How to upload Test Cases into Test Steps Designer

[TobiasMeinzer]

With Focused Build – Test Steps, designing and executing manual tests with SAP Solution Manager is simplified and accelerated. Many features like content-driven test case design, guided test execution or in-depth reporting capabilities enable a testing experience which was not possible before in SAP Solution Manager.

In one of my previous blog posts I gave an overview on the most important capabilities & features of Focused Build – Test Steps. In this article I want to focus on how to upload existing Test Cases into SAP Solution Manager using Test Steps Designer.

When introducing Focused Build - Test Steps at a customer we usually find ourselves in a situation where plenty of time was already invested in describing manual test cases with tools like MS Excel. And of course you do not want to lose this content and start from scratch just because you implement a new tool for manual testing.

No need to be afraid: you can upload your existing test cases into SAP Solution Manager via the Upload Wizard of Test Steps Designer!

You can find the upload function in the application Test Steps Designer in your Fiori Launchpad:



At the bottom on the left you will find the "Upload" button which will navigate you to the Upload Wizard:

 

Step 1: Define Options for Upload

In the first step you can define the following options for your upload:

Option	Description
Set Header row in file	Here you set the number of the row that contains the column headings of your test case. The default value that also corresponds to the sample file is set to "1".
Set last row in file (optional)	This is an optional parameter which can be used in case you want to restrict the upload to a certain row range within your file.
Upload into SolDoc / with Executables	With this option you can upload a test case and directly assign it to Solution Documentation including steps referring to executables. In this case you need to maintain the Solution / Branch context to which the test case should be assigned and where the executables can be found. As a prerequisite the file needs to contain the respective columns & content (SolDoc Path Occ ID, Step Executable, Logical Component Group).
Solution/Branch	Here you select the Solution / Branch context where the test case should be assigned to and in which the executables can be found.
Validate only	You can activate this option in case you want to validate your file content without creating the test case (version).

Step 2: Select the file that you want to upload

In the second step you select the file you want to upload. Since the file needs to follow a certain structure, it is recommended to download the sample file (see right upper corner of the wizard). With that you can learn how the structure should look like.

Please note: the file needs to be either in XLSX format (recommended) or a CSV file with UTF-8 encoding.

 

Step 3: Enter columns of your file mapping to test case attributes

In the third step you map the columns in your file to the test case / step attributes. Only mapped attributes will be considered during the upload. The wizard provides the column names based on the header row number you defined in step 1.

 

