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The Sign-Off Table

Lesson 1 of 5

Executing tests

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Test preparation produces test cases and test plans. Execution produces the evidence that a release is ready. In SAP Cloud ALM that evidence is created in the Test Execution app, one test run at a time. This lesson shows how a tester finds their work, starts and resumes runs, and finishes them cleanly.

Finding your tests

When the test lead sets a test plan to In Testing, its Prepared test cases are released to the assigned testers. Open Test Execution and use the filters. The two that matter most are test plan and tester: choose the current cycle's plan and your own name, and the list shows the test cases assigned to you with their latest status and progress. Saving this as a personal view saves time every morning of the cycle.

Starting a run

  1. FilterTest plan and tester; pick the next test case in sequence
  2. ExecuteStart a test run; the activities and actions appear in order
  3. Perform and rateDo each action in the test system; set its status and add comments or evidence
  4. Raise defectsFor failed actions, create or assign a defect from the run
  5. FinishFinish the test run when every action is rated; the run becomes read-only
A manual test run in Cloud ALM.
The Sign-Off Table · thesignofftable.com/academy/sap-alm-204

Choose Execute on the test case to start a run. The run shows each activity with its actions: the instruction, the expected result, and whether evidence is required. Work through them in the quality system, for Contoso client 100 of QAS, and rate each action as you go.

Before the first action, check the preconditions in the test case's References: the data sheet, any setup steps and the starting stock. If Contoso's test needs 50 alternators CMC-ALT-100 in storage location 171A and there are only 20, stop and tell the test lead. A run that fails because the data was missing produces a misleading failure and, often, a defect that wastes a developer's afternoon. Record blocked preconditions in a comment rather than forcing the test through.

Resuming and rerunning

Real tests get interrupted: a meeting, a missing authorization, a job that has to run overnight. If a run already exists for the test case in the plan and is not finished, Cloud ALM lets you resume it instead of starting over, with the ratings and comments you already entered.

Once a run is finished it is view-only, and it stays in the history. If the test needs to be done again, for example after a fix, you start a new run. Only the latest run of a test case within a plan counts toward that test case's status in the plan, while the history keeps every earlier attempt for audit.

  1. MondayRun 1 startedMaria runs "O2C sell from stock, fleet customer" in the UAT plan
  2. MondayRun 1 finished: FailedFleet price not applied; defect raised; run becomes read-only
  3. WednesdayFix importedThe pricing fix reaches client 100 of QAS
  4. ThursdayRun 2 finished: PassedA new run in the same plan; it is now the latest run
  5. ReportTest case shows Passed in the planRun 1 stays in history as evidence of the defect
Two runs of one test case in one plan: only the latest sets the status, and the earlier failure stays in history.
The Sign-Off Table · thesignofftable.com/academy/sap-alm-204
SituationWhat to do
Interrupted mid-testResume the open run later; do not start a second one
Finished and passedNothing more; the run is your evidence
Finished and failed, fix deliveredStart a new run in the same plan to retest
Wrong plan used by mistakeTell the test lead; rerun in the correct plan so the cycle report is right

Runs: resume, rerun or leave.

Overall run status

The run's overall status is derived from its actions. A new run starts Initial, becomes In Progress as you rate actions, and ends Passed or Failed. A single failed action fails the run. A run that should not count, for example one started on the wrong data, can be Withdrawn. Status labels can evolve with SAP's continuous releases, so check them in your tenant.

  1. InitialRun created with Execute; no action rated yet
  2. In ProgressActions are being rated; the run can be resumed
  3. Passed or FailedDerived from the actions: one failed action fails the run
  4. WithdrawnOnly for a run that should not count, such as one started on the wrong data
How a run's overall status develops from the ratings of its actions; check the labels in your own tenant.
The Sign-Off Table · thesignofftable.com/academy/sap-alm-204

What would you do?

Maria is halfway through "O2C sell from stock, fleet customer" in the UAT plan when she is called away. The next morning she opens Test Execution and sees the test case with an open run. What should she do?

Key points
  • Testers find their work in Test Execution by filtering on test plan and tester.
  • Execute starts a run; an unfinished run can be resumed later.
  • Finished runs are read-only; a retest is a new run, and only the latest run in a plan sets the status.
  • One failed action fails the run; runs move from Initial through In Progress to Passed or Failed.

Check your understanding · not graded

Lesson check

  1. 1. Which two filters matter most for finding your assigned tests?

  2. 2. What should a tester do with an interrupted, unfinished run?

  3. 3. Which run counts toward a test case's status within a plan?

  4. 4. What does one failed action do to the run?