Test Management in SAP Cloud ALM

SAP Cloud ALM provides a range of test management functions by different apps for test case creation, test planning, test execution, and error processing.

There are also various dashboard apps that can be used to monitor and analyze the testing progress.

With the functions in SAP Cloud ALM, test cases can be executed both manually and automatically. For automated test execution, there is a Test Automation API to create and execute automated test cases in the SAP testing tool.

During a project, different types of testing are carried out depending on the project progress. The following types of testing should be considered:

• Functional tests
• Integration tests
• Acceptance tests
• End-to-end tests

A functional test is used to check individual business requirements or functions. An integration test, on the other hand, ensures that services or modules of an application interact smoothly. Acceptance tests (also known as user tests) check whether a system has been configured in accordance with the defined requirements and focus on the future user’s perspective. End-to-end tests are the most complex of all testing types and focus on the proper functioning of user workflows within a complete business process, possibly even across company boundaries. All testing types can, but do not necessarily have to, be carried out within an implementation project. The selection and scheduling of these testing types defines one of the essential tasks in test management.

The figure below shows an example of how these testing types can be used within a project. In our example project, a functional test of the implemented user stories is carried out after each sprint. In the acceptance test that takes place later, the test cases from the functional test are then reused to check the implemented requirements.

SAP Cloud ALM offers a direct link between the test cases and requirements and user stories created in your project so that you can also visualize the type of testing to be carried out. The solution process does not allow you to link to the test case directly, but all assigned requirements have their own test cases and are part of the test scope. Test plans can be used for structuring several test cases for a certain test type. As shown in the next figure, you can define the type of testing to be carried out for each test case and adapt it according to the progress of the project. For example, you could link your test case to a user story for a functional test or with a requirement for an acceptance test. Solution processes are validated by integration tests. For this testing type, the test plan bundles all test cases delivered by dedicated requirements.

To document errors that occur during testing, SAP Cloud ALM provides the defect process, but it cannot currently (as of April 2024) be linked to a correction transport.

Editor’s note: This post has been adapted from a section of the book SAP Cloud ALM: Application Lifecycle Management by Matthias Friedrich, Fred Kindler, Marcel Kirsten, Daniel Kloppich, Mathias List, Bert Lorenz, and Lars Teuber.