using the Rational® Performance Tester extension API.
You can write a custom Java™ class to manipulate data in a send element. This offers flexibility for injecting data in test, but requires that you write your own Java class using the Rational® Performance Tester extension API.
You can change the Kerberos realm, user name, and password when editing tests.
You can add a variety of elements to a test, such as transaction blocks, IF-THEN conditions, loops, and comments.
Search request data or response content by right-clicking in the data or content and selecting Find. To search for specific element types and to display the results in a table, click Select. For a still more powerful search and replace, use the Test Search function.
To share the test scripts with manual testers or reviewers who do not have the workbench, export the test scripts to text files. You can export one file at a time.
You can export test assets, and then import them into another project or workspace without losing any dependencies. Test assets include projects, schedules, and tests. You can export and import test assets to collaborate with other testers.
When you disable portions of a test, you can still see the disabled portion, but it is not executed during a run. You can also disable portions of a schedule by using the following procedure.
You can record multiple user scenarios in a test and then run each scenario in a random order. To do this, you put each scenario under a random selector and then select the proportion of time that the scenario should be run.
As your test assets increase and become more complex, you might want to rename them. Use the Eclipse Rename function or save the assets under a different name.
As your test assets grow and become more complicated, you might want to delete the assets that you no longer use.
If you have custom code added to a test or a compound test, you can debug the custom code for any errors by clicking the Debug button.
You can produce more realistic tests by changing them to use datasets. During execution, a test that uses a dataset replaces a value in the recorded test with variable test data that is stored in the dataset. This substitution allows each virtual user to generate a different request to the server.
A test variable is a user-defined, name-value pair that stores and refers to information throughout a test and between tests.
For a test to run correctly, a request that is sent to a server might need to use a value that was returned by a previous request. By ensuring that this data is correlated accurately, you can produce better performance tests.
You can transform HTTP application specific data such as binary data and encoded data to a more readable format to use data correlation.
You can create compound tests to help you organize smaller tests into scenarios that can then be run end-to-end. You can combine tests from different extensions to achieve end-to-end flow.
Service stubs enable you to simulate the behavior of an actual service for a wide variety testing or integration purposes.
The generic service client enables you to send requests to services for which you do not have a convenient client and to view the responses returned by the service.
You emulate a workload by creating a schedule and adding user groups/rate runner groups, tests, and other elements to it.