Getting started with IBM Optim Test Data Management

New to IBM® Optim Test Data Management? Use the guidance in this topic to help you get started.

Navigating the user interface

When you first log in to the IBM Optim Test Data Management web application, you start on the Home screen. From the Home screen, you can navigate to any of the application tools and functions. The Home screen includes quick-link tiles that can take you to the Connectivity interface, the Data explorer, the Flow builder, or the Jobs dashboard. You can also see a list of recent jobs or jump directly to a specific source connection defined in your system.

When you are in the IBM Optim Test Data Management web application, you can always navigate to other screens by using the Navigation menu. The navigation menu includes quick links to all of the key tools that make up IBM Optim Test Data Management.

Table 1. Navigation menu
Menu option Description
Home
Home
The Home screen is the starting place for the IBM Optim Test Data Management web application.
Connectivity
Connections
Use the Connections interface to view, manage, and create source and target data connections in your IBM Optim Test Data Management instance. For details, see .Exploring and defining connections
Data explorer
Data explorer
Use the Data explorer tool to browse and view details of the connected data tables that are loaded into your IBM Optim Test Data Management instance. For details, see Exploring data in your IBM Optim Test Data Management instance.
Workflow icon
Workflow > Flow builder
Use the Flow builder tool to configure, modify, and run IBM Optim Test Data Management flows. For details, see Building an IBM Optim Test Data Management flow.
Workflow icon
Workflow > Relationships
Use the Relationships tool to create and manage relationships between data. For details, see Defining data relationships.
Workflow icon
Workflow > Custom formats
Use the Custom formats tool to create and manage custom data masking formats. For details, see Defining custom data masking formats.
Workflow icon
Workflow > Compare data
Use the Compare data tool to compare data across different data sets. For details, see Comparing data across sources.
Extract files icon
Extract files
Use the Extract files tool to view and browse the contents of extract files that you have created by using IBM Optim Test Data Management flows. For details, see Exploring extracted data.
Jobs
Jobs
Use the Jobs dashboard to monitor and manage IBM Optim Test Data Management jobs. For details, see Viewing job details, logs, and process reports.
Access control
Access control
Administrator use only. Use the Access control option to open the Keycloak security administration console. In the console, you can manage users, roles, and permissions for IBM Optim Test Data Management. For details, see Managing users and roles.

Notifications

IBM Optim Test Data Management provides notifications about the data in your system. The notifications menu consolidates all data notifications in a single place so that you can quickly identify and respond to items that require attention.

When there is a new notification, the notification bell icon Notification icon is marked with an indicator to show that there are unread notifications.

To view unread notifications, click the notification bell icon Notification icon. Click each notification for more information or to take action.

Using the IBM Optim Test Data Management API

The IBM Optim Test Data Management API supports the following functions:
  • Workflow management
  • Connection and metadata management
  • Subsetting and masking operations
  • User and role management

For more information about using the API, see Using the IBM Optim Test Data Management REST API.

Defining IBM Optim relationships by using the API

Use the API to define IBM Optim relationships. IBM Optim relationships define logical connections between tables to maintain referential integrity during data extraction and provisioning.

For more information about using the API to define IBM Optim relationships, see Defining data relationships.