IBM BPM, V8.0.1, All platforms > Authoring services in Integration Designer > Testing modules

Component testing

The test suite editor and associated wizards allow you to create and define test cases that consist of one or more operations. This enables you to sequentially test multiple operations as a group in the integration test client. You can also perform batch component testing on either a test environment server or a stand-alone server by using test scripts or the user interface of the web-based Component Test Explorer.

The test suite editor is fully integrated into the workbench, which enables you to navigate through the Business Integration view and other views while using the editor. It is also closely integrated with the assembly editor and you can open the assembly editor from the test suite editor. The primary launch point for the test suite editor is the Business Integration view. You can open multiple instances of the test suite editor and use them to define your test suites and test cases.

Before you work with the test suite editor and perform component testing, you should have experience with unit testing and the integration test client. The component testing documentation largely extends the unit testing documentation, so you should familiarize yourself with the topics on unit testing.

To successfully work with the test suite editor, it is important to understand the following component-testing concepts:

• Component test projects
• Test suites
• Test cases
• Test variations
• Test bucket configurations
• Events

These concepts are discussed in the following sections.

Component test projects

A component test project is a container for test suites. Generally, the first step in performing component testing is to create a component test project.

In version 7.0 and later, component test projects are created as SCA modules. You can import your 6.2x component test projects into IBM Integration Designer version 7.x, the component test projects are automatically migrated to version 7.x specifications and you can test them like a version 7.x component test project. If you used WebSphere Integration Developer version 6.2x to generate an EAR file from component test projects and other artifacts, you can deploy and run the EAR file on IBM Integration Designer version 7.x without performing any manual migration tasks.

Test suites

A test suite is a collection of one or more test cases. When you create a test suite, you can choose from one of the following test patterns:

• Operation-level testing
• Scenario-based testing

In operation-level testing, a separate test case is created for each operation that you select for component testing. In scenario-based testing, a single test case is created for all of the operations that you select for component testing.

Test cases

You can think of a test case as being a container for multiple operations that you have selected for testing. Test cases enable you to automate and simultaneously test the operations in the integration test client. Test data for test cases is defined in the test data table, which contains a set of named variables that can be used for either input or output in the test case invocations.

Test variations

A test variation is a specific set of variable values for a test case. Although each test case is automatically assigned a default test variation, you can create multiple test variations for a test case that each contain a different set of variable values. When a test case is run, all of the test variations for the test case are run unless one of the test variations fails.

Test bucket configurations

A test bucket configuration is a set of specific test suites and test cases that are run together in the same test session.

Events

In addition to the standard events that are generated in the integration test client when you are unit testing, such as the Invoke and Return events, component testing adds the following events in the integration test client:

Event type	Description
Run Test	An informational event that is generated when you select Run Test menu item from either the integration test client or the Business Integration view. The event informs you whether the component test passed or failed. It also presents statistics on the total number of test cases that were run and the number that passed, failed, or were flagged with an error.
Test Suite	An informational event that informs you whether the test suite has passed or failed the test run. It also presents statistics on the total number of test cases that were run and the number that passed, failed, or were flagged with an error.
Test Case	An informational event that informs you whether the test case has passed or failed the test run.
Test Variation	An informational event that informs you whether the test variation has passed or failed the test run.

• Test suite editor
  In IBM Integration Designer, the test suite editor is the designated tool for editing test suites. It features a rich user interface that enables you to easily manage your test suites and test cases. The test suite editor has been designed to closely resemble the test client, which helps you easily transition from using one tool to the other.
• Setting preferences for the test suite editor
  By default, the user-definable preferences for the test suite editor are already optimized for working with test suites and test cases. However, in the course of your testing activities, you may find that you want to change some preferences.
• Get started: Top-down testing of test cases
  In component testing, you use the test suite editor and associated wizards to create and define test cases that consist of multiple operations, which enables you to automate and simultaneously test the operations in the integration test client. In top-down testing, you define test cases by selecting components and operations for testing and then you run the test cases in the integration test client. (In bottom-up testing, you use integration test client invocations to define test cases.)
• Manage test suites
  IBM Integration Designer provides numerous tools for managing your test suites, such as wizards for creating component test projects and test suites and a test suite editor for editing your test suites.
• Specifying dependencies for component test projects
  In WebSphere Integration Developer version 7 and later, component test projects are full-fledged SCA modules. This allows you to use the dependency editor to specify Java libraries as dependencies for component test projects. If a component test project is being used to test a module that has a dependency on an SCA library, the SCA library will automatically be displayed in the dependency editor.
• Running test suites
  In IBM Integration Designer, you can select one or more component test projects, test suites, or test cases to run and test in the integration test client.

  For example, you can select one or more component test projects and all of the test suites and associated test cases contained in the projects will be tested. Or you can select one or more individual test suites or test cases from multiple component test projects.

• Automating tests using Ant scripts
  

  If you want to automate your testing of component test projects, test suites, and test cases, you can use Ant scripts to invoke the headless (command line) batch processing environments of either IBM Integration Designer or IBM Process Server. Ant scripts enable you to automatically perform numerous tasks in batch processing environments, such as building, deploying, and testing your component test projects. The headless environments are used exclusively to perform batch processing of Integration Designer modules.

  You cannot use these headless environments to deploy modules contained in process applications or toolkits to either a IBM Process Center server or a process server on Process Center.

• Testing with the Component Test Explorer
  The Component Test Explorer enables you to manage and run test cases that have been deployed to either a test environment server or a stand-alone server. Much like the Business Process Choreographer Explorer, the Component Test Explorer is a web client that you can invoke and run from either inside or outside of IBM Integration Designer.
• Limitations for component testing
  From time to time, you may encounter some limitations in testing components. In most situations, you can successfully work around these limitations.

Testing modules