HP Quality Center:
- HP ALM formerly known as Quality Center
is Test Management Tool to manage entire
QA and testing process for an organization.
- Before being called HP Quality Center, it
used to be Mercury Test Director.
- Very user friendly.
- Current version of HP ALM is 11.5.
- We can download trial version from
following link: HP Quality Center
Components:
- server
- client
- database
Each component has certain version that is compatible with ALM.
Why is ALM/QC used?
- ALM helps make project management, from requirements to deployment easier.
- It increases predicatability and creates a framework to manage projects from central repository.
With ALM we can:
- define and maintain requirements and tests
- create tests
- organize tests into logical subsets
- schedule test and execute them
- collect results and analyze the data
- create, monitor and analyze defects
- Share defects across projects
- track progress of project
- collect metrics
- share asset libraries across projects
- integrate ALM with HP testing tools using third party tools for complete automation experience.
Application Lifecycle Management(ALM) flow:
How to start ALM:
- to start ALM type address
http://<ALM Platform server Name>[<:Portnumber>]/qcbin
- click application LifeCycle Management in below window
- enter the username and password.
authenticate button gets activated. click on it.
the domain and project fields get activated.
depending on your login credentials you have access to
certain projects.
- choose the domain and project as required and click
"Login". once you are logged in, ALM window opens
up and displays module in which you were working last.
Domain: logical division of departments for your organization. Ex: banking, retail, healthcare etc.
Projects:different teams working within the domain.
For ex in retail project, they could be working on the front end store point of sale app or back end inventory
module.
Domain and Project information is set by the ALM admin.
- user domain, project and user information is displayed on upper right hand corner.Also notice side bar, it contains
the components from the ALM flow.
Dashboard
Management
Requirements
Testing
Defects
Release and Cycle:
- release is nothing but significant changes that are going live at a given time.
- cycles are different set of testing efforts that are performed to facilitate release.
Each release comes with predefined set of requirements that are expected to be done by certain time
Phases are nothing but cycle. Each release will have different cycles in it.
Both cycles and release have start and end date defined
Steps to create a new release/cycle in ALM:
- login to ALM with your username and password, into the domain and project you required.
- go to the side bar options
"Management>Releases"
- create release folder. you can create a new release folder or directly create release here.
To create new folder, choose "New Release folder"
from the menu or right click on "Releases" root folder and choose "New Release Folder".
Enter the name and click OK.
Folder gets added to the hierarchical structure under releases.
Enter folder name: ALM training
- Create release:Under newly created folder, add "New Release".
You can choose the "New Release" from the menu or right click on root folder and choose "New Release" or choose ctrl+R.
Enter the name. Start date and end date are required fields.
Enter information as required and click OK.
- Release gets added.
- Adding cycles: next step is to add cycles.
Under newly added release, options to add a new release folder or release are disabled.
You have option in menu to add new cycle activated or right click menu has option of Ctrl+Y keys can be used.
Use one of these and choose to add a new cycle.
Again start date and end date are mandatory. Enter the same and click OK.
- cycle will now get added under cycle. this is how may and june release information from our table is going to look once it is all added to ALM.
- there are some validations for entering cycle dates. they have to fall within the range of release dates under which cycle is created. if not, validation message gets displayed
- once it is created. choose the may release and observe its data.
the master plan tab will display time line for release with its cycle information
- status attachment displays progress of release.
Steps to create requirements:
- go to "requirements>requirement option from ALM sidebar.
- create new requirement folder.
for consistency I am going to go with the name, ALM training- May release and June release subfolders.
Enter the name and click OK.
- once created, you can choose in tree folder structure and add additional properties.
- adding requirements: click on new requirement icon from menu while choosing folder
under which you want to add requirement. Author name gets auto-populated. Enter the name and choose relevant requirement type from drop down.
I am going to choose testing.
- link requirement to cycle and release:
you can now link it to any release and cycles as desired. you can do that by clicking on the
"target release" drop down and selecting release
information since in our example, this belong to may release, I am going to choose the same from the dropdown.
Requirement can be associated with more than one release.
- to choose the cycle.
click on "target cycle" drop down and choose
required cycle.
I am going to map it to all 3 cycles under the may release.
- you can then assign additional details like priority, provide attachments and other details before you submit.
The requirement gets added.
- if you need to modify or update the requirement you can do so, by clicking from tree view.
the following window opens up:
- for every requirement req.ID gets auto generated. in this case, it is 7.
Important points:
- you can import data(Requirements or tests) into ALM from MS Word or Excel.
To do so, you need HP ALM Microsoft Word Add-in or HP ALM Microsoft EXcel Add-in respectively.
- you can also integrated ALM with an email server
to make sure automatic email alerts can be sent to concerned parties based on certain conditions.
for ex, if new defect is logged in or there has been status change of the defect etc.
-ALM organizes and stores data in Grid or tree form.
Creating and managing test cases:
Consider following test condition:
- login with correct credentials:
a) launch gmail. enter correct username, enter correct password and click login
b) launch gmail. enter correct username, password, select "stay signed in" and click login.
