PI26083: ATTEMPTS TO USE EDIT OR CREATE TEST DATA WITH MORE THAN 256 TAGSFAIL WITHOUT WARNING

Rational Integration Tester 8.7
Rational Test Virtualization Server 8.7
Rational Performance Test Server 8.7
Rational Test Virtualization Server Fix Pack 1 (8.7.0.1) for 8.7
Rational Integration Tester Fix Pack 1 (8.7.0.1) for 8.7
Rational Performance Test Server Fix Pack 2 (8.7.0.2) for 8.7
Rational Integration Tester Fix Pack 2 (8.7.0.2) for 8.7
Rational Test Virtualization Server Fix Pack 2 (8.7.0.2) for 8.7
Rational Test Virtualization Server Fix Pack 3 (8.7.0.3) for 8.7
Rational Integration Tester Fix Pack 3 (8.7.0.3) for 8.7
Rational Performance Test Server Fix Pack 1 (8.7.0.1) for 8.7
Rational Integration Tester Fix Pack 4 (8.7.0.4) for 8.7
Rational Test Virtualization Server Fix Pack 4 (8.7.0.4) for 8.7
Rational Performance Test Server Fix Pack 4 (8.7.0.4) for 8.7
Rational Performance Test Server Fix Pack 3 (8.7.0.3) for 8.7

APAR status

• Closed as program error.

Error description

• If you try to use Edit or Create Test Data in Test Factory on a
  stub that has a very large number of tags it does not complete
  the wizard or create a file.
  
  STEPS TO REPRODUCE:
  
  1. Go to Test Factory and right-click on the stub that contains
  more than 256 tags, click Edit or Create Test Data.
  
  2. Choose a file name and click Next.
  
  3. Select all tags in the Select Tags page.  Click Next.
  
  4. Click Next and Finish
  
  EXPECTED RESULTS:
  
  The wizard window closes.
  The chosen Excel file is created with a column for each tag.
  
  ACTUAL RESULTS:
  
  The wizard window remains open.
  You can go backwards in the wizard screens and close the window.
  No Excel file is created.
  
  If you click Help > About > JVM Console you see the following
  JVM error:
  
  java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Invalid column index (256).
  Allowable column range for BIFF8 is (0..255) or ('A'..'IV')
  

Local fix

Problem summary

• ****************************************************************
  * USERS AFFECTED:                                              *
  * All users of Rational Integration Tester working with Excel  *
  ****************************************************************
  * PROBLEM DESCRIPTION:                                         *
  * Due to a limitation in the .xls Microsoft Excel file format, *
  * the maximum number of columns in an Excel data set supported *
  * by Rational Integration Tester was 255.  However, if a test  *
  * had more than than 255 tags RIT would still attempt to       *
  * create a Excel data set which could not support this many    *
  * tags.  An error would be seen in the JVM log saying          *
  * "java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Invalid column index    *
  * (256).  Allowable column range for BIFF8 is (0..255) or      *
  * ('A'..'IV')"                                                 *
  ****************************************************************
  * RECOMMENDATION:                                              *
  ****************************************************************
  

Problem conclusion

• From version 8.7.0 if the number of tags/columns exceeds 255,
  Rational Integration Tester creates a file with an xlsx
  extension, which can support up to 16384 columns of data.
  

Temporary fix

Comments

APAR Information

• APAR is sysrouted FROM one or more of the following:

• APAR is sysrouted TO one or more of the following:

Fix information

• Fixed component name

  RATL INTEGRA TE

• Fixed component ID

  5725G79IT

Applicable component levels

• R850 PSN

     UP

• R851 PSN

     UP

• R860 PSN

     UP

• R870 PSY

     UP