Home
Rational® Performance Tester
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.
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.
Editing service tests
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.
Verifying application behavior
To check the expected behavior of the application during a service test, you can add verification points after a message return. During the run, verification points produce a pass, fail, error, or inconclusive status in the Web Service Verification Point report.
Adding Xpath query verification points
With service query verification points, you can check that a response matches an Xpath query.

Rational® Performance Tester
- Release Notes
  This document contains information about what's new, installation instructions, known issues in IBM® Rational® Performance Tester, and contact information of IBM Customer Support.
- System Requirements
  This document includes information about hardware and software requirements for IBM® Rational® Performance Tester.
- Getting Started
  This guide provides an overview and describes the task flows to get you started with Rational® Performance Tester. This guide is intended for new users.
- Tutorials
  This section contains the tutorials which explains the main features of Rational® Performance Tester.
- Samples
  This section describes about the sample project which can be used with Rational® Performance Tester to test the functionality of an application.
- Administrator Guide
  This guide describes how to install Rational® Performance Tester. After you install the product, 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 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.
  - 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.
    - Editing HTTP tests
      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.
    - Editing SAP tests
      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).
    - Editing Citrix tests
      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.
    - Editing service tests
      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.
      - Web service test editor overview
        With the test editor, you can inspect or customize a test that you recorded.
      - Verifying application behavior
        To check the expected behavior of the application during a service test, you can add verification points after a message return. During the run, verification points produce a pass, fail, error, or inconclusive status in the Web Service Verification Point report.
        Adding equal verification points
        Equal verification points enable you to check that the contents returned by a service match exactly the contents specified in the verification point.
        Adding contain verification points
        With contain verification points, you can check that one or several elements of the XML content returned by a service match the XML fragment that is specified in the verification point.
        Adding Xpath query verification points
        With service query verification points, you can check that a response matches an Xpath query.
        Adding attachment verification points
        Service attachment verification points enable you to check that the attachment of a service response matches the specified criteria.
        Adding Text verification points
        To check the text content that is returned by the service response, you can add a text verification point in the service test. When you add the verification point, you can check whether the text matches equally with the response or whether the response contains the text.
        Adding properties verification points
        You can add verification points for the properties in a service test so that these properties in the test response are verified and validated when you play back the test.
        Adding XSD verification points
        XSD verification points enable you to check that the XML content of a service response comply with the rules defined in an XML Schema Definition (XSD) file.
      - Working with Server Name Indication (SNI) recordings
        If you have recorded against a server that supports Server Name Indication (SNI), an extension of the TLS protocol, the recording session file displays true for the SNI Extension field. There might be a need for you to access both SNI and non-SNI applications from the same server. To run the same test without using the SNI extension, you can manually change the value to false.
      - Adding elements to a socket test
        A socket test provides the flexibility to add close, send, and receive elements to the test.
      - Managing JMS/MQ connections in a service test
        When you run a service test that includes JMS or MQ protocol, the socket connections are created and closed in the background. When you include multiple tests in a compound test or a schedule, in this context, is used to refer to VU Schedule and Rate Schedule, multiple connections are created and closed. Starting from 9.2, when you run service tests in a schedule, you can select a pooling strategy for these JMS/MQ connections so that when the connections are created, they do not close and are reused subsequently for the other JMS/MQ calls, if required.
      - Editing WSDL security profiles
        To ensure that your service test uses the correct security protocols to access a SOAP-based service, you must specify a security profile for the (Web Service Description Language) WSDL file. After a security profile is set up, it can be reused in multiple web service calls.
      - Testing asynchronous services
        Use the asynchronous callback services for inter-object communications in a service test.
      - Creating a reliable messaging call structure
        You can create a test structure dedicated to testing service calls based on the WS-ReliableMessaging specification.
    - Editing Socket tests
      Improve the Socket tests by adding test elements.
    - Editing Kerberos tests
      You can change the Kerberos realm, user name, and password when editing tests.
    - Adding test elements
      You can add a variety of elements to a test, such as transaction blocks, IF-THEN conditions, loops, and comments.
    - Searching within tests
      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.
    - Exporting a test
      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.
    - Copying test assets with dependencies
      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.
    - Disabling portions of a test
      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.
    - Running test elements in random order
      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.
    - Renaming test assets
      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.
    - Deleting test assets
      As your test assets grow and become more complicated, you might want to delete the assets that you no longer use.
    - Debugging custom code for tests and compound tests
      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.
    - Providing tests with variable data (datasets)
      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.
    - Test variables
      A test variable is a user-defined, name-value pair that stores and refers to information throughout a test and between tests.
    - Correlating response and request data
      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.
    - Data transformation
      You can transform HTTP application specific data such as JSON data, binary data and encoded data to a more readable format to use data correlation.
  - 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.
- Test Execution Specialist Guide
  This guide describes tasks that you can perform on schedules, test execution with custom code, and Extending Rational® Performance Tester to support other protocols. This guide is intended for testers or test execution specialists.
- Test Manager Guide
  This guide describes how to keep track of the performance of the application by evaluating the test results. This guide is intended for test managers.
- Troubleshooting Guide
  This guide describes how to analyze and resolve some of the common problems that you might encounter while you work with Rational® Performance Tester.
- Reference Guide
  This guide describes, additional topics to gain more knowledge about Rational® Performance Tester.
- All Guides (PDFs)
  You can find the link to view or download the content of the release notes, system requirements, and persona guides of Rational® Performance 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.

Adding Xpath query verification points

With service query verification points, you can check that a response matches an Xpath query.

Before you begin

When you add verification points, the results from a service response are compared with the expected data that is specified in the verification point test element. With query verification points, you can check that the number of nodes returned by an XML Path language query matches the expected number of nodes specified in the verification point.

Refer to the XPath specification for details on expressing an XPath query: http://www.w3.org/TR/xpath.

You can use the test editor to create or edit verification points.

Procedure

Open the test editor, and select a web service response element.
Click Add, and select Query verification point.
In the Test Element Details area of the test editor, type a name for the verification point.
Type a valid XPath expression or click Build Expression to open the XPath Expression Builder.
The XPath Expression Builder helps you build and evaluate XPath expressions based on the recorded contents of the response.
Specify a Comparison operator (=, >, or <), and the expected number of nodes that the query should return. Click Evaluate to update the Expected Count with the actual result based on the recorded contents of the response.

What to do next

You can enable or disable each verification point by right-clicking the verification point in the test editor and clicking Enable or Disable.

Note: Because XPath expressions require that the qualified name have a prefix, XPath expressions will return null for the default namespace declared with xmlns.