IBM Rational Quality Manager
Quality management · Manual testing · Continuous improvement
Rational Quality Manager 3.0 Beta 3
Rational Quality Manager 3.0 Beta 3 "New and Noteworthy"
Here are some of the most noteworthy items in Rational Quality Manager 3.0 Beta 3. See the Jazz Foundation new and noteworthy for new features in the Jazz Team Server. Rational Quality Manager uses a server that includes common services for multiple collaborative lifecycle management products. If you intend to try these other products you may wish to read the new and noteworthy for Rational Requirements Composer and Rational Team Concert.
Improved Money that Matters Sample
A lot of work has gone into the Money that Matters sample to make it feature complete for the Welcome to Money that Matters Lifecycle Scenario. RQM and RRC now provide a lot more sample assets to play with. Also, the dashboards in RTC, RQM and RRC are now pre-configured to include cross repository viewlets where it makes sense. In addition, the sample users will have their dashboard mini filled with viewlets to assist in their role (Developer, Analyst or Tester).
Test execution improvements
- Execution Sequences can be scheduled for repeatable periods, such as daily and weekly. Users can multiselect week days.
- The REST API at path 'jobscheduler' can be used to update scheduling information of the execution sequence.
- Schedules now have an activation and expiration time. If specified, the schedule will run only within the activation and expiration date.
- Actions can be applied to multiple steps while editing manual scripts.
- Test Suite Execution records can be added to Execution Schedules.
In addition, a new Scheduled Execution Job viewlet is provided for tracking upcoming ExecutionSequences events.
Rational RequisitePro Integration Improvements in Beta 3
Rational Quality Manager 3.0 supports integration with ReqPro versions 7.1.1.5+ and 7.1.2.2. Note that the requirement type filters that are visible in the RequisitePro tab of the project area editor do not have any effect in Beta 3. This functionality will be provided in a later Rational Quality Manager offering.
- ReqPro integration reporting - The Rational Quality Manager REST API provides backwards compatibility for reporting ReqPro requirements associated with test plans and test cases.
- Support for renamed ReqPro projects - When a project is renamed in ReqPro, the integration with Rational Quality Manager will not be affected.
- Provide a way to update the GUIDs for migrated ReqPro requirements - This is required for reporting against ReqPro data migrated from Rational Quality Manager 2.x.
- Snapshot support for ReqPro artifacts in test plans and test cases
- Audit support for modifying associations to ReqPro artifacts.
- Terminology improvements based on M13 feedback.
- Automatically scoping the ReqPro requirements available for a test case to those in the parent test plan.
Migrating local work item-based requirements
Local requirements migrated from Rational Quality Manager 2.x to Rational Quality Manager 3.x are moved to the Requirements Management (RM) server using a repotools command (refactorRequirements). The configuration and setup instructions are provided at Migrating work item-based requirements.
Organizational aids for large amounts of data in Beta 3
The following features were added in Beta 3:
- Completed bulk change category actions in all list views to support multi-selectable and related categories updates
- Archiving categories and values handling
- Provided UI validation of constraint value set
- Add category support in Test Suite Record, including wizard generator of TSR
- Addressed UX usability work items in the category explorer & saved query interaction
- Inclusion of category data in PDF summary in artifacts
- Updated Project Properties page's presentation and added sectional organization of properties sub-pages
Performance improvements
Manual script step execution has been greatly improved from between 5-10 seconds to an average time of one second.
IBM Rational Reporting for Development Intelligence
Beta 3 includes the following improvements in the area of reporting.
- Added new micro reports in BIRT to be used in dashboards: Create micro versions of reports for dashboards
- RRDI Live Reporting capabilities and Cognos resources for set-up: Test and get live cognos XDC and FM model
- Reporting downloads for the RRDI set-up have been reorganized into two folders: files needed for the RRDI reporting set-up and sources for customizing ETLs and Models with Rational Insight: Report Template plugin does not provide the same folder structure as JTS and RTC
- Provide support for ETLs running in Rational Insight using the integration with Requisite Pro: Implement Reporting for the ReqPro Integration
Rational TestManager migration
Several TestManager artifacts are now migrated as categories in Beta 3. These include:
- Custom fields
- Log and build folders with hierarchy information
- Test case folders with hierarchy information. There is a limit to the number of nodes in the hierarchy. This limit is set by the attribute "category type max limit".
Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration (OSLC)
In Beta 3 the reportable REST API fields parameter that was delivered in M13 has been enhanced with improved documentation (see https://jazz.net/wiki/bin/view/Main/RqmApi#fields) and support for exxpanded filtering capabilities. In addition, the OSLC creation and selection dialogs now support dynamic resizing.
New and Noteworthy features in earlier milestones
Hierarchical Views of Test Artifacts
Rational Quality Manager has a new explorer panel for all filterable artifact list views. The explorer panel lets you browse saved queries and run them from the explorer tree view.
