In the previous lesson, you discovered how to import the predelivered content into the test specification. Now, you have those reports available in the test specification.
The next important step is to define the test specification by providing input parameters.
When you arrive at the "Define Test Specifications" step, you can specify how the reports will be executed. This means you can define/specify some input parameters for your reports.
When imported from pre-delivered content, a report has some default input parameters. In this step, you check and change these parameters according to the scope of your project.
The available input parameters are splits, conditions, exclude, variants, and output keys. Discover below the details for each of these input parameters:
1. Split
The Split parameter allows you to divide the validation into smaller, more manageable batches. This parameter is useful for handling large datasets or complex validation tasks.
Let’s consider a situation where the validation scope contains five company codes.
You can analyze the data for all these company codes together, but this makes the records you generate for a certain report during the data transition validation quite large and potentially time-consuming.
The alternative is to run separate jobs for each Company Code. Each job will be smaller and faster. To achieve this, you need to specify that your data should be split by the Company Code.
By default, the data transition validation tool provides a list of split parameters (in this case, the Company Code). However, you can overwrite these input parameters or add your own split parameters.
For example, you may also want to add the fiscal year as another parameter along with the Company Code.
By providing multiple split parameters, you're narrowing down the output, which means the data transition validation executions will also be faster. The resulting data will be easier to analyze.
In conclusion, the Split parameters divide your data into multiple chunks using the criteria you specify. The split parameters are nothing but the Project Global Data created previously. It is also possible to create new or modify existing project global data as per your requirement and use it as a Split parameter.
Exercise
In the following exercise, you will discover how to use the data transition validation tool to set up a split in your data.
Suppose you want to validate your already selected report RFDELP00 – List of Customer Line Items. You will check what the tool suggests as a split parameter for this report and then configure it.
Condition
Using the condition parameter, you can further specify parameters for your report execution.
When you open the Condition tab, you see a list of default conditions for a certain report. If you do not want these conditions, you can always delete them. Alternatively, you can add more conditions.
Exercise
In the next exercise, you will review the steps for maintaining conditions for a certain report in both the source and target systems.
Exclude
The Exclude parameter specifies the fields that should be excluded from the validation process.
For instance, if certain fields of a report are outdated and not required for validation, excluding them can streamline the validation process and improve accuracy.
You discover how to use this input parameter in a subsequent lesson.
Variant
The Variant parameter allows you to use the variant of the report if it exists.
Variants are especially useful for recurring validation tasks or when different criteria need to be applied to various datasets. By utilizing variants as input parameters, you can leverage predefined sets of parameters in the data transition validation tool without manually re-entering them each time. This prevents the repetitive task of inputting the same data and ensures consistency when performing repeated validations.
Output Keys
The Data Evaluation algorithm compares the source and target extracted data. To compare data, report-specific keys are needed. These keys are called output keys. If output keys are not maintained for a report, then the keys defined by the ALV report output will be considered. Output keys are relevant only for evaluation and not for extraction or simulation.
Evaluation output keys for standard pre-delivered reports are delivered via pre-delivered content.
Note
Precedence
There are certain rules regarding using these parameters when you want to use more than one of them. While you can combine different splits, conditions, exclusions, and variants there is an order of precedence: priority is given to splits, then to variants, and finally to conditions.
Summary
After this lesson, you can choose and configure the input parameters for your data transition validation project. The available input parameters in this tool are:
- Split
- Condition
- Exclude
- Variant
- Output Keys
By carefully choosing and configuring these input parameters, you can tailor the data validation process to your company's specific needs, ensuring it is efficient and effective. This level of customization is crucial in complex data environments, where precision and speed are essential for successful data transitions.