Siebel Product Administration Guide > Testing Products and Using Workspace Projects >

Testing a Product with Components in Validation Mode

You can test a product with components in validation mode. This creates an instance of the product with components and presents its selection pages. You can test configuration constraints, the user interface, and pricing exactly as if you were a user.

Validation mode can create an instance of the product with components based on the work space or on any released version of the product

Validation mode uses a specific quote with following name convention:

Customizable Product Validation Quote_[username]

For example, if the username is SADMIN, the quote must be named Customizable Product Validation Quote_SADMIN.

NOTE:  If you make any fields required in the Quote business component, create the quote manually for each user (using the naming convention described here) and populate the required fields on each Quote before validating customizable products for the first time.

Test the product with components in the following ways:

• To test a specific group of configuration rules, set all the rules you do not want to test to inactive and then go to validation mode to test the desired rules. Then activate configuration constraints one at a time as needed and return to validation mode to test the result.
• If you have purchased Siebel Pricer, be sure to fully validate all component-based pricing adjustments. If you are using automatic pricing updates, verify that selection pages redisplay fast enough after each user action. If redisplay is too slow, consider switching to a base theme for the user interface that uses manual price updates. When in validation mode, the application uses the price list assigned to a special quote called Customizable Product Validation Quote_[username]. You can test the product with multiple price lists by assigning each of the price lists to this special quote.
• Verify that user access is set up correctly for all the components of the product with components. Do this by checking the categories to which the product with components and all its components are assigned. Then check the access control groups assigned to these categories and associated catalogs. Users who will configure the product must have access permission to the product and all its components. You can check category assignments in Product Administration, then the Category or in Catalog Administration.

Validate a product with components at regular intervals while you are developing it. For example, after you enter a block of related configuration rules or after customizing the selection pages, go to validation mode and check your work.

If your products with components are complex, consider developing written test plans that exercise all the configuration rules and all expected user behaviors. In particular, be sure to test for unexpected or incorrect user behaviors in order to rule out unexpected responses from the Siebel Configurator engine.

You enter validation mode by clicking the Validate button, which located in the views where you work with products with components, such as the Product Versions view, and the Constraints view.

To test a product with components in validation mode

1. Make changes to the product with components.

   For example, add configuration rules in the Constraints view.

2. Navigate to the Administration - Product screen, then the Product Definitions view.
3. In the Products list, select the desired product with components.
4. In the Versions list, select either the Work Space record or the record for a released version of the product.
5. In the Versions list, click Validate.

   The application creates an instance of the product and displays it in Siebel Configurator.

Testing Product with Components Pricing

If you want to test pricing, you must associate a price list with the Customizable Product Validation Quote_[username] quote. This is a special quote provided for validating products with components.

To test product with components pricing

1. Navigate to the Quotes screen.
2. In the Quotes list, query for the Customizable Product Validation Quote_[username] quote.
3. Assign the desired price list to the Customizable Product Validation Quote_[username] quote.
4. Navigate to the Administration - Product screen, then the Product Definitions view.
5. In the Versions list, select either Work Space or a released version of the product.
6. Click Validate.

   The application creates an instance of the product and displays it in Siebel Configurator.