Platform coverage and test environments

In the Test Environments section of a test plan, you can list the software and hardware platforms that you hope to cover and use that list to generate the actual test environments that you need to run your tests.

The Test Environments section of the test plan includes two tabs:

• Platform Coverage
• Test Environments

Use the Platform Coverage tab to create a non-binding list of platforms that you hope to cover. This is where you specify the required operating systems, browsers, supported hardware platforms, CPU-types, and so on. Typically, you might use Platform Coverage as a high-level planning tool. For example, your Platform Coverage list might appear as follows:

• Operating System: Windows 11, SUSE Linux, RHEL, MacOS
• Database: Db2® , Oracle
• Application Server: WebSphere Liberty
• CPU: x86
• Browser: Firefox, Internet Explorer

Use the Test Environments tab to list the actual combinations of environmental attributes that are available for testing on test lab machines. The Test Environments list might appear as follows:

• Test Environment 1 = Windows 11, Oracle
• Test Environment 2 = MacOS, Firefox
• Test Environment 3 = Windows 11, Db2

It is not a requirement that you specify platform coverage or test environments in a test plan. Nor is a test plan required for test execution. However, if you specify test environments in your test plan, the test execution wizard uses those attributes when creating the test case execution records for the test cases. If you choose not to define test environments in your test plan, or you do not have a test plan, a complete list of attributes will be available during test execution.