Using External Data Source with SoapUI Pro
Hi! We want to use an external data source with SoapUI Pro. We have an external tool for data that our business users use. We would like to incorporate this data tool with our service tests in SoapUI Pro. Technically this is just a database that we can connect to from SoapUI and we know how to do that. What we are interested in is more of the design / architecture / process that having an external data source causes. For example:
1- We want the SoapUI test to be generic so it can be used by lots of different data sets. How do we architect it so that the SoapUI test knows which sets of data the test should use?
2- Do we need to do an orchestration of data within the data tool so that there is one data set ID that is passed into SoapUI? Or do we pass in multiple IDs into SoapUI and it's just assumed that the data sets match the number of services in the test being used?
3- How do we architect it so the same SoapUI orchestration can be reused no matter how many instances the user puts into the data set? Let's say there's a service to add a customer and a service to add a vehicle. One business user wants to have 3 customers and 3 vehicles, but another business user wants to have 1 customer and 1 vehicle. We want to reuse the same SoapUI test, but have it work for these multiple data situations.
4- How do we handle 'partial' updates of the data? For example, the business user perhaps wants a default and then just wants to overlay a few fields?
5- How do we reuse orchestrations and add to them? For example, let's say steps 1-4 are the same. Then one test wants to call that and do steps 5-6 differently than another test. Normally you'd just create a SoapUI test with steps 1-4 and then just call that test and add to it. But now that we're using an external data source, how does that work for called tests?
6- How do we branch and version both the test and the data? Let's say the service changes and removes a few fields and adds some other required ones? How do we branch/version both the test and data without creating huge quantities of test / data?
I am looking for everyone's experiences with any of these questions. Ideas are very much appreciated!
Michelle
1- We want the SoapUI test to be generic so it can be used by lots of different data sets. How do we architect it so that the SoapUI test knows which sets of data the test should use?
2- Do we need to do an orchestration of data within the data tool so that there is one data set ID that is passed into SoapUI? Or do we pass in multiple IDs into SoapUI and it's just assumed that the data sets match the number of services in the test being used?
3- How do we architect it so the same SoapUI orchestration can be reused no matter how many instances the user puts into the data set? Let's say there's a service to add a customer and a service to add a vehicle. One business user wants to have 3 customers and 3 vehicles, but another business user wants to have 1 customer and 1 vehicle. We want to reuse the same SoapUI test, but have it work for these multiple data situations.
4- How do we handle 'partial' updates of the data? For example, the business user perhaps wants a default and then just wants to overlay a few fields?
5- How do we reuse orchestrations and add to them? For example, let's say steps 1-4 are the same. Then one test wants to call that and do steps 5-6 differently than another test. Normally you'd just create a SoapUI test with steps 1-4 and then just call that test and add to it. But now that we're using an external data source, how does that work for called tests?
6- How do we branch and version both the test and the data? Let's say the service changes and removes a few fields and adds some other required ones? How do we branch/version both the test and data without creating huge quantities of test / data?
I am looking for everyone's experiences with any of these questions. Ideas are very much appreciated!
Michelle