Test Case Attribute	Description and Prerequisites for Upload
Test Case Name	This attribute is mandatory and defines the name of the test case. If you enter a name of an already existing test case, the upload wizard will create a new version of the test case.
Folder	Here you can define the folder to which the test case should be added. Folders are structure elements in Test Steps Designer that help to organize your test cases. You need to maintain the available folders in customizing before (see customizing of FB Test Steps in transaction SPRO). In the file you need to maintain the ID of the folder, not the label.
Test Case Version Title	Here you can maintain the title of the version that will be created automatically when the test case is uploaded.
Test Case Status Schema	Referring to the status customizing (see view cluster SMDDOCSTATUS in transaction SM34) you can maintain the status schema which shall be applied to the test case.
Test Case Status	Referring to the selected status schema (see above) and the customizing (see view cluster SMDDOCSTATUS in transaction SM34) you can maintain the initial status value of the test case. You need to maintain the ID, not the label of the status within the file.
Test Case Priority	Referring to the priority customizing (see maintenance view V_SMDDOCPRIORITY in transaction SM30) you can maintain an initial priority value here which will be set when the test case is created. You need to maintain the ID, not the label of the priority within the file.
Test Case Owner	Here you can define the owner of the test case either via Business Partner ID or User ID.
Test Case Notes	Here you can maintain working notes for this test case. They will be displayed in the tab "Notes" within Test Steps Designer.
Test Case Duration (min)	This is the duration (in minutes) of the test case that describes how long it takes to execute it by a tester.
Strict Step Sequence	This setting defines how testers can execute the test case: either in strict sequence (step by step) or flexibly choosing their own sequence. Potential values are "X" (strict) or blank (not strict).
Testing Mode	Here you can define whether different testers will share their results when executing the same test case. Alternatively, each tester will have an own execution with individual results. See this blog article for further details. Potential values are 1 (shared results) or 2 (individual results).
SolDoc Path Occ ID	If you want to add the test case directly to a node in Solution Documentation, you can maintain the Occurrence ID here. Please see the section below for further details how to find the right Occurrence ID.
Language	Test Steps test cases can contain multilingual texts. In this column of your file you need to specify the language of the referring content by entering a two-digit language code (e.g., EN, DE, FR).
Test Case Description	Here you can maintain a (multilingual) long text description for the test case.
Test Case Prerequisites	Here you can maintain a (multilingual) long text for prerequisites for the test case.
Test Case Exit Criteria	Here you can maintain a (multilingual) long text for exit criteria for the test case.
Step Number	This is the number of the step in sequence (1,2,3,...). Only number values are allowed here. Sub Steps can be maintained with a dot in between (e.g., 1.1, 1.2, 1.3)
Step Description	Here you can maintain the (translatable) long text description of the step
Step Expected Result	Here you can maintain the (translatable) long text expected results of the step
Step Test Instruction	Here you can maintain the (translatable) long text instructions of the step
Step Evidence	This defines whether the tester needs to add an evidence (e.g., a screenshot that proves a successful test execution). Potential values in your file are "X" (evidence required) or blank (evidence not required).
Step Executable	Here you can maintain an executable (e.g., transaction code, fiori app, etc.) that should be linked to the step. As prerequisite the executable needs to be maintained in the Solution Library within Solution Documentation. Furthermore, you need to maintain another column in your file with the ID of the Logical Component Group (LCG).
Logical Component Group	Here you need to maintain the ID of the LCG where the referring executable is located (see attribute Step Executable above).
Step Business Partner	Here you can define the partner of the step either via Business Partner ID or User ID. Please note: this is usually not a single person since testers will be assigned later via the Test Package. You should rather use this attribute for groups / organizational units to describe the group of persons that is meant to execute this step.
Hidden	With this flag you can mark a step as hidden for execution. Potential values are "X" (hidden) or blank (not hidden).
Custom Columns	If you use any custom column in your Test Steps setup, you will find them also in the sample file as well as the upload wizard. You can map each active custom column to a column within your file just like any other standard column mentioned above. Please note that for custom columns based on defined value sets (e.g., value help or dropdown columns) the given values in the file need to be IDs instead of labels.

 

4. Start Upload

Finally, you press the button Start Upload to perform the upload according to your settings and column mappings. You will get a status message after the upload is done and you can find your test case afterwards in Test Steps Designer.

Please note: When uploading a Test Case with the same Name of an existing Test Case, a new Version of this Test Case will be created.

 

 

Uploading a Test Case directly into Solution Documentation

You can upload a Test Case directly into Solution Documentation via the attribute attribute "SolDoc Path Occ ID". In the file you just maintain the Occurrence ID of the node where you want to upload the test case. But how do you get the Occurrence ID?

1. Navigate to Solution Documentation (transaction SolDoc)


2. Select the Solution/Branch/Node where you want to add your test case


3. Switch to "List" view and make sure to filter only those nodes which are relevant for your test case upload


4. Download the list as file to get all relevant Occurrence IDs in column "Path (OCC_ID)"


5. Take over the Occurrence IDs into your upload file for Test Steps Designer

Please note: For the download function in Solution Documentation you need export authorizations via auth. object SM_SDOCADM.



Alternatively, you can also activate the display of the technical IDs for each node or element in Solution Documentation. This setting can be (de-)activated individually for your user via report RSMUD_GA_ENABLE_NODE_INFO_ATTR. Afterwards you will find the section Node Information in the properties pane in Solution Documentation. It contains the OCC_ID for the selected element.

Downloading a Test Case

You might also want to work on a new test case version of an already existing test case outside of Test Steps Designer. Therefore you can simply download the current version into an XLSX file and upload the edited (new) version later again via the upload wizard. The download function can be found at the bottom right of a selected test case. The downloaded file will contain all downloadable content in the right format which can be directly used for uploading it later.

Please note: a downloaded test case does not contain attachments or result attributes if any. Thus, you will not take over this data into a new version of the test case when uploading it with the wizard.

Conclusion

With Test Steps Designer the migration of manual test cases into the Test Steps type can be done easily. The upload functionality offers most of the test case attributes and plenty of options that help you migrating test cases into SAP Solution Manager.

