PI Manual Inbound

PI Manual Inbound is the test type used when there are no already processed messages available for a given interface. It can be use to upload existing messages from the old solution or upload the sample message from third-party systems while building a new interface.
PI Manual Inbound test type requires reference test case of test type PI Inbound or PI Unit Testing. The easiest way is to send an empty message by SAP PI/PO testing tab in the message monitor and then capture it as a test in Int4 Suite. Thanks to this, Int4 Suite will know the signature of the interface in SAP PI/PO.

Basic Information

Parameter name

Description

Example

Interface

SAP PI/PO interface name.

In SAP PO, the best information to see interface service name is an ICO definition.

SI_O_PurchaseOrder - SAP PO interface name

Namespace

Namespace from ICO.

The name and namespace will allow to automatically build test cases just based on providing message GUID/number from middleware. Based on content, the interface name/namespace will be checked, and automatically configuration object proposed.

http://webshop.com

Dynamic Columns

Dynamic Column Set field allows to assign previously defined set to an Automation Object. A dynamic column set defines additional, custom columns in the result list of message selector.

Variables

Variables are the container for values that can be used during testing. Each variable contains two values, the one that is calculated based on the reference message/document and the one that is calculated ad-hoc during test case execution.

Variables & Variable processing

Create button allows variable creation.

Parameter name	Description	Example
Name	Variable technical name	VARIABLE_1
Description	Free text for variable description	Variable One
Type	Type of variable processing	Read & Replace Find message Custom
Scope	Scope determines the processing of procedures that generate unique values like, e.g., GUID or NUM_RANGE. Test Case Scope - variable is replaced with new values considering values from the currently processed test case. The variable value, which occurs multiple times in the test case payload, is replaced with the same new value. The variable value in different test cases from the currently processed test run is replaced with a new value for each test case. Test Run - variable is replaced with new values considering values from the currently processed test run. The variable value in different test cases from the currently processed test run is replaced with the same new value.	Test Case Test Run

Payload Validations

Output payloads after processing by SAP PI/PO are validated against previously stored references. This configuration enables adding rules with exceptions that will allow for differences.

File Type	Processing
XML	XPath
JSON	JSONPath
Flat Files, X12, EDIFACT	Int4 Flat File Syntax or REGEX

Parameter name	Description	Example
Description	Free text for the exception rule	Field1
Expression Type	Expression type. Available options: unspecified XPath Flat expression This field is optional for all interfaces where there is a single type of output. However, for interfaces that output might be both XML and flat file, it is mandatory to specify the expression type.	XPath
Expression	Path pointing to the field/node where the exception should be applied.	//ORDER/DATE/text() (XPATH expression) or START_TAG(BGM+220+)&&END_TAG(+)&& (Flat file expression) or $.order.date (JSONPath expression) REGEX(BGM\+220\+(.)\+) (REGEX expression)*
Rule	Rule to be applied to the field.
Warning	Marks the compared fields with yellow color as a "warning".
Warning when different based on variable replacement	In case compared values are different Int4 Suite compares them with specified variable. If reference/current value pair from comparison matches variable values result is marked as "warning". Variable name used for checking the values has to be specified in the Processing Parameter column.
Warning when different based on value mapping object	In case compared values are different Int4 Suite compares them with specified values in the Mapping Object. If reference/current value pair from comparison matches mapping values result is marked as "warning". Mapping Object name used for checking the values has to be specified in the Processing Parameter column.
Ignore	Even if it is different in the content, it is not highlighted.
Parameter	Used in correlation with Warning Rules.

Payload Matching

In scenarios with multiple outputs for the same receiver, there is a need to compare them based on the same order as reference documents used for test case creation.
Integration Platforms don’t guarantee that outputs will always be sent in the same order control; therefore, the solution is to sort the messages before comparison.

Parameter name	Description	Example
Rule	Free text for rule name	Rule1
Expression Type	Expression type. Available options: unspecified XPath Flat expression This field is optional for all interfaces where there is a single type of output. However, for interfaces that output might be both XML and flat file, it is mandatory to specify the expression type.	XPath
Expression	Path pointing to the field/node where the exception should be applied.	//ORDER/DATE/text() (XPATH expression) or START_TAG(BGM+220+)&&END_TAG(+)&& (Flat file expression) or $.order.date (JSONPath expression) REGEX(BGM\+220\+(.)\+) (REGEX expression)*
Rule Type	Rule type. Available options: Exact match - value from reference and current payload has to be the same Variable - value from reference and current payload is compared based on variable values and variable replacement Mapping object - value from reference and current payload is compared based on mapping object value replacement
Parameter	Depending on Rule type: variable name or mapping object name
Group	Free text grouping field. All rules with from the same group have to be fulfilled to match payloads. At least one group has to be fulfilled to match payloads. Rules within group are linked with AND operator. Groups are linked with OR operator.

