SOA and Rational® Integration Tester

Rational® Integration Tester primary intent is to simplify the process by which the user builds tests (that is, schema-driven message creation, test driven development, and so on).

One of the main ways that Rational® Integration Tester can simplify the process is through recording. You can capture messages and events from an existing system to help you in the rapid creation of regression tests.

Rational® Integration Tester separates the more complex task of learning about the system and configuring the application from the tasks of designing and executing tests.

Rational® Integration Tester makes it easy for you to design tests by recording a series of events and then using a selection of these events to provide the framework for the test steps from which they work.

In a practical setting, different users use Rational® Integration Tester to design, build, execute, and evaluate tests. Rational® Integration Tester uses different perspectives that are intended to be used by these different groups of users. The following topics describe the different phases of testing and include information about the perspective within Rational® Integration Tester that are used during each phase.

Design phase. System Administrators and Architect

The design phase is the main focus of System Administrators and Architects, and they work in the Architecture School and Test Factory perspectives in Rational® Integration Tester. The main focus of the design phase is to create the following information in Rational® Integration Tester so that users can start building tests:

The components that make up the system along with the individual operations that are to be tested, including how they are to be invoked.
A description of the systems physical infrastructure, including all of the transport and configuration details of the systems testable components.
The dependencies between the system components (for example, when you are running Process A, it invokes process B and C and write data to Database D).
A collection of schemas that is applied to the messages used in testing the various transports and components within the system.
A comprehensive list of requirements, which are built in the form of messages that contain all of the applicable test data. These messages can be used to quickly create tests and stubs that immediately contain realistic data.
A list of environments that bind logical components to different physical components. Use them to quickly test different parts of the development lifecycle by using the same set of tests.

Build tests. Software Engineers and SQA Engineers

Software and SQA Engineers build most of the test resources in Rational® Integration Tester, and they spend most of their time in the Recording Studio and Test Factory perspectives.

Once the system to be tested is designed, users can start building their tests (unit, integration, acceptance, and so on). Rational® Integration Tester provides a number of ways in which tests, test suites, and stubs can be created:

Operations can be selected for monitoring, and Rational® Integration Tester "listens" on the transports and other components that these operations include. Live messages that are generated by or passed through the selected operation are recorded in Rational® Integration Tester. These can be used to quickly create tests, suites, stubs, or triggers.
Users can create tests manually, by using a wide array of "test actions" to create an almost unlimited number of scenarios.
Stubs can be created to simulate missing or otherwise unavailable systems upon which other test resources depend.

Execute tests. Software Engineers and SQA Engineers

When the time comes to execute tests, software engineers and testers have numerous options available, both within and outside of Rational® Integration Tester.

Tests, stubs, and suites can be executed in the Test Lab perspective. You use the console to monitor progress and results, and the Test Repair wizard to fix validation errors.

Note: While tests can be executed from other perspectives in Rational® Integration Tester, the Test Lab provides the main functionality for doing so.

In addition to working directly in Rational® Integration Tester, several methods of executing tests are available, including command-line execution, ANT, and HP Quality Center. For more information, see External tools and Rational Integration Tester and HP Quality Center.

Evaluation. Software Test Manager

Throughout the testing lifecycle, the Software Test Manager needs to know how effectively the system is being tested, and the individual results of various tests and scenarios. The Results Gallery perspective provides a comprehensive collection of detailed reports, as well as coverage, error and performance reports. Additionally, the Results Server provides a web-based view of project results. If you integrate Rational® Integration Tester with HP Quality Center, you have access to an even wider range of results and reports.