Introduction to Rational Robot

What Is Rational Robot?

Rational Robot is a complete set of components for automating the testing of Microsoft Windows client/server and Internet applications running under Windows NT 4.0, Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows 98.

The main component of Robot lets you start recording tests in as few as two mouse clicks. After recording, Robot plays back the tests in a fraction of the time it would take to repeat the actions manually.

Other components of Robot are:

• Rational Administrator – Use to create and manage Rational projects, which store your testing information.
• Rational TestManager Log – Use to review and analyze test results.
• Object Properties, Text, Grid, and Image Comparators – Use to view and analyze the results of verification point playback.
• Rational SiteCheck – Use to manage Internet and intranet Web sites.

Managing Rational Projects with the Administrator

You use the Rational. Administrator to create and manage projects.

Rational projects store application testing information, such as scripts, verification points, queries, and defects. Each project consists of a database and several directories of files. All Rational Test components on your computer update and retrieve data from the same active project.

Projects help you organize your testing information and resources for easy tracking. Projects are created in the Rational Administrator, usually by someone with administrator privileges.

Use the Administrator to:

• Create a project under configuration management.
• Create a project outside of configuration management.
• Connect to a project.
• See projects that are not on your machine (register a project).
• Delete a project.
• Create and manage users and groups for a Rational Test datastore.
• Create and manage projects containing Rational RequisitePro. projects and Rational Rose. models.
• Manage security privileges for the entire Rational project.
• Create a test datastore using SQL Anywhere.
• Convert an existing Microsoft Access test datastore to a SQL Anywhere test datastore.

The following figure shows the main Rational Administrator window after you have created some projects:

Summary

When you create a test datastore, the Rational Administrator uses Microsoft Access for the default database engine. However, if more than one user will access the test datastore simultaneously, use Sybase SQL Anywhere for the database engine. To create a test datastore using SQL Anywhere software, click Advanced Database Setup in the Create Test Datastore dialog box. See the Rational Administrator online Help for more information.

You must install Sybase SQL Anywhere software and create a SQL Anywhere database server before you create a new SQL Anywhere test datastore or convert an existing Microsoft Access test datastore to a SQL Anywhere test datastore.