Execution Settings

Parameter name

Description

Example

Debug Log

Int4 Suite will provide additional, more technical information in Test Execution Report during the running of the test cases if this parameter is set. Therefore, it is recommended to set this option initially and deactivate it when object definition is confirmed after executing the first test cases

Display wait popup before validation

Wait Flag indicating if Int4 Suite should stop test case execution after sending test case message to middleware. Int4 Suite will show the confirmation box, and the user will decide to continue. This setting can execute manual follow-up actions before running the next test case or checking the validations.

This setup works only with Execute via SAP GUI option of execution

Delay between execution and validation

Parameter name	Description	Example
For each test case	Delay (in seconds) between test case execution ( sending message) and checking the results.	10
Once per test run	Delay (in seconds) between test run execution ( sending messages) and checking the results.	60

Number Ranges

The number ranges allow generating new values for variables. Those values are used to substitute original document numbers or other values in reference messages.

The number range used to replace the source system document number should always be configured to not overwrite the original number. It means that documents generated by Int4 Suite should have their own subset of the original document number. Usually, it might be a subset of the upper limit of the original number range.

It is essential that automated testing with Int4 Suite consume numbers that the source system will generate during manual testing. Additionally, if testing environment data is refreshed from the production system, more documents would be created in the testing environment. If the Int4 Suite number were configured in the same range, it would start creating duplicates.

For example, the original number range for document numbers from the source system is 560000 - 590000. It would be wise to set the Int4 Suite number range from 590000 to 600000. However, suppose the SAP backend system uses an external number range. It is essential to stay in the original range. In that case, the Int4 Suite number range may be set as 585000-590000, which gives space for 5000 testing documents. Using range from upper interval reduces the risk that the number will be overwritten.

Additionally, the good practice is to use prefixes or suffixes that will quickly separate source system documents and the ones created by Int4 Suite. It should always be used when there is no document number validation by the SAP backend.

Each Object Definition can contain an unlimited number of number ranges. This way, each variable declared in an object can use its specific number range.

Parameter name	Description	Example
Number range	Provide a name for the number range. This name would be passed as a parameter in variable processing for actions that will generate values from it.	NUM_RAN
Prefix	The alphanumeric characters to be appended at the beginning of the document number to separate original documents from source systems and the one created during Int4 Suite testing (optional).	INT4_
Low value	The first number of our range.	1
High value	The last number of our range.	999999
Current value	When the number range is used during testing, it would increment per each use.	23
Suffix	The alphanumeric characters to be appended at the end of the document number to separate original documents from source systems and the one created during Int4 Suite testing (optional).	_TEST
Add zeros	If this box is checked, zeros will be automatically appended to the beginning of the document number, such as 000500.
Incr. per Test Run	If this indicator is selected, the number range is incrementing once per test run. If multiple test cases with the same Automation Object exist in the test run, they will receive the same value.

Data Scrambling

A scramble list is a part of an automation object. For compliance purposes, for example, GDPR purposes, it's required to hide some of the test case fields. Thanks to the anonymizer feature, it's possible to select fields that hold sensitive values and decide what action should be taken to prevent them from being compromised.