Note: The explorer panel replaced the saved queries drop-down selector in the table header. A future milestone will include a delete query action and a configure saved queries action to promote saved queries to the application menus.
- Save queries folder support. You can now save queries as personal (private) or shared (public) queries. Shared queries can be seen by all users. Also, you can create an intermediate folder to organize the save queries.
- In addition to 'Filter By Saved Queries', artifacts that have categories support can also filter by categories in the explorer panel. Categories can have dependent values and the relationship is shown in the explorer tree.
- New category types/values editor. A new category editor is available for artifacts that have category support. The editor allows you to define related category types and to establish dependent values of a parent category value.
- Related artifacts exploration. Directly from the panel's explorer in the artifact list, you can switch on a detail mode exploration that allows you to see an artifact's related items. For example, for test plan, you can see its related test cases, test execution records, and child test plans (if applicable).
In addition, the following new features for organizing large amounts of data were added in M13:
- Support required fields in custom attributes and categories
- Adding category support for test script (editor & list view) and TER (list view) and admin category editors
- Implement dependent value set in category value setting in editors (test plan, test case, test suite, test script, TER, Test Case execution results)
- Bulk change category action enforcing group update of related categories
- New artifact panels (test plan, test case, test script) support for required fields
- Saved queries polish/completion
- Category editor polish/completion
- Polish explorer panel UI per UX design guidelines.
- Multi-values selection for a single category type
Rational RequisitePro Integration Improvements
M13 contains the following improvements to the integration between Rational Quality Manager and RequisitePro:
- Persisting the associations between ReqPro packages, views, and requirements with test plans and test cases in Rational Quality Manager
- Global administration of connections between Rational Quality Manager and ReqPro
- Initial preview of the wizard for synchronizing ReqPro views and packages associated with a test plan
Migrating local work item-based requirements
Rational Quality Manager 3.0 supports the migration of work item-based requirements from previous releases of Rational Quality Manager to the Requirements Management component. The migration is performed using the repotools command. To perform the migration:
- Install 3.0 and migrate your Quality Manager 2.0.x data to 3.0. See Upgrading from the previous release for detailed instructions.
- Configure the Quality Manager project areas links to Requirements Management project areas.
Each QM project area that you want to migrate requirements from must be connected to an RM project area. Multiple QM project areas can be connected to a single RM project area. With Quality Manager and Requirements Manager both running, run the following repotools command:
repotools-jazz -refactorRequirements arguments
where
- -refactorRequirements - Migrate pre-3.0 requirement items into Requirements Management.
- adminUserId=value - Admin user id to login to the QM repository.
- adminPassword=null - Admin password to login to the QM repository.
- [credentialsFile=credentials.properties] - The file containing the admin user's login credentials.
- [repositoryURL=https://localhost:9443/application context path] - The connection URL for the server.
- [certificateFile=none] - The file containing the admin user's login certificiate.
- projectArea=value - The name of the QM project area from which to migrate requirements.
- rmProvider=value - The name of the linked RM project area to which requirements will be migrated.
- rmUserId=value - User id to login to the RM repository.
- rmPassword=null - Password to login to the RM repository.
The first five arguments are identical to those used by other remote repotools commands such as -exportUsers; they specify the credentials used to log into and make changes to the QM repository from which old requirements data will be migrated. Note also that in an upgrade scenario, the application context path is typically jazz, whereas in a fresh installation the the application context path is qm.
IBM Rational Reporting for Development Intelligence
IBM Rational Reporting for Development Intelligence (RRDI) is an optional program which can be used to create and customize reports using IBM Cognos Business Intelligence. These reports consume data from the data warehouse, and can be viewed in the CCM, QM and RM application dashboards and web UI. The applications also include a number of sample reports which can be used as is, or as the basis for customization. Download RRDI 3.0 M11.
The following Reporting enhancements have been made in M13:
- More coverage and support of the following new concepts in the Java and Data Manager ETLs:
- Test Plan Hierarchy
- Lab Request Change State updates
- Rich text markup stripped from Execution Result Steps
- Test Plan Phase improvements
- Various ETL performance improvements and Delta Load fixes
- Data Manager ETL for Rational Insight
- All reporting artifacts now available as server downloads in the admin > Reports page
- Various ETL performance improvements and Delta Load fixes
- New report viewer for running Cognos reports inside Rational Quality Manager's Reports page
Improved printing
Your ability to print test artifacts is much improved in terms of performance, scalability, and usability. Overall, generated documents are more complete and more consistent across all supported artifacts. Performance and scalability improvements include the following:
- Print jobs will run faster and consume less memory.
- The printing framework no longer limits comprehensive print jobs to a certain number of linked artifacts
- You can now configure printing to utilize multiple threads for concurrent execution of print jobs.
- Print jobs will run faster and consume less memory.
Usability improvements include the following:
- New "print queue" UI shows all the print jobs that you have requested recently.
- You can now track the progress of your print job as it executes.
