Testing with Rational ClearCase

As you develop your Rational® Functional Tester test scripts and the supporting files that accompany those scripts, you can use Rational ClearCase® as your software configuration management system to maintain an auditable and repeatable history of your organization's test assets.

Using Rational ClearCase allows you to share projects, scripts, script templates, test datasets, and object maps across the testing team. You can manage changes in test assets stored in the Rational Functional Tester project and in software system development from requirements to release.

Rational Functional Tester works with Rational ClearCase. Rational ClearCase must be purchased separately. You must install Rational ClearCase to use the Rational Functional Tester Rational ClearCase integration.

If you are using a version of Rational ClearCase earlier than this version, you must update the Rational ClearCase type managers to recognize Rational Functional Tester test object map files on Windows® systems.

Rational Functional Tester works in a Rational ClearCase view enabled for Unified Change Management (UCM) if the view was created as part of a single-stream UCM project. Rational Functional Tester does not work in views that are part of multistream UCM projects.

Here is a scenario of how to use Rational Functional Tester and Rational ClearCase to manage test assets:

  • Check out a test script in Rational Functional Tester. Rational ClearCase checks out the script and all supporting Rational Functional Tester files if you check them out from Rational Functional Tester.
  • Edit a checked out copy of the script or any of the supporting files using Rational Functional Tester.
  • Check in a test script in Rational Functional Tester to create a new version of the script. Rational ClearCase stores the version permanently in the VOB and checks in all supporting Rational Functional Tester files.

Rational Functional Tester, Eclipse Integration, compiles the project when an element changes. If you are using a dynamic view, automatic compilation can be time consuming, depending on the size of the project. To disable this feature, click Window > Preferences and clear the Perform build automatically on resource modification check box. Rational Functional Tester, Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Integration, does not automatically compile the project when an element changes.

You can use the Rational Functional Tester integration with Rational ClearCase to perform these tasks:

  • Perform Rational ClearCase tasks from the Functional Test Projects view for Rational Functional Tester, Eclipse Integration or from the Solution Explorer for Rational Functional Tester, Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Integration.
  • Create a Rational Functional Tester project and add it to source control from Rational Functional Tester.
  • Add an existing Rational Functional Tester project to source control after you create it in a Rational ClearCase view.
  • Add a Rational Functional Tester script to source control.
  • Remove a Rational Functional Tester script from source control.
  • Check out a Rational Functional Tester script from source control.
  • Check in a Rational Functional Tester script to create a new version of the script with changes.

    A merge operation occurs during checkin if another user has checked in the same file. To merge is the process of combining the contents of two or more files into a single new file. The first user to check in the file creates a new version. The second user to check in the file is required to merge. If Rational ClearCase can manage combining the multiple edits to the file, the changes are merged into a new version of the file automatically. If the edits conflict or cannot be resolved, users must resolve the conflicts. Rational ClearCase starts the Diff Merge tool, in which you can view the differences and merge two or more files, if necessary.

  • Restore the previous version of a script.
  • Refresh the local, snapshot view with the most current copy of a script. This operation is necessary only with snapshot views.
  • List all scripts and files checked out in the current view.
  • Compare differences between the current script and its immediate predecessor.
  • Manage the supporting files for each script easily when you add a script to source control, check in or check out a script, or get the latest version of a script, all the supporting Rational Functional Tester files for that script are managed.
  • View a history of the changes made to a script.