Overview

Test mode is a tool for testing your procedures and your data entry layouts before you go into production.

You can test the usability of data entry screens, that the Validation Procedures identify possible discrepancies, and that the Derivation Procedures correctly calculate the responses you want. Here are some ways you can use Test mode in the Definition subsystem:

• You can test the appearance of data entry form layouts in Oracle Clinical and RDC Onsite.

• You can test the algorithms in validation and derivation procedures.

• You can use Test mode to train new data entry operators on a particular study's data entry screens.

• You can test data extract views before entering production data.

• You can test Mass Changes before applying them to production data.

See Testing Definitions for more information.

In this section:

• A Typical Test Mode Workflow
  
• How Test Data and Production Data Differ
  
• Test Mode Limitations
  

A Typical Test Mode Workflow

This is a typical testing sequence:

1. Test a live study's design. See Setting Up Test Study Design.
2. Add some definitions to the study from Production mode. These are some production definitions you can test in Test mode:

   • DCMs

   • DCM Layouts

   • DCIs

   • Patient Positions assigned to sites and Investigators

   • Clinical Planned Events

   • Validation and derivation Procedures

   • Mass Changes

3. Start a Test mode session and refine patient, Investigator, and site definitions. Oracle Clinical generates some dummy definitions for you, but you can add to them.
4. Create test data. See Creating Test Data.
5. Batch load your test data. If you have a lot of test data, you can batch load it. See Creating and Loading Test Data.
6. Batch validate your data. See Testing Validation Procedures.
7. Review the results of the batch validation. See Checking Validation Results.
8. Test Mass Change functions.
9. Test your Data Extract Views; see Testing Data Extract Views.
10. If you are using Remote Data Capture (RDC), test data entry layouts; see Testing Layouts in Remote Data Capture (RDC) OnSite.

How Test Data and Production Data Differ

Oracle Clinical prevents using test data in Production mode and production data in Test mode. For example, when you navigate to Design, Test a Study Design, and Investigators, you can enter or select only dummy Investigators, sites, and patients; the system places any data you enter for the CRFs in tables designed to contain only test data. Conversely, if you navigate to Design, then Investigators and Sites, you can only enter or select non-test objects; the system places the data in Production mode tables.

The design objects you see from the Test a Study Design navigation path is not shared. However, DCMs, DCM layouts, DCIs, procedures, and Mass Change criteria are shared between Production and Test modes.

Test Mode Limitations

Oracle does not support using Test mode for the certain operations:

• Oracle does not support using Test mode to validate an entire Oracle Clinical installation, or individual system functions.

• Test mode cannot emulate the discrepancy management workflow process. In particular, you cannot generate Data Clarification Forms (DCFs), in Test mode.

• Test mode does not optimize indexes or queries.

• Test mode does not preserve or track the results of previous test executions.

• Test mode cannot handle the large amounts of patient data you would typically collect in Production mode.

• Test mode deletes all existing discrepancies and derived responses each time you run batch validation in Test mode.

• Batch Validation in Test mode runs derivation and validation procedures with Provisional status. (Production mode does not.) This difference can impact performance in Test mode if you have many provisional procedures.