- login incorrect credentials:
a) launch gmail, enter correct username incorrect password and click login
b) launch gmail, enter incorrect username and correct password and click login
c) launch gmail, enter incorrect username, incorrect password and click login
Test case#:1
Test case description: Login with correct credentials
Test data:
1. url: www.gmail.com
2. username: test
3. password: ALM test
Steps to perform:
launch URL
enter username
enter password
click signin button
- Expected result:
gmail.com page should open up
username is entered in username field
password entered into password field
and characters are hidden as dots
user is logged ino the gmail.com and inbox is
displayed
Test plan tab in ALM:
Steps to create test cases under test plan tab:
- login to ALM into right project. create release, cycles and requirements as described in previous tutorials.
- go to the test plan tab by choosing "Testing>Testplan" from side bar.
- choose subject as your home folder and create a sub folder "ALM training" under it.
I am going to create May release and June release sub
folders under it.
- go to may release folder and choose option to create a new test.
- enter the name and then choose type.
Choose manual for our tutorial.
- Enter other details. designer name will be auto populated based on your login credentials.
Click OK. the test gets added.
- now you can add your steps. click on Design steps tab. click on New Step icon.
- enter step details. description and expected fields come up complete text editing
features that are self explanatory.
- i am going to create all steps as shown above.
this is how completed test case looks like:
- under may release, I am going to add some more test cases.
Linking test cases to requirements:
- select test case created and click on it. all properties get displayed in right hand side tab. go to "req coverage" tab and click on "select req".
- requirements tree gets displayed on the side.
expand the tree and select needed requirements.
- once done close the requirement tree. you can link test case to as many requirements as
you would like.
- let us check, how this mapping effects the requirement.
go to requirements tab from side bar.
double click on the requirement that you just
mapped and notice the "Test Coverage"details:
Steps to create test suite in quality center:
- go to test lab tab by navigating from side bar.
create folders as shown below:
- under may release, choose the option to create a new test set
- enter the test set name. click ok.
- once it is created. click on
"select tests" from the menu.
- select tests as required.
- alternatively if you choose
"requirements tree" tab, you can choose
requirement and all the tests that are linked to it get added to your test set.
- go ahead and create all test sets. as you can see from
above screen shot, I have created test set each for each cycle.
- you can choose to add same test multiple times in test
case.
in that case, second instance of test will appear with
prefix[2].
Conclusion:
This finished how to create tests, add steps to the tests.
links test to requirements, create test sets, adding tests to test sets, and finally back tracking our way to see how each activity effects the statistics each time.
Executing test cases using ALM/QC
- In test lab tab, choose test set that you like to run and click on Run test or Run test set.
Run test will execute the test set and Run test set will run the entire set one test after other till end.
Click on being run.
- If it is an automation test and tool is integrated, then it launches and runs it in testing tool.
In that case, it auto populates the test result.
- Since ours is manual test, we will have to execute the steps manually on our AUT and
set the results.
Go to test status field and click on it to set it to certain value.
You can also enter actual result in space provided.
- I am going to choose Passed.
And am going to do the same for all the steps.
- when done click on the cross button to the dialog.
The following confirmation message is displayed. Click Yes.
- Now you see, status of the test is marked as passed.
- let us execute next test in the list.
I will follow same steps and fail just one of the steps.
Status of the test goes to failed if any one of steps fail.
Defect management:
How to add defect to ALM:
- Login to ALM to right project and go to Defects tab by navigating from sidebar. The list of defects
under project are displayed in list here.
- Click on New Defect. Enter required details.
- Choose defect type.
- Choose severity
- Enter other details and describe the defect in Description
box.
You can provide attachments. The other tabs in this dialog
are for additional details. Again, project specific.
- This defect will now appear in the list. It has unique ID
to be identified with.
- We can change its status.
- Assign it to another user.
- if this defect is linked to any other defect or you can do so, by choosing "Linked
Entries" from left side bar and choose other defect that is causing or effecting this defect.
Link defect to test case:
- go to test lab tab and choose test that failed and defect is related to that failure.
- Click on linked defects. Here you can either add a new
defect and link it by click on this icon. If you do so, follow the
steps that you did in the above section and the defect created
will get linked.
- I am going to choose the icon. To link already created
defect.
- Enter the ID and click link.
The defect gets linked.
- Linked defect can be seen in test plan as well as
requirements.
This finishes our end to end flow from release to defects
Points to note:
- We worked with adding new cycle under release in tutorial 3 and it is mainly testing related activity.
Similarly, you can add "New Milestone" signifying certain step in your Project Management Activities.
- Even though ALM is test management tool, the development and other support teams also have access to it. One reason is to update the defect status.
- Attachment for defect are not mandatory but always provide screenshot of error in attachment whenever applicable and possible.
- mandatory field to be entered during creation of defect are defined by your Admin and may differ from project to project.
- other drop down values are also defined by admin.
Conclusion:
Now we are equipped with everything you need to know on how to use QC for all your test management activities.
Now lets move to Dashboard side bar option.
Quality Control
Dashboard:
- QC dashboard has
following 2 components:
Analysis view
Dashboard view
Analysis view:
2 tabs:
Analysis view:
graph wizard(choose graph type,choose entity, choose
project, choose filter, select graph attributes and click finish
Analysis menu:
- has inbuilt reports based on each side bar menu item.
- Choose report you would like to view.
- I chose Tests with Linked Defects. In right side, you can see its details.
Dashboard view:
- place where all the graphs and reports that you have created using the analysis view are displayed for you in single view.
Points to note:
- ALM can be used for agile, iterative or sequential models of projects.
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