Extending QC with Open Test Architecture (OTA) API

Prepared by: Igor Gershovichigershovich@connectedtesting.comwww.connectedtesting.com

What is Quality Center Open Test Architecture (OTA) API?

The Open Test Architecture API is a COM library that enables you to:

integrate external applications with Quality Center

interact with the Quality Center application without having to use the GUI front-end

interact with the QC databases bypassing DBA

QC Architecture

3-tier architecture (Web server, App server, DB server)

OTA API location

The library, OTAClient.dll, is automatically downloaded to your workstation the first time you run Quality Center to the following folder:<installation drive>\Program Files\Common Files\Mercury Interactive\Quality Center

Alternatively, click the Add-ins page link, select Mercury Quality Center Client Side Setup, and click Download Add-in.

How to use OTA API?

There are several ways to use OTA API: Add OTA code within QC Workflow scripts to

extend Workflow capabilities Enhance Quality Center VAPI-XP tests Using the QCUtil object in QuickTest Pro Write a custom test execution program Read information from a QC for use by an

external tool or report generator Integrate any third-party tool with QC

OTA Object model

API functions

The API functions are accessible through COM-compatible programming languages, such as Visual Basic, VBScript, C++, C#, etc.

The API has one entry point - TDConnection object

Implementation examples

1. External program to schedule QC tests execution – RunTestSet.exe

Custom Test Execution program – RunTestSet.exe Quality Center does not have a built-in testset

scheduler to run tests periodically OTA API enables users to run external tool

that can execute any testset on any host As example RunTestSet application (with

VC++ source code) coupled with Microsoft Scheduler can be used to schedule tests

RunTestSet.exe command line syntaxRunTestSet /s:Server /n:Domain /d:Project /u:User /p:Password

/f:TestSetFolder [/t:TestSet] [/h:Host] | [/g:HostGroup]Where:/s: QC server name/n: QC Domain/d: QC Project/u: User name/p: User password/f: TestSet Folder Path /t: [optional] TestSet name/h: [optional] Host name/g: [optional] HostGroup name/m:[optional] QC User name who will receive execution event notification mail/l [optional] run TestSet locallyExample : RunTestSet.exe /s:http://qcserver/qcbin /n:default /d:access /u:admin /f:Root\hello

/t:WRScript /l

Schedule RunTestSet.exe execution

Execution Event Notification Email

2. Custom Reporting tool

Custom Reporting tool

This tool uses HTML and VBScript As an example, we are going to run custom

queries against a Quality Center project The steps:

This tool connects to the project using OTA API Execute custom DB queries Displays results

Project Reporting tool

Reporting tool - Code snippet

OTA API TdConnection.Command object used to run Project DB queries Sub CheckIntegrity Set cmd = TdConnection.Command TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM BUG WHERE BG_SUBJECT NOT IN (SELECT AL_ITEM_ID FROM ALL_LISTS)", _ "defect(s) without subject (none expected)", 0 TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM DESSTEPS WHERE DS_TEST_ID NOT IN (SELECT TS_TEST_ID FROM TEST)", _ "design step(s) without test (none expected)", 0 TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM TESTCYCL WHERE TC_TEST_ID NOT IN (SELECT TS_TEST_ID FROM TEST)", _ "test(s) in test set without test in test plan (none expected)", 0 TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM TESTCYCL WHERE TC_CYCLE_ID NOT IN (SELECT CY_CYCLE_ID FROM

CYCLE)", _ "test(s) in test set without test set (none expected)", 0 TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM STEP WHERE ST_RUN_ID NOT IN (SELECT RN_RUN_ID FROM RUN)", _ "step(s) without run (none expected)", 0 TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM RUN WHERE RN_TEST_ID NOT IN (SELECT TS_TEST_ID FROM TEST)", _ "run(s) without test (none expected)", 0 TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM RUN WHERE RN_CYCLE_ID NOT IN (SELECT CY_CYCLE_ID FROM CYCLE)", _ "run(s) without test set (none expected)", 0 TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM REQ_COVER WHERE RC_REQ_ID NOT IN (SELECT RQ_REQ_ID FROM REQ)", _ "requirement coverage without requirement (none expected)", 0 TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM REQ_COVER WHERE RC_TEST_ID NOT IN (SELECT TS_TEST_ID FROM TEST)",

_ "requirement coverage without test (none expected)", 0 TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM CYCLE WHERE CY_FOLDER_ID NOT IN (SELECT CF_ITEM_ID FROM

CYCL_FOLD)", _ "test set(s) without test set folder (1 expected)", 1 Set cmd = Nothing End Sub

3. Enhancing QC Project Workflow

Workflow Script Editor

Modified Project_CanLogin function to block users without password

Login error for user without password

4. Using QTP QCUtil object to write to QC User-Defined fields

QTP script uses QCUtil object to write Flight Confirmation Number to QC RN_USER_01 and TC_USER_01 fields

Writing to QC Fields via QTP QCUtil object

TC_USER_01

RN_USER_01

5. VAPI –XP Script with OTA API

Create a new VAPI-XP test

Scripting languages for VAPI-XP script

VAPI-XP script storing Bug data to Excel spreadsheet

Bug data stored in Excel

Resources

HP Mercury Tools Specific weblog by Valery Raulet from Exposit Limited – http://blogs.exposit.co.uk/

QA Forums – www.sqaforums.com HP/Mercury Quality Center Open Test

Architecture API Reference

Igor Gershovich

E-Mail: igershovich@connectedtesting.com Phone: 720-933-9395 Website: www.connectedtesting.com