Home
Test Author Guide
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.
Creating tests
To create a test, you record representative interactions with an application.
Recording SAP tests
When you record a test, the test creation wizard records your interactions with the SAP server, generates a test from the recording, and opens the test for editing. You can record tests from the SAP GUI. You can also record SAP batch input tests that can be used to produce a heavy load on the server while minimizing the processing requirements for virtual testers.
Inserting a new recording into a SAP test
You can insert a new recording into a test. Use this feature to add or replace a part of a recorded session.

Test Author Guide
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.
- Creating tests
  To create a test, you record representative interactions with an application.
  - Performance testing tips
    Use these tips to make IBM® Rational® Performance Tester run faster and more efficiently. These tips do not apply to IBM Rational Service Tester for SOA Quality.
  - Creating a project
    The tests that you create, and the assets associated with the tests, reside in a project on your desktop. You can create the project separately, or you can simply record a test, which automatically creates a project named testproj.
  - Recording HTTP tests
    When you record a test, the test creation wizard records your interactions with a web-based application, generates a test from the recording, and opens the test for editing. You can record tests from Internet Explorer (which is the default on Windows™) or from another browser.
  - Recording SAP tests
    When you record a test, the test creation wizard records your interactions with the SAP server, generates a test from the recording, and opens the test for editing. You can record tests from the SAP GUI. You can also record SAP batch input tests that can be used to produce a heavy load on the server while minimizing the processing requirements for virtual testers.
    - SAP performance testing guidelines
      Before you test the performance of SAP applications, you must set up your test environment and incorporate these guidelines to produce reliable SAP performance tests.
    - Recording an SAP test
      You can record your interaction with the SAP GUI client to generate an SAP test. When you record, the recording wizard opens the SAP GUI client and records all the interactions that occur between the client and the server.
    - Recording a specific SAP transaction from a running SAP session
      You can record certain SAP transactions from a running SAP GUI session to create a test that contains some specific part of an SAP session. When you record a session, the recording wizard automatically records the transaction that you specified.
    - Inserting a new recording into a SAP test
      You can insert a new recording into a test. Use this feature to add or replace a part of a recorded session.
    - Recording a session with HTTP SAP Portal
      To measure the performance of a SAP Portal from a web interface, you can record a SAP test by using the HTTP SAP Portal option.
    - Recording a SAP batch input test
      You can record certain SAP transaction sessions from SAP GUI with SAP batch input tests recording wizard. When you record a session, the recording wizard automatically starts a SAP GUI interface and records the transaction that you specified. After you finish the recording, the wizard generates a SAP batch input test in IBM® Rational® Performance Tester.
    - Changing preferences for SAP test generation
      You can change preferences for SAP tests to control the generation of SAP tests. You can also modify the setting for the verification points, data correlation, and the display of SAP GUI during the test run.
  - Recording Citrix tests
    When you record a test, the test creation wizard records your interactions with the Citrix server, generates a test from the recording, and opens the test for editing. You can record a test session in the Citrix XenApp client.
  - Recording service tests
    When you record a test, the test creation wizard records your interactions with the service, generates a test from the recording, and opens the test for editing. You can record a test session by invoking service calls with the generic service client or by using an existing client. You can also create a service test manually or from a Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) model.
  - Recording socket and TN3270 tests
    When you record a test, the test creation wizard records your interactions with the application under test, generates a test from the recording, and opens the test for editing.
  - Digital certificates overview
    The digital certificates feature enables you to run tests against servers that use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) for applications that require client-side digital certificates to authenticate users.
  - Kerberos overview
    You can run HTTP tests against servers that use the Kerberos protocol for authentication.
  - Annotating a test during recording
    You can add comments, add transactions, or change a page name while you record a test. The advantage of adding these elements during (rather than after) recording is that you can place the annotations in the test exactly where you want. In addition, because annotations are part of the recorded test, they are regenerated when you regenerate the test. You can also insert split points into a test during record.
  - Recording sensitive session data
    You can keep recording session (.recsession) files to view the contents of a recording or to regenerate tests. However, if a recorded test contains sensitive information, you can choose to obfuscate, or encrypt, text strings in the recsession file.
  - Splitting a test during recording
    You can insert split points when you record a test. Split points allow you to generate multiple tests from a single recording that you can replay in a different order with a schedule.
  - Generating a new test from a recorded session
    You can generate a new test from a recorded session. For example, if you accidentally damage a test during editing, or if you want to change a test preference, you can regenerate the test instead of re-recording it. If split points were inserted in the recording, you can choose to generate a single test without split points.
  - Organizing test assets by type
    By clicking an icon, you can view your test assets in a logical order, in separate folders for tests, schedules, results, locations, and datasets.
- Editing tests
  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.
- Compound tests
  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.
- Simulating services with stubs
  Service stubs enable you to simulate the behavior of an actual service for a wide variety testing or integration purposes.
- Sending service requests with the generic service client
  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.
- Emulating workloads
  You emulate a workload by creating a schedule and adding user groups/rate runner groups, tests, and other elements to it.

Inserting a new recording into a SAP test

You can insert a new recording into a test. Use this feature to add or replace a part of a recorded session.

Before you begin

Inserting a new sequence into a test requires that the SAP session reaches the same state as is expected at the point where the new sequence is inserted. To do this, the SAP test recorder automatically replays the existing scenario up to the insertion point before starting the new recording.

You must install the latest version of SAP GUI when you want to record an SAP test in Rational® Performance Tester. For more information about supported SAP GUI versions, see System Requirements.

Procedure

In the test editor, select the element before which you want to insert the new recording.
It is easier to manage the new test sequence when the insertion point is at the transaction level of the test.
Click Insert, and then New recording.
The test starts replaying up to the selected insertion point.
When the New Recording window is displayed, perform the sequence of actions that you want to add to the existing test.
When you have finished, in the New Recording window, click Stop to stop the recording.
A progress window opens while the test is generated. On completion, the Recorder Control view displays the message, Test generation completed, and the test is updated with the new contents.
After the test has been updated in the Test Navigator, check that the new sequence was properly inserted into the test, and then click File > Save to save the test or File > Revert to cancel the inserted recording.