For further reading you might be interested in this blog on how to migrate your test cases from Micro Focus ALM (HP QC / HP ALM) to Focused Build Test Steps.

 

Updates

7 Dec 2021: reworked whole blog post to cover the latest enhancements and updated screenshots.

7 Sep 2021: updated the section "New capabilities..." with latest enhancements of the Upload Functionality.

11 Sep 2020: added hint regarding auth. object SM_SDOCADM for download from SolDoc.

[TobiasMeinzer]

Hello Anuj,

the tables can be found in package /SALM/TM_TS_DESIGN. If you require further assistance please raise a consulting request via support portal.

Best regards
Tobias

[BasanthSwain]

Hi Tobias

Thanks for providing your insight into SAP Solution Manager 7.2. I have gone through your blogs and they are informative and it is well presented.

I have a question regarding Test Step Designer tile. We have installed SAP Solution Manager 7.2 with SP09 the thing is that I could not find the TSD tile. Is there any addon that I am missing.

What should by my approach to enable it.

Appreciate your help.

 

Many Thanks

Basanth

[TobiasMeinzer]

Hi Basanth,

thanks for your positive feedback!

To activate Focused Build capabilities like Test Steps it is recommend to go through the instructions of the configuration guide. Here you find the guide for Focused Build SP04 which would be the right version corresponding to SP09 of Solution Manager.

Of course I would also recommend to upgrade to the latest SP of components ST and ST-OST in order to benefit from the enhanced functionalities. For Test Steps you will notice significant feature enhancements between ST-OST SP04 and SP08!

Best regards
Tobias

[BasanthSwain]

Thanks for your response. Appreciate it.

[BasanthSwain]

Hi Tobias,

One last question. If we go ahead with Focused Build. Does Test Step Designer support upload of multiple(say 500) test cases from excel to SAP Solution Manager?

I have gone through the blog and questions but I could not get my head to understand if it supports multiple test cases upload in a single go.

Thanks

Basanth

[TobiasMeinzer]

Hi Basanth,

yes, you can upload multiple test cases within a single file. For a better maintainability and error analysis (in case any) I would still suggest not to add 500 test cases at once but something between 10 - 50 depending on the number of steps and languages.

Best regards
Tobias

[former_member789502]

Hello Tobias,

 

thanks for the helpful article. I have one question.

 

It is possible to import a Testcase with multiple languages in the same version with the upload from file function in the test steps designer? I can only import one language and then create another languages manually.

 

Thanks for your help.

Kind regards

Tobias L.

[TobiasMeinzer]

Hi Tobias L.,

thanks for your question. Since Focused Build SP07 you can upload multiple languages in a single file: in column "Language" you simply add the language code (e.g., EN, DE, FR) and then maintain the different values for all languages in separate rows. Please see the sample file in the upload wizard for further details.

I hope this helps.

Best regards
Tobias M.

[former_member789502]

Hi Tobias M.,

i'm very sorry but my problem is not solved yet. I hope it's okay to ask again:



I'm already using the language function in Test Steps Designer, 

but I don't have a solution for the current requirement:



I give an example.

Test case "xy" exists with current version "3" in English. 

I would like to import a German language test case via file upload. 

If I import the different languages ​​one after the other, 

I always generate new versions, e.g. 4 only German, 5 only English.



If I want to upload both versions at the same time, 

I get the known error that the test case name must be unique.



My question is:

1. How can i add a language with file upload to an existing Testcase version or

2. Import both languages ​​at the same time in one upload file.

3. Is their any detailed documentation for that?



kind regards

Tobias L.

[TobiasMeinzer]

Hello Tobias L.,

please see the sample upload file below. From your description above I understand that you added another row with the test case name + further header information. This content is not needed, you simply add all language specific content after the language column.

I hope this helps?

Best regards
Tobias M.

[thomasborggreen]

Hello Tobias

I wonder if there are any new updates to this question? I have the same need - a lot of testcases in MS word I like to import into FB. Manually cut and paste the testcases from word into excel for FB-import, is very time consuming and error-prone.

Help highly appreciated

Thanks in advance

Thomas Borggreen

[mharmon01]

Hello...this article is great. One additional question a bit outside of this post. Do you know if you can create test cases from soldoc in mass generation based on process steps? I see I can create them from my structure one at a time, but wanted to generate a large number of them. Thanks.

