Generating manual test runs
Manual test runs are instances of test cases that are generated at a milestone in the testing cycle, such as when a build is provided by the development team. A manual test run contains all information from the related test case, but also includes the results of a specific instance of the test.
A single test case can have one or more related manual test runs depending on the test variants selected when manual test runs are generated. For example, an application supports multiple languages, but a test case only applies to the English, French, and Spanish versions. You can select these versions when you generate manual test runs, which creates a manual test run for each selected version. The manual test runs include identical information except for the test variant value, which indicates the language to use for testing.
Manual test runs are assigned to testers to perform the test and document the results. A tester can pass or fail a manual test run and indicate the actual results if they are different from the expected results specified in the test case.
Keep the following in mind:
- Test cases are reused for future testing efforts. Manual test runs are only used once during the testing cycle they are generated for.
- A test case must be in a workflow state that allows manual test runs to be generated (e.g., Ready in the default test case workflow).
- Manual test runs are modified to indicate the test results. Test cases generally remain static unless they need to be modified because of an application change or incorrect information.
- Test case custom field values are only copied to manual test runs if they are mapped to manual test run fields.
1. In the Test Cases list, select the test case, click Generate Manual Test Runs. You can also click Actions and choose Generate Manual Test Runs.
The Generate Manual Test Runs dialog box opens.
2. Select the Manual Test Run Set to associate the new manual test runs with.
A manual test run set is a group of related manual test runs. For example, you may want to include all manual test runs generated for alpha testing in a set and include all manual test runs generated for beta testing in another set.
Note: The Helix ALM administrator or another high-level user is generally responsible for creating manual test run sets.
3. Select Add to folder to add the new manual test runs to folders to group them with related items. Click Browse to select the folder.
For example, you may want to group manual test runs in manual test run suites or other folders based on functional area or test type.
Note: You must create the folders before generating manual test runs. See Adding folders. You cannot select public folders you do not have permission to work with or locked folders.
4. Optionally select the Test Variants to use when generating manual test runs.
A manual test run is created for each unique combination of test variant values that you select. If you are generating manual test runs for multiple test cases, the available values are a combination of included and excluded test variants for the selected test cases.
Tip: Review the number of manual test runs that will be generated, which is displayed at the bottom of the Generate Manual Test Runs dialog box. If you select multiple test variant values, the number of generated manual test runs can multiply quickly, which may impact performance.
5. Click Generate.
The manual test runs are generated.
To work with manual test runs,
Note: If manual test runs cannot be generated, an error dialog box opens. You may need to modify test cases you are generating manual test runs from to fix any errors. See Resolving manual test run generation errors.
