Unit tests
An incorrect rule configuration in an application can cause delays in case processing. When an error occurs, end users might need to reassign work, or a case might require repair by an administrator. For example, consider a case that needs to be routed to the Fulfillment department. If the case is routed instead to the Accounting department, an accountant must reroute the case to Fulfillment. The accountant wastes time rerouting the assignment, while the Fulfillment department is idle. The result is a delay to the customer during case reassignment.
To avoid configuration errors such as incorrectly routed assignments, developers test their applications. The most basic form of application testing is unit testing individual rules. Unit testing supports the continuous delivery of applications by enabling quality testing of the smallest units of functionality. In a Pega application, the smallest unit is an individual rule. The purpose of unit testing is to verify that each element of the application, for example, a decision table or a report definition, works as expected. Unit testing reduces the risk of a configuration error in one rule being propagated to other rules in the application, which causes significant delays to case processing.
Use unit testing to reduce configuration errors. For example, consider a decision tree that evaluates a property. As illustrated in the following image, the application reads the property from a data page that is sourced from a report definition. By unit testing the individual rules when you configure them, you know that each rule works as expected. If the decision tree returns an incorrect result, but the data page contains the correct data, you can isolate the error to the decision tree.
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Unit testing individual rules
You can test a rule with test data that you provide by clicking Actions > Run on the rule form toolbar.
Note: For some rule types, such as binary file rules, Pega does not provide an option for unit testing. If the rule cannot be unit tested, the Run option is unavailable.
The appearance of the Run Rule window varies across rule types, so how you run a rule varies by rule type. In general, however, the rules run by using data from a test page that you define for the test.
When you run the rule, the system uses rule resolution. If you unit test a rule, and there is a higher version of the rule, the system runs the higher version of the rule.
Record a unit test for automated testing
After you run the test, you can also convert the test to a reusable test case that you can run at any time. A test case identifies one or more testable conditions used to determine whether a rule returns an expected result. Creating a reusable test case supports the continuous delivery model by providing a means to test rules on a recurring basis to identify the effects of new or modified rules. For more information about using unit test cases, see the Pega Community article Understanding unit test cases.
Tip: You can run a saved unit test from the rule or unit test automatically by using the PegaUnit testing facility.
To create a test case, you convert a test in the Run Rule window and define the results that indicate a successful unit test. Each expected result consists of an assertion, which describes one or more conditions to test and the expected outcome for each condition. Test cases support several types of assertions that test various aspects of rule execution. The assertions available for a test case vary according to the type of rule tested.
Note: For a full explanation of the supported assertion types and their usage, see the Community article Defining expected test results with assertions.
Some examples of assertions and their uses are provided in the following table.
| Assertion type | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Property | Tests the value of the specified property. Requires the page on which the property is defined, a comparison operation, and a comparison value. | pxUrgencyWork is equal to 10 |
| Decision result | Tests the value returned by a decision rule. Requires values for each input property needed by the decision rule to return the expected result. | When Referred by employee is false, return RecruitingWB |
| Expected run time | Tests whether a rule executes within an allowed amount of time. Requires a comparison operation and an allowed time in seconds. | Expected run time is less than or equal to three seconds |
| Page | Tests for the presence of a page in memory. Requires the name of the page and a comparison operation. | Page D_CoursesList has no errors |
When you complete the set of expected results, save the configuration of the test case. You can access a saved test case from the rule. The rule lists all the test cases recorded for that rule and the status of each test case as of its last execution.
If you rerun a test case and the test case fails, open the result, and identify each assertion that returned an unexpected result. If a test case returns expected results, a green Passed status is displayed.
Best practices to configure unit tests
Save the test case
Saving the test case requires access to a ruleset that is configured to store test cases. If the ruleset you select is not configured to store test cases, Pega Platform returns an error. Before you record a unit test, work with your system administrator to identify a suitable ruleset for storing test cases.
Save test cases to a dedicated testing ruleset for maintenance and packaging. For ease of configuration, use an application built on the development application, and include a ruleset designed specifically for test cases. When the development application is released to production, you can migrate the application without including the test cases.
Run the test case
In Dev Studio, the Unit testing landing page lists all the test cases defined for an application and the status of each test case as of its last execution. From the landing page, you can also create test suites that consist of one or more related test cases. Pega unit test suites run multiple test cases in the order that you specify.
Tip: On the Configure menu, select Application > Quality > Automated Testing > Unit Testing to access the landing page.
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