- You can re-download any print jobs that have not yet expired (configurable time frame)
- Print button menus are more consistent and understandable.
- The overall appearance of documents has been refined to be more visually appealing and to make it easier to find information.
Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration (OSLC)
M12 provides a tech preview of the OSLC V2 Quality Management (QM) API. The V2 API brings alignment with the new OSLC core specification. Three new types of resources are defined in QM V2: TestScript, TestExecutionRecord, and TestResult. Query support is also provided.
In M12, the server setting for OSLC V1 vs. OSLC V2 has been removed because the web UI supports both versions of the specification simultaneously.
M13 added a Reportable REST API fields parameter containing a single selection and/or filtering expression to limit the requested properties (selection) and/or resources (filtering).
Query support for saved filters in the Table listing view
The filters in the Table listing view can be saved as queries and retrieved at a later time.
There is a simple management tool for deleting saved queries and promoting selected queries to the application menu.
The promoted queries will appear in a drop-down menu off the View menus for several artifact types.
Also, each query will be saved in its own tab.
Offline manual test execution
Users can run manual tests in offline mode. Users can initiate this by going to the Test Execution Record (TER) table, selecting a TER, and clicking Run Offline.
This downloads an RQMS file. Users can then go offline (without direct access to the server) and use Microsoft Excel to import this RQMS file. Users must download and install the latest Excel addon from Rational Quality Manager Extras to see this new action. Once installed, users can import the RQMS file into Excel, run the test, and add actual results with images, comments etc.
After the test is completed, the user can then upload the result back to Rational Quality Manager using an option in Excel.
Additional enhancements to test execution (M13)
- Ability to pass execution variables between scripts for sequential Test Suite execution.
- Option to halt Test Suite execution if a contained Test Case doesn't pass.
- Category support for Execution Records.
- Category support for Execution Results.
- Filter and sort execution results by document approval state.
- Performance improvements for manual test script execution.
- Show which scripts are using a keyword.
New default test case and test plan templates for systems and software testing
There are three new test plan templates for systems and software testing, as shown below:
There is one new test case template, as shown below:
You can view the available templates by clicking Manage Templates.
Custom attributes on test artifacts
Users can now define custom attributes on various artifact types, including test plans, test cases, test scripts, test suites, test case results, and test suite results.
The attributes are defined under System Properties and are visible when editing the artifacts, as well as in the table list views for the various artifacts. Artifacts can be sorted and filtered based on the custom attributes.
Both Task-Quality work items and default defects are now tracked by the OSLC-CM task provider
Task-Quality work items include the section work item for test cases, test suites and test plans, and the artifact work item for test suites. Prior to this release, these work items, as well as defects, were tracked internally. These work items and defects are now tracked by your Configuration Management (CM) provider. If you use Rational Team Concert 3.0 as your CM provider, you can now view the remote work item in an embedded tab within Rational Quality Manager. The My Task viewlet will be updated accordingly to show the remote Task-Quality work items and defects. Back links are also created automatically for traceability and navigation.
Improve navigation across projects and between products
Rational Quality Manager now makes use of rich hovers in tables and editors where appropriate to provide richer context. Requirement and Defect menus are driven by registered service providers. Each registered service provider appears as a group with menu actions exposed via the provider's discovery document.
Test suite enhancements
A number of new management capabilities have been added to test suites to bring them in line with test plans and test cases. Test suites now support templates, formal review, and sections.
Additionally, users can add reference test suites from a test plan.Common application banner
The Rational Quality Manager application banner has been updated to conform to the CLM common style. Several items have been moved. The Admin menu is now in the banner bar next to the Help. The project selector has been replaced by the new Home menu which is under the house icon.
Requirement viewer
A new viewer for external requirements is now provided. Imported requirements can be viewed in a tab. The viewer displays imported attributes including links to the external URL of the requirement artifact. If the requirement is linked to a test artifact (test plan, test case), those will be displayed as well.
Query support
It is now possible to save your column filtering choices in the Table view as a query.
Performance improvements
- Repository import time for migrations from Rational Quality Manager 2.z has been improved.
- Performance of Rational Quality Manager to ReqPro integration when using ReqPro 7.1.1.1 is improved.
- Performance of test suite execution is improved.
History view
A new history view in the test plan and test case editors allows you to see audit history.
Tab management
Better tab management allows users to better manage multiple tabs.
Common work item support
Rational Quality Manager now leverages common workitem support for its out of the box defects and task quality work items. This allows customers to use a single work item repository for both Rational Quality Manager and Rational Team Concert users. The workitem editor is visible as a tab in this milestone. The My Task viewlet in the dashboard is also updated to display remote tasks stored in the task provider.
Improved defect linking
Improved defect linking. When defects are created from Rational Quality Manager, CLM links on the defect are created to the related test case, test plan, requirement, and plan item. Additionally, when these defects are viewed in Rational Team Concert, rich hover text is now supported so you can see test execution results and test execution records.