Extending QC with

Open Test Architecture

(OTA) API

Prepared by: Igor Gershovich

igershovich@connectedtesting.com
www.connectedtesting.com
What is Quality Center Open
Test Architecture (OTA) API?
The Open Test Architecture API is a COM
library that enables you to:
 integrate external applications with Quality
Center
 interact with the Quality Center application
without having to use the GUI front-end
 interact with the QC databases bypassing
DBA
QC Architecture
3-tier architecture (Web server, App server, DB server)
OTA API location

The library, OTAClient.dll, is automatically

downloaded to your workstation the first time
you run Quality Center to the following folder:
<installation drive>\Program Files\Common
Files\Mercury Interactive\Quality Center
Alternatively, click the Add-ins page link,
select Mercury Quality Center Client Side
Setup, and click Download Add-in.
How to use OTA API?

There are several ways to use OTA API:

 Add OTA code within QC Workflow scripts to
extend Workflow capabilities
 Enhance Quality Center VAPI-XP tests

 Using the QCUtil object in QuickTest Pro

 Write a custom test execution program

 Read information from a QC for use by an

external tool or report generator
 Integrate any third-party tool with QC
OTA Object model
API functions

 The API functions are accessible through

COM-compatible programming languages,
such as Visual Basic, VBScript, C++, C#, etc.
 The API has one entry point - TDConnection
object
Implementation
examples
1. External program to schedule
QC tests execution –
RunTestSet.exe
Custom Test Execution program
– RunTestSet.exe
 Quality Center does not have a built-in testset
scheduler to run tests periodically
 OTA API enables users to run external tool
that can execute any testset on any host
 As example RunTestSet application (with
VC++ source code) coupled with Microsoft
Scheduler can be used to schedule tests
RunTestSet.exe command line
syntax
RunTestSet /s:Server /n:Domain /d:Project /u:User /p:Password
/f:TestSetFolder [/t:TestSet] [/h:Host] | [/g:HostGroup]
Where:
/s: QC server name
/n: QC Domain
/d: QC Project
/u: User name
/p: User password
/f: TestSet Folder Path
/t: [optional] TestSet name
/h: [optional] Host name
/g: [optional] HostGroup name
/m:[optional] QC User name who will receive execution event notification mail
/l [optional] run TestSet locally
Example :
RunTestSet.exe /s:http://qcserver/qcbin /n:default /d:access /u:admin /f:Root\hello
/t:WRScript /l
Schedule RunTestSet.exe
execution
Execution Event Notification
Email
2. Custom Reporting tool
Custom Reporting tool

 This tool uses HTML and VBScript

 As an example, we are going to run custom
queries against a Quality Center project
 The steps:
 This tool connects to the project using OTA API
 Execute custom DB queries
 Displays results
Project Reporting tool
Reporting tool - Code snippet
OTA API TdConnection.Command
object used to run Project DB
queries
 Sub CheckIntegrity
 Set cmd = TdConnection.Command
 TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM BUG WHERE BG_SUBJECT NOT IN (SELECT AL_ITEM_ID FROM ALL_LISTS)", _
 "defect(s) without subject (none expected)", 0
 TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM DESSTEPS WHERE DS_TEST_ID NOT IN (SELECT TS_TEST_ID FROM TEST)", _
 "design step(s) without test (none expected)", 0
 TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM TESTCYCL WHERE TC_TEST_ID NOT IN (SELECT TS_TEST_ID FROM TEST)", _
 "test(s) in test set without test in test plan (none expected)", 0
 TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM TESTCYCL WHERE TC_CYCLE_ID NOT IN (SELECT CY_CYCLE_ID FROM CYCLE)", _
 "test(s) in test set without test set (none expected)", 0
 TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM STEP WHERE ST_RUN_ID NOT IN (SELECT RN_RUN_ID FROM RUN)", _
 "step(s) without run (none expected)", 0
 TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM RUN WHERE RN_TEST_ID NOT IN (SELECT TS_TEST_ID FROM TEST)", _
 "run(s) without test (none expected)", 0
 TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM RUN WHERE RN_CYCLE_ID NOT IN (SELECT CY_CYCLE_ID FROM CYCLE)", _
 "run(s) without test set (none expected)", 0
 TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM REQ_COVER WHERE RC_REQ_ID NOT IN (SELECT RQ_REQ_ID FROM REQ)", _
 "requirement coverage without requirement (none expected)", 0
 TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM REQ_COVER WHERE RC_TEST_ID NOT IN (SELECT TS_TEST_ID FROM TEST)", _
 "requirement coverage without test (none expected)", 0
 TestIntegrity "SELECT * FROM CYCLE WHERE CY_FOLDER_ID NOT IN (SELECT CF_ITEM_ID FROM CYCL_FOLD)", _
 "test set(s) without test set folder (1 expected)", 1
 Set cmd = Nothing
 End Sub
3. Enhancing QC Project
Workflow
Workflow Script Editor
Modified Project_CanLogin
function to block users without
password
Login error for user without
password
 4. Using QTP QCUtil object to
write to QC User-Defined fields
QTP script uses QCUtil object to write Flight
Confirmation Number to QC RN_USER_01
and TC_USER_01 fields
Writing to QC Fields via QTP
QCUtil object

TC_USER_01

RN_USER_01
5. VAPI –XP Script with OTA API
Create a new VAPI-XP test
Scripting languages for VAPI-XP
script
VAPI-XP script storing Bug data
to Excel spreadsheet
Bug data stored in Excel
Resources

 HP Mercury Tools Specific weblog by Valery

Raulet from Exposit Limited – http://
blogs.exposit.co.uk/
 QA Forums – www.sqaforums.com
 HP/Mercury Quality Center Open Test
Architecture API Reference
Igor Gershovich

 E-Mail: igershovich@connectedtesting.com
 Phone: 720-933-9395
 Website: www.connectedtesting.com