Method and framework for test case management

• US 20050283761A1
• Filed: 06/17/2004
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Haas, Rolf W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,797,680 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites

Abstract

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method may include obtaining a list of active life cycle test objects in a test run from a life cycle test object controller, and obtaining a list of active central activity test objects in the test run from a central activity test object controller. While a test period remains in the test run, the method may continue selecting a next test period, requesting the test step initialization controller initialize the next test period, requesting all central activity test objects associated with the next test period to execute their beginning central activities, requesting all life cycle test objects associated with the next test period to execute their test activities, and requesting all central activity test objects associated with the next test period to execute their ending central activities.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining test initialization information;

determining a first test period from the test initialization information;

executing a beginning central test activity in a test framework, if the beginning central test activity is associated with the first test period;

executing activities for at least one of a plurality of independent test cases associated with the first test period in the test framework;

executing an ending central test activity, if the ending central test activity is associated with the first test period;

determining subsequent test periods exist and then for each determined subsequent test period

initializing the subsequent test period;

executing a subsequent beginning central test activity, if the subsequent beginning central test activity is associated with the subsequent test period;

executing activities for at least one of the plurality of independent test cases associated with the subsequent test period in the test framework; and

executing a subsequent ending central test activity, if the subsequent ending central test activity is associated with the subsequent test period; and

storing results of all of the executions from all of the test periods.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the obtaining test initialization information comprises:

obtaining a listing of all of the plurality of independent test cases; and

obtaining a listing of all beginning and ending central test activities.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the obtaining a listing of all of the plurality of independent test cases comprises:

obtaining a listing of all life cycle test objects for each of the plurality of independent test cases.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the obtaining a listing of all life cycle test objects for each of the plurality of independent test cases comprises:

obtaining a listing of actions associated with each of the life cycle test objects for each test period for each of the plurality of independent test cases.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein at least one of the test periods has actions associated with at least one life cycle test object.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the determining a first test period from the test initialization information comprises:

determining the first test period with a beginning central test activity.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the determining a first test period from the test initialization information comprises:

determining the first test period with an activity associated with the at least one of the plurality of independent test cases.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein the obtaining a listing of all beginning and ending central test activities comprises:

obtaining a listing of all beginning test activities associated with each test period; and

obtaining a listing of all ending central test activities associated with each test period.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein at least one test period is associated with beginning test activities.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein at least one test period is associated with ending test activities.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the executing a beginning central test activity, if the beginning central test activity is associated with the first test period comprises:

determining execution of all other activities has stopped; and

executing the beginning central test activity.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the executing activities for at least one of a plurality of independent test cases associated with the first test period in the test framework comprises:

determining execution of the beginning central test activity has stopped; and

executing the activities for the at least one plurality of independent test cases associated with the first test period.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the executing an ending central test activity, if the ending central test activity is associated with the first test period comprises:

determining execution of all activities associated with the plurality of independent test cases has stopped; and

executing the ending central test activity.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the initializing the subsequent test period comprises:

determining a next test period having at least one activity to be executed; and

setting the subsequent test period to be equal to the determined next test period.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the storing results of all of the executions from all of the test periods comprises:

storing the results in a single business object.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the storing the results in a single business object comprises:

storing error messages in the single business object; and

storing results from correctly executing activities.

17. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of executable instructions to perform a method comprising:

obtaining test initialization information;

determining a first test period from the test initialization information;

executing a beginning central test activity in a test framework, if the beginning central test activity is associated with the first test period;

executing activities for at least one of a plurality of independent test cases associated with the first test period in the test framework;

executing an ending central test activity, if the ending central test activity is associated with the first test period;

determining subsequent test periods exist and then for each determined subsequent test period

initializing the subsequent test period;

executing a subsequent beginning central test activity, if the subsequent beginning central test activity is associated with the subsequent test period;

executing activities for at least one of the plurality of independent test cases associated with the subsequent test period in the test framework; and

executing a subsequent ending central test activity, if the subsequent ending central test activity is associated with the subsequent test period; and

storing results of all of the executions from all of the test periods.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the obtaining test initialization information comprises:

obtaining a listing of all of the plurality of independent test cases; and

obtaining a listing of all beginning and ending central test activities.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18 wherein the obtaining a listing of all of the plurality of independent test cases comprises:

obtaining a listing of all life cycle test objects for each of the plurality of independent test cases.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the obtaining a listing of all life cycle test objects for each of the plurality of independent test cases comprises:

obtaining a listing of actions associated with each of the life cycle test objects for each test period for each of the plurality of independent test cases.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 20 wherein at least one of the test periods has actions associated with at least one life cycle test object.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 21 wherein at least one test period is associated with the beginning test activities.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 21 wherein at least one test period is associated with the ending test activities.

24. The machine-readable medium of claim 18 wherein the obtaining a listing of all beginning and ending central test activities comprises:

obtaining a listing of all beginning test activities associated with each test period; and

obtaining a listing of all ending central test activities associated with each test period.