[erikach]

Dear Tobias,

is It possible to copy the TEst Stepps from one solution to other solution via mass copy ?

the both solutions are in the same system

Best regards

Erika

[TobiasMeinzer]

Hello Matthew,

thank you for your feedback on the article!

Currently there is no mass creation available based on process steps at different paths in Solution Documentation.

Of course one could implement a custom specific solution to achieve this. In case this is interesting for you, please reach out to me via personal message.

Best regards
Tobias

[TobiasMeinzer]

Hi Erika,

you can use Export/Import function of Solution Documentation / Solution Administration.

Details can be found, for instance, in SAP Help Portal.

I hope this helps?

Best regards
Tobias

[TobiasMeinzer]

Hello Thomas,

thanks for getting back on this topic. Unfortunately, there is still no update. If you would like to emphasize the importance of your development request, I would recommend to raise it during the next Customer Influence Program for SAP Solution Manager/Focused Build.

However, my previous statement still holds: please feel free to contact me directly. Via SAP Consulting we can offer you a custom specific solution in this case.

Best regards
Tobias

[erikach]

Hi Tobias,

The export and Import is none us but the issue is that the Test Steps do not have a description after importing and the source is the Original Solution.

We are not able to change the Test steps to the new solution

If you mean that this must work than I will create OSS . I am not sure if this is not working because software is designed so or there is a bug in system

Best regards

Erika

[TobiasMeinzer]

Hi Erika,

please create an Incident in this case.

Best regards
Tobias

[anwardonald]

Hi Tobias,

After I upload the test case file(which includes the tcode e.g. MM01 in the Test Step Executable column), I get the below message as seen in the screenshot, without the executable tcode added to the field like the other columns. As I understand, the only way to assign the test case to soldoc is to first upload the test case. How do I get the upload to include the executable as added in the file?

[TobiasMeinzer]

Hello Anwar,

to upload a test case with executables, you need to activate the respective option ("Upload into SolDoc / with Executables") in the first step of the upload wizard and select the target solution.

Within the upload file you have to add the location in Solution Documentation where the test case should be placed. This is done via the column "SolDoc Path Occ ID". For further details on how to get the Occurrence ID, please have a look at the chapter above: "Uploading a Test Case directly into Solution Documentation".

Best regards
Tobias

[anwardonald]

Thanks Tobias. Very helpful blog.

[anwardonald]

Hi Tobias, after successfully uploading and testing the files in one of the test systems, I was trying to test the SAME file with the corrected OCC path id ,in the PROD env and got the following error. Are you familiar with this error?

[0014518122]

Hi Tobias!

This blog and publications are excellent for test suite!

Does this new version allow attachments to be uploaded together via a spreadsheet?

Thank you!

[TobiasMeinzer]

Hi Cibele,

Thanks for the feedback!

With Focused Build SP11 you can upload a test case including Result Attributes, Solution Documentation Attributes as well as Header Attachments. However, the Header Attachments are based on what is already available in Test Steps Designer / Solution Manager Knowledge Warehouse and you can refer to these attachments via their technical IDs. It is not possible to upload new attachments via Excel.

Please see the sample file in the upload wizard for further details.

Best regards
Tobias

[TobiasMeinzer]

Hi Anwar,

this error happens in case the file contains a language, e.g. DE, which is not maintained in Test Steps General Settings on this system. Please review the maintained languages in customizing table /SALM/TM_C_GSET via transaction SM30 or via SPRO -> SAP Solution Manager -> Focused Build -> Test Suite Extensions -> Test Steps -> General Settings for Test Steps Application.

Best regards
Tobias

[Roszak1]

Hello Tobias,

we are now on SP17 and I want to try out new Upload-Functionalities with the new Test Case File, you can now upload Step and Header-Attachments automatically.

But i receive an error-message that the attachment does not exist:

i know that, thats why i want to upload it or what does that message mean in the end?

The same message i receive also with Header-Attachment.

Do i need to upload the attachment somewhere into the Soldoc or what?

Best regards

Martin

[TobiasMeinzer]

Hi Martin,

this functionality allows to upload Test Cases with existing attachments and keeping them stable in newer versions of your test case. That is, once you download a test case, the attachments IDs will be included in the file and can be used via upload later again. So far this was not possible and thus you lost the attachments when uploading a new test case version.

It is not possible to upload new attachments.

Best regards

Tobias