The need for a test system
The development of a test system requires the participation of representatives from several areas.
Your primary concern at the final stage of implementation is to offer satisfactory service to the end users. Does the IMS system perform as expected? A secondary concern, when changes occur in one or more online application programs, is to preserve the integrity and service for all end users. Will changes seriously impact the production environment?
Your installation might have a separate test organization. In this case, development personnel do not test the working code but might have to demonstrate it before handing over the application programs for independent testing.
The end user might be represented by a user-liaison group that knows the business needs. The liaison group also might evaluate the adequacy and accuracy of application programs.
Your solution to the need for a testing system can take several forms:
- A separate IMS test environment that is operational during major development activity
- A separate IMS test system used for ongoing verification of maintenance and application design changes
- A production system that allows controlled changes to be tested online, possibly using regions that are initialized for test purposes at a time that does not impact production processing
Part of your administration role is to ensure that a suitable online IMS test system is created and that the test procedures and any special database requirements are well documented. This is important if the test system is also to function as the maintenance system. However, your role can be more passive, in which you only participate in testing to verify operations procedures and to verify that all system definitions and preparation for production mode are in place.
After the application package has entered the production phase, the role of the developer or tester is usually taken over by program maintenance personnel. Administration needs to assess the impact of maintenance to the existing online IMS design. This task is described in more detail in Modifying the system design.