Technical Articles
Custom Columns for Focused Build Test Steps
Introduction
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 in SAP Solution Manager before. Since SP06 of Focused Build with Test Steps Parameters you now get even more options to design your test cases and handle testing data in a flexible way.
In this article I want to focus on custom enhancement options for Test Steps as there is usually always a good reason to go beyond what’s possible with the standard application:
In Focused Build Test Steps you can add custom columns to the steps table and use these columns in Test Steps Designer as well as My Test Executions and the Test Suite Dashboard. In the following I will explain how to do this and which options you have when it comes to input fields with predefined values or even value helps.
Two Custom Columns in the Test Steps table
Number and Types of Custom Columns
In total you can define up to 6 custom columns for the steps table. For each column you can choose from the following set of types. Please note: custom columns 5 and 6 allow for language-dependent texts only and cannot be used with the types Dropdown, Value Help or Checkbox.
- Dropdown offering predefined values via BAdI implementation for selection
- Value Help offering predefined values via BAdI implementation for selection within a dialog
- Text Line that renders as a single line of any free text
- Text Area that renders as several lines of any free text
- Checkbox perfect when you want to allow for a binary selection only (e.g., true or false)
How to integrate Custom Columns into the Test Steps table
You can define the custom columns via customizing table “/SALM/TM_C_STCS” in transaction SM30 or you navigate through the implementation guide (transaction SPRO) as shown below.
Settings for Custom Columns via Implementation Guide (SPRO)
Besides the (language-dependent) Column Label and Column Type, you can further define the following attributes for each column:
- App lets you define in which application context the setting should take effect (either Test Steps Designer or My Test Executions or both apps). By using the copy function of the maintenance view you can add further lines with specific settings for each app.
- Order defines where the column will be placed within the table. Please keep in mind that there are also standard columns in place (see cutomizing view above in SPRO). The final sorting of columns will be put together based on the settings for standard as well as custom columns.
- Visible switches on/off the visibility of a custom column. This does not affect the data that is stored in this column. In case you switch off a custom column which was used so far, the data will still be kept and you can activate the column visibility later again if needed.
- Sub Step allows to show a column in sub steps as well.
- Execution Editable makes the column editable during execution in My Test Executions app as well.
Value Helps and Dropdown Values for Custom Columns
If you chose Value Help or Dropdown as the type of your custom column, you need to implement a Business-AddIn to retrieve the predefined values that should be offered through the input fields. Via transaction SE18 you have access to the enhancement spot /SALM/TM_TS_CUST_VHLP:
- The interface offers the method GET_VALUES_4_HELP which you can implement to return values through the exporting parameter ET_VALUES. The importing parameters IV_FLNA and IV_HELPKEY give you the name of the custom column (e.g., CUST_04) as well as the search value which might have been entered by the user within the value help dialog.
- When implementing the enhancement spot, via the filter FIELDNAME you define for which custom column the implementation should be called.
- The enhancement spot is shipped with an inactive sample implementation /SALM/TM_TS_CUST_VHLP_SAMPLE which you can take for further reference.
Conclusion
With custom columns you get even more options to design your test cases. Besides the standard columns which allow for a comprehensive description of what testers should do during execution, you can add additional columns to integrate further relevant information. The columns are available throughout the entire testing scenario from Test Steps Designer via My Test Executions until Test Suite Dashboard.
However, the general recommendation of keeping things short and simple also holds for custom columns in Focused Build Test Steps. While you can activate up to 6 custom columns, it is highly recommended to think of the complexity which is increased by each additional column. The Test Steps execution might get enriched with further information but at the same time harder to follow for the testers. Here it might be an option to make a standard column invisible if not needed and activate a custom column instead.
Happy customizing!
Great post, thanks for sharing your expert knowledge with the community! 🙂 Good to have you here Tobias Meinzer
This looks great. Any SP level required?
Hi Matthew,
in general, custom columns are available since Focused Build SP03. With the latest SPs the integration has been further enhanced. For instance, since SP07 you can use custom columns during upload and download of test cases.
Best regards
Tobias
Hi Tobias,
We are using Custom Columns in the test step level and capturing critical field details. Do we have any report/table to show the Custom Columns values in the test step level?
Rg,
Karthik
Hi Karthik,
in Test Suite Dashboard, tab Test Execution Status, you'll find the report Test Execution Results - Manual Tests at the bottom of the page.
Here all Test Steps test cases will be listed that are part of your Test Plan selection. When clicking on a test case, you get a detailed report about all results that were documented incl. custom columns.
I hope this helps?
Best regards
Tobias
Hi Tobias,
We have checked this page, we do not have the option to export the test step result in excel like the test package screen option. test package only has overall status. but we look at test step status with custom columns value. Do we have the option to export these details or do we have any table to pull these details?
Test Step result
Rg,
Karthik
Hi Karthik,
so far there is no option to export these details. You could build a custom report based on the DB tables which 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
Hi Tobias,
is it possible to include in Test Step Designers - Custom Attributes created on the Process Step level in the Solution Documentation structure ?
Thank you for your effort
Custom Attribute on the Soldoc level
Boris M.
Hi Boris,
I assume you want to take over the data from your custom field into the steps table of Test Steps Designer (e.g., into a column called "Task ID" as part of a step) when you create a new Test Case via Solution Documentation?
This would be possible via a custom specific implementation of enhancement spot /SALM/TM_TS_TD_CREATE_FROM_SOL which is available with ST-OST SP10 upwards.
I hope this helps?
Best regards
Tobias
Dear Tobias Meinzer
We have used /SALM/TM_TS_CUST_VHLP to create a custom column but the value help is restricted to single value. Is there also an enhancement possible to allows selection of multiple values with this column?
Best Regards,
Shabnam Ansari
Dear Shabnam Ansari,
I am afraid this is currently not possible but I will forward your request to product management. However, I cannot promise whether, how or when it might be considered.
Best regards
Tobias
Thank You very much for your response and consideration. Tobias Meinzer
I assumed this was a common use case, similar to having multiple value SOLDOC Attributes for Test Cases.
Thanks for tjhis, could you please share further info or link to the Implementation guide on if ok with you on
/SALM/TM_TS_CUST_VHL
/SALM/TM_TS_TD_CREATE_FROM_SOL
we are looking to populate name form Work items / FB and second participants/ responsibility functional role from the soldoc ,
any help with this would be appreciated!
Hello Rajesh,
please find the latest configuration guide here: https://help.sap.com/docs/Focused_Build_Focused_Insights?task=use_task
If you search for the technical names of the enhancement spots mentioned above, you will find further instructions on how to apply them.
I hope this helps.
Best regards
Tobias