So I was really looking forward to using the analysis services cube that is created from TFS to connect directly to Excel. I have a statistical status report that predicts completion dates based on historical data and have some custom code to connect to Quality Center. I was hoping to use the same report with TFS and create a similar set of macros to connect to TFS. Here’s the issue - there is only one database created for a TFS install. So, in order for me to create the connection between Excel and the analysis services cube, I would need to have read access directly on the database for all projects. The client I am working for does not want us to have access to the other projects (there are personal data and other security concerns that I completely understand). I am disappointed that TFS does not have a way for users to connect to analysis services for just one project….
So it’s been a while since I last posted… the project I am on has been having some issues that have prevented us from using TFS yet. We did start putting test scenarios and cases in this week. It’s pretty amazing how flexible TFS is for different project needs. We are entering the scenarios as a work item type of requirement and requirement type of scenario. This allows us to report progress on scenarios. We then created the test cases and linked them to the scenarios with a tested by link. The actualrequirements are not in TFS yet (they have been approved), but once they are entered, the test cases will be linked to the individual business rules that they test. By having these links, we are able to show full traceability between test cases, test scenarios, requirements and business wants. It’s actually pretty powerful.
So I took an attempt at running a load test in visual studio 2010. It was actually easy enough for me to do. I started by creating a simple ASP.NET solution. I added a couple of pages, some links and some controls for user input.
I then created a new test project within the solution. The next step was to create a test, so I added a web performance test to the test project and it recorded me clicking through the website and providing input. Now that a test is created, I could add a new load test to the test project.
When selecting to add the load test, the wizard pretty much walks you through all of the settings. After going through the wizard, I did have to change the properties of the test settings (in the properties window) to set the storage to none instead of server. This means that the results are stored in a file instead of in a SQL database.
The process was real easy - I was able to create and run this very simple test in about an hour. I used the recorder in VS to create the test, which worked for one scenario. When we use test manager to run manual tests, we’ll be able to use the recordings of those to create the scenarios to be used during the load test.
I found a great resource that shows how to get started with test manager….
This is a general source of information for the Microsoft team system. There seem to be few resources on Test Manager…
Another neat feature is a way to find tests that are impacted by a certain build or builds. When you run a test, the tool not only records your steps, but also which pieces of code are executed. So when a new build is available, you can pick a build to compare the newest one to and it tells you which tests are impacted. You can then mark them as needing to be executed again right from there and then the testers see those tests as needed to be executed. I’m going to have to explore how this works more as I get into the tool.
So according to the documentation and online lab, test manager will record each step that the user takes and then be able to play back the steps. So if you have a bunch of steps for data entry before the validation, it will be able to play back the steps and enter different data. This will be a huge time saver. In the lab, I was able to use this functionality and it seemed to work well. The only drawback is that it won’t actually perform the validation.
I have a new project starting up where we will be using the Microsoft Test Manager tool with Microsoft Team Foundation Server for all of the test activities. I have never used this tool, it was actually revamped in the 2010 version. My experience has been with Quality Center, so I want to share my experiences with TFS to hopefully help others that will be using this tool for the first time.
