QTP for Business Process Testing Terminology

The following terminology, specific to QuickTest Professional for Business Process Testing, is used in this help file:

Application Area—A collection of resources and settings that are used for the creation and implementation of business components. These include function libraries, shared object repositories, keywords, testing preferences, and other testing resources, such as recovery scenarios. An application area, provides a single point of maintenance for all elements associated with the testing of a specific part of your application. You can define separate application areas for each part of your application and then associate your components with the appropriate application areas.

Business Component (or Component)—An easily-maintained, reusable unit comprising one or more steps that perform a specific task. Business components may require input values from an external source or from other components, and they can return output values to other components.

Also known as Keyword-Driven Component.

Manual Component—A non-automated business component created in Quality Center. In QuickTest, you can view and work with manual components only after converting them to business components.

Scripted Component—An automated component that can contain programming logic and can be edited in QuickTest using the Keyword View, the Expert View, and other QuickTest tools and options.

Keyword View—A spreadsheet-like view that enables tests and components to be created, viewed, and debugged using a keyword-driven, modular, table format.

Function Library—A document containing VBScript functions, subroutines, modules, and so forth. These functions can be used as operations (keywords) in components. You can create and debug function library documents using the QuickTest function library editor.

Business Process Test—A scenario comprising a serial flow of business components, designed to test a specific business process of an application.

Component Input Parameters—Variable values that a business component can receive and use as the values for specific, parameterized steps in the component.

Component Output Parameters—Values that a business component can return. These values can be viewed in the business process test results and can also be used as input for a component that is used later in the test.

Local Input Parameters—Variable values defined within a component. These values can be received and used by a later parameterized step in the same component.

Local Output Parameters—Values that an operation or a component step can return for use within the same component. These values can be viewed in the business process test results and can also be used as input for a later step in the component.

Roles—The various types of users who are involved in Business Process Testing.

Automation Engineer—An expert in QuickTest Professional automated testing. The Automation Engineer defines and manages the resources that are needed to create and work with business components. The Automation Engineer creates application areas that specify all of the resources and settings needed to enable Subject Matter Experts to create business components and business process tests in Quality Center. The Automation Engineer can create and modify function libraries, and populate a shared object repository with test objects that represent the different objects in the application being tested. The Automation Engineer can also create and debug business components in QuickTest.

Subject Matter Expert—A person who has specific knowledge of the application logic, a high-level understanding of the entire system, and a detailed understanding of the individual elements and tasks that are fundamental to the application being tested. The Subject Matter Expert uses Quality Center to create and run components and business process tests.