Using Usage Monitor Data with PTF

PTF used by itself tracks the use of five step types – records, menus, fields, pages, and components. You can use PTF together with Usage Monitor to track additional PeopleTools managed objects used in the course of a test. This data can then be correlated with change projects (that is, fixes or bundles) to determine which tests need to be executed to test the change project.

For example, suppose you have 100 PTF tests in your test repository. You receive a bundle from PeopleSoft that consists of updates to ten PeopleCode objects. Based solely on the data stored by PTF, you cannot determine which PTF tests you need to run to test the bundle, because PTF does not track references to PeopleCode.

You can use Usage Monitor in conjunction with PTF to address this issue. Usage Monitor tracks references to additional PeopleTools managed objects, including PeopleCode. When you associate a test and test case with Usage Monitor all the actions taken while Usage Monitor is active are associated with the test and test case you specified.

A test coverage report correlates project data, PTF data, and Usage Monitor data to identify, in this example, which PTF Tests in the test repository reference one or more of the PeopleCode objects delivered in the bundle.

Your system administrator must configure Performance Monitor and Usage Monitor before you use Usage Monitor with PTF.

See PeopleTools: Performance Monitor

Follow these steps to generate Usage Monitor data along with PTF test data:

  1. Create a new test in PTF.

  2. Launch the Recorder.

  3. Hook the browser.

  4. Start recording.

  5. In the PeopleSoft application browser, select Usage Monitoring from the main menu.

    Note: Your PTF environment and the application you are testing must be on the same database.

  6. The Test Data page appears.

  7. Enter Test Name and Test Case.

  8. Click Start test.

  9. Record the test steps.

  10. When you are finished with the test steps, return to the Usage Monitoring page and select Stop Test.

  11. In the PTF Recorder click the Stop Recording icon.

Note: The manual steps of starting and stopping the Usage Monitor are included here during the recording process to capture them in the PTF test. PTF does not have to be in record mode to generate Usage Monitor data.

Before Usage Monitor data can be used in a coverage report it must be aggregated.

To aggregate the Usage Monitor Data:

  1. Navigate to PeopleTools, Process Scheduler, System Process Requests.

  2. Enter a run control ID or create a new one.

  3. Click Run.

  4. Select Usage Monitor Aggregator (PTUMAGR) from the list.

  5. Click OK to Run the process.

Note: We recommend that you schedule the Usage Monitor Aggregator Process to execute hourly or daily to keep the data in the aggregated data table current. Once data has been aggregated the raw data can be purged to reduce disk space usage.

To verify that Usage Monitor is collecting data, run this query in your query tool:

SELECT * FROM PSPMTRANS35_VW;

The PSPMTRANS35_VW represents the correct logical view of the raw Usage Monitor data.

Note: For any Usage Monitor data to appear in the view, the Usage Monitor buffers need to have been flushed at least once. By default the buffer size is set to 500 unique object references. While you are configuring and testing your Usage Monitor setup you might find it useful to reduce the size of the buffer (PeopleTools, Performance Monitor, Administration, System Defaults).

To verify that Usage Monitor Data has been aggregated correctly, run this query in your query tool:

SELECT * FROM PSPTUMPMTAGR;