Lesson 3 of 6
Evidence that holds up
9 min
Evidence is what turns "I tested it" into something a process owner, an auditor or a colleague next year can rely on. Good evidence proves the business outcome happened: the right documents exist, they are complete and the financial result is correct. Poor evidence proves only that a button was pressed.
What to capture
Capture evidence at the checkpoints the test case defines, usually the end of each major step and the final outcome. For a Contoso order-to-cash run, that means: the sales order with item, price and delivery date; the document flow showing delivery, goods issue and billing with their statuses; the billing document's journal entry showing receivable, revenue and tax; and, if in scope, the incoming payment clearing the open item. For a procure-to-pay run: the purchase order, the purchase order history with receipts and invoices, and the journal entries for goods receipt and invoice.
| Evidence item | How to get it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Document numbers | Copy them from messages and document headers into the test run as you go | Anyone can redisplay the documents later |
| Document flow | Display Document Flow from the sales document, or the related-documents view in the Fiori app | Shows the chain is complete |
| Statuses | Header and item status of each document | Shows whether work is outstanding |
| Journal entry | From the billing, material document or supplier invoice, or the Manage Journal Entries app | Shows the financial result |
| Messages | Message text with type and number; long text for errors | Explains failures and warnings |
| Your judgment | One line: expected X, actual Y, passed or failed | Makes the evidence readable |
Naming and storing
Store evidence where the test run lives, attached to the run or step in your test management tool (for example SAP Cloud ALM), not on your laptop or in a personal mailbox. If files are stored separately, name them so they sort and explain themselves: test case, step, what is shown, document number. For example TC-OTC-012_S06_billing-flow_90001877.png. Never rely on file names like screenshot(14).png.
A screenshot is a picture of a moment. A document number is a key to the full record. The best evidence combines both: a screenshot of the expanded document flow and the journal entry, plus the numbers typed into the test run. If a reviewer doubts a screenshot, they can display the document. If a document is later changed, the screenshot shows what it was at test time.
What would you do?
Grace reviews a run where the tester attached nine screenshots of success messages and marked the scenario passed. The billing document number is visible in one of them. What is the most useful feedback?
- Evidence must prove the business outcome, not just a save.
- Capture document numbers, document flow with statuses, journal entries and messages.
- Store evidence with the test run, named so it explains itself.
- Mask personal data and keep evidence inside project tools.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. Which evidence best proves an order-to-cash scenario?
2. Which file name is best for a piece of evidence?
3. A screenshot shows a customer's home address from copied production data. What should you do?
4. Why record document numbers as well as screenshots?