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Rational® Functional Tester
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.
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.

Rational® Functional Tester
- Release Notes
  This document contains information about what's new, installation instructions, known problems in and contact information of IBM Customer Support.
- System Requirements
  This document includes information about hardware and software requirements for IBM® Rational® Functional Tester.
- Getting Started Guide
  This guide provides an overview of Rational® Functional Tester. You can find the task flows to get you started with Rational Functional Tester. This guide is intended for new users.
- Tutorials
  You can learn to start using Rational® Functional Tester by reviewing the information in the Tutorials for the UI Test perspective and Functional Test perspective.
- Samples
  This section describes about the sample project which can be used with Rational® Functional Tester to test the functionality of an application.
- Administrator Guide
  This guide describes how to install IBM® Rational® Functional Tester software. After you install the software, you can perform administration tasks such as license configuration and integration with other products. This guide is intended for administrators.
- 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 IBM® Rational ClearCase® or 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 working with the Functional Test perspective in Rational® Functional Tester. Details about issues, their causes and the resolutions that you can apply to fix the issues are described.
  - 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.
- Test Execution Specialist Guide
  This guide describes how to automate the playback of the tests by using different methods such as Docker, IBM® Cloud Private, Jenkins and so on. The test results can be pushed to Rational® Test Control Panel.
- Test Manager Guide
  This guide describes how to keep track of the performance of the application by evaluating the test results. Following topics cover how you can work with the test results.
- Troubleshooting
  This guide describes how to analyze and resolve some of the common problems that you might encounter while you work with Rational® Functional Tester.
- Reference Guide
  This guide describes the additional topics to gain more knowledge about Rational® Functional Tester.
- All Guides (PDF)
  You can find the link to view or download the content of the release notes, system requirements, and persona guides of IBM® Rational® Functional Tester as a PDF file.
- Security Considerations
  You can take certain actions to ensure that your installation is secure, customize your security settings, and set up user access controls.
- Notices
  This document provides information about copyright, trademarks, terms and conditions for the product documentation.

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.

You can use datasets to supply realist data and to stress an application with a realistic amount of data.

Using Rational® Functional Tester, you can create a data-driven test by selecting the controls or objects in an application-under-test to data-drive. Rational® Functional Tester creates a dataset in which you can edit and add data. You can use a single test script repeatedly with varying input and response data.

You can use the dataset feature in the following ways:

To add realistic data to a test script.
To import data from a dataset or a .csv file created using a spreadsheet application.
To edit dataset values.
To change the dataset record selection order to determine how the test script accesses an associated dataset during playback.

While working with simplified test scripts, you can either create a data-driven test script during recording or you can insert data-driven commands into the simplified test script by using the application visuals. You can also create multiple datasets for a script and associate a dataset to a group in a simplified script.

Private and shared datasets

Every test script that you create has a private test dataset associated with it. The initial private test dataset is a placeholder and is empty until you data-drive a test script, or add new data to it.

You can create a shared dataset by creating a new dataset, or you can associate a dataset with several test scripts to share a dataset.