25. The machine-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the determining a first test period from the test initialization information comprises:

determining the first test period with a beginning central test activity.

26. The machine-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the determining a first test period from the test initialization information comprises:

determining the first test period with an activity associated with the at least one of the plurality of independent test cases.

27. The machine-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the executing a beginning central test activity, if the beginning central test activity is associated with the first test period comprises:

determining execution of all other activities has stopped; and

executing the beginning central test activity.

28. The machine-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the executing activities for at least one of a plurality of independent test cases associated with the first test period in the test framework comprises:

determining execution of the beginning central test activity has stopped; and

executing the activities for the at least one plurality of independent test cases associated with the first test period.

29. The method of claim 17 wherein the executing an ending central test activity, if the ending central test activity is associated with the first test period comprises:

determining execution of all activities associated with the plurality of independent test cases has stopped; and

executing the ending central test activity.

30. The method of claim 17 wherein the initializing the subsequent test period comprises:

determining a next test period having at least one activity to be executed; and

setting the subsequent test period to be equal to the determined next test period.

31. The method of claim 17 wherein the storing results of all of the executions from all of the test periods comprises:

storing the results in a single business object.

32. The method of claim 17 wherein the storing the results in a single business object comprises:

storing error messages in the single business object; and

storing results from correctly executing activities.

33. A test framework comprising:

a test run controller;

at least one life cycle test object connected to the test run controller, each life cycle test object including at least one life cycle test object activity to be executed during a predetermined test period;

a life cycle test object controller connected to the test run controller and the at least one life cycle test object, the life cycle test object controller to maintain a list of the at least one life cycle test object;

at least one central activity test object connected to the test run controller, each central activity test object to be executed during a test period without any life cycle test object activities being executed;

a central activity test object controller connected to the test run controller and the at least one central activity test object, the central activity test object controller to maintain a list of the at least one central activity test object;

a test period initialization controller connected to the test run controller, the test period initialization controller to select a next test period;

an application to be tested, the application connected to the test period initialization controller, the at least one life cycle test object and the at least one central activity test object; and

a test result controller to receive results from the test run controller, the life cycle test object controller, the at least one central activity test object controller, the test period initialization controller, the at least one life cycle test object, and the at least one central activity test object.

34. The test framework of claim 33 wherein each of the at least one life cycle test object are independent of each other.

35. The test framework of claim 33 wherein each life cycle test object controls the life cycle of an associated single application object.

36. The test framework of claim 35 wherein execution of each life cycle test object only effects the single application object associated with the life cycle test object.

37. The test framework of claim 33 wherein the test run controller comprises:

a master test object to control execution of a test run including a plurality of test periods.

38. The test framework of claim 37 wherein the master test object is to instruct life cycle test objects associated with a test period to execute during the test period and to instruct central activity test objects associated with the test period to execute during the test period.

39. The test framework of claim 38 wherein the master test object is to determine which life cycle test objects are associated with a given test period by requesting the list of the at least one life cycle test object from the life cycle test object controller.

40. The test framework of claim 38 wherein the master test object is to determine which central activity test objects are associated with a given test period by requesting the list of the at least one central activity test object from the central activity test object controller.

41. The test framework of claim 37 wherein the master test object is to:

obtain the list of active life cycle test objects in the test run from the life cycle test object controller;

obtain the list of active central activity test objects in the test run from the central activity test object controller; and

while a test period remains in the test run

select a next test period,

request the test step initialization controller initialize the next test period,

request all central activity test objects associated with the next test period to execute their beginning central activities,

request all life cycle test objects associated with the next test period to execute their test activities, and

request all central activity test objects associated with the next test period to execute their ending central activities.

42. The test framework of claim 41 wherein the test run is to terminate upon an error occurring during execution of one of the central activity test objects.

43. The test framework of claim 41 wherein the test run is to pause execution after a predetermined test period, receive an upgrade of the application, and resume execution of the test run using the upgraded application.

44. The test framework of claim 41 wherein the test run controller is to determine which central activity test objects are associated with each test period from the life cycle test objects associated with the test period.

45. The test framework of claim 41 wherein each life cycle test object is to determine which central activity test objects are associated with the test period associated with the life cycle test object.

46. A method comprising:

obtaining a list of active life cycle test objects in a test run from a life cycle test object controller;

obtaining a list of active central activity test objects in the test run from a central activity test object controller; and

while a test period remains in the test run

selecting a next test period,

requesting the test step initialization controller initialize the next test period,

requesting all central activity test objects associated with the next test period to execute their beginning central activities,

requesting all life cycle test objects associated with the next test period to execute their test activities, and

requesting all central activity test objects associated with the next test period to execute their ending central activities.

47. The test framework of claim 46 further comprising:

terminating the test run upon an error occurring during execution of one of the central activity test objects.

48. The test framework of claim 46 further comprising:

pausing execution of the test run after a predetermined test period;

receiving an upgrade of the application; and

resuming execution of the test run using the upgraded application.