Parameter name	Description	Example
Rule Type	Rule type. Available options: Test Case Creation - in case you want to scramble data during the creation of a test case Runtime - in case you want to scramble data during runtime - when the interface is executed, and additional data is loaded to test case data.	Test Case Creation
Rule	Specify scrambling rule name for identification.	NAME
Method	Choose a scrambling method from a list. Available methods: CONSTANT Replace value with constant The current value will contain the constant passed in the parameter. The constant should be provided as is without any brackets. GUID Generate GUID Generate random value in a GUID format. RANDOM Generate a random value Generates a random value. The value of the parameter defines the upper limit of the range. It is also possible to generate negative numbers. For example, passing -100 in parameter will generate random numbers from -1 to -100 HASH create a hash based on value Calculates a hash based on the given value using algorithm passed in parameter (default 'SHA1'). MASK - replace each character with constant Replace each character with a constant passed in parameter. For example, passing X in the parameter will replace scrambled data with X signs. CUSTOM - create custom method create a CUSTOM method (implementing an interface /INT4/IFTT_IF_DATA_SCRMBL_METH).	HASH
Expression Type	Expression type. Available options: unspecified XPath Flat expression This field is optional for all interfaces where there is a single type of output. However, for interfaces that output might be both XML and flat file, it is mandatory to specify the expression type.	XPath
Expression	Path pointing to the field/node where the exception should be applied.	//ORDER/DATE/text() (XPATH expression) or START_TAG(BGM+220+)&&END_TAG(+)&& (Flat file expression) or $.order.date (JSONPath expression) REGEX(BGM\+220\+(.)\+) (REGEX expression)*
Parameter	Specify Processing Parameter suitable for a chosen scrambling method.	X (for Mask method), SHA1 (for HASH Method)

Test Case Creation

Parameter name	Description	Example
PI: Ignore parent message during TC creation	This flag is used for scenarios with multiple receivers. If you create a test case based on the message that is part of the bigger scenario, then engine will search for the initial message that SAP PI/PO received. This requires at least logging the BI processing step (as SAP does not recommend staging). If you would like to create the test case for a single receiver or the BI logging is not available, then you need to check this checkbox
Message version before processing	A version of the message to be fetched from the SAP PI/PO persistence. Here we specify the version which contains the original message - before being processed by SAP PI/PO. If empty, Global Parameter is used.	Depending on the SAP PI version can be either: numeric: 0 caption: EDI
Message version after processing	A version of the message to be fetched from the SAP PI/PO persistence. Here we specify the version which contains after mapping version of the message - already processed by SAP PI/PO. If empty, Global Parameter is used.	Depending on the SAP PI version can be either: numeric: -1 caption: AM

ABAP Stack SAP PI Integration

Parameter name	Description	Example
PI: Landscape where interface exists on the ABAP stack	Name of the PI ABAP Landscape. It is required to access the ABAP stack PI messages.
PI: ABAP stack: Read input message from Java persistence	This flag needs to be checked in the case when the ABAP stack PI read a message from the JAVA adapter
PI: ABAP stack: Read output message from Java persistence	This flag needs to be checked in the case when the ABAP stack PI sends a message to the JAVA adapter

Test Case Execution

Parameter name	Description	Example
Inject using PIT	This flag will use SAP PIT WS as a message injector (SAP PO > 7.5 SP14) for this automation object. This flag can be set up also globally for whole environment.
HTTP RFC Destination	Alternative RFC Connection where the REST message should be sent. If this parameter is populated, then the message will be sent there alternative RFC.	SAPSYS1_RFC
PI: Asynchronous: Direct HTTP operation	If the Direct HTTP URL is provided, here you can specify the HTTP operation (for asynchronous REST testing).	POST
PI: Asynchronous: Direct HTTP URL	Direct endpoint to tested interface (asynchronous). Fulfillment of this parameter is a mandatory condition for testing asynchronous REST/JSON interfaces.	/RESTAdapter/webshop/material_async
PI: Reference Sender Channel Name	Name of the sender channel to be used as a reference.	CC_SOAP_SENDER
PI: Reference Sender Channel BC	Business Component of the sender channel to be used as a reference.	BC_SENDER
PI: Reference Sender Channel Party	Party of the sender channel to be used as a reference.	SENDER_PARTY
Flag for Flat File interfaces	Used to mark interface input as Flat File
Flat File Line Separator	The character used for end-of-line determination in Flat File messages: for example, CLRF - Unix. The parameter is used to display the comparison report better and display the reference and new message line by line. "Carriage Return and New line" character should be stored as CRLF "Line Feed" should be stored as LF (Unix based files) There is no default value, so the parameter is obligatory for CSV files Use \|\| to enter multiple alternative separators e.g. CLRF\|\|'	CLRF
Line Separator Escape Character	Escape character for line separator. Used to avoid line breaks in case separator is used in the file content. Value of this parameter should be aligned with specific format used by tested interface. Example: If line separator is set to ' and escape character is ? following split is applied: Source: NAD+SU+8720121000874::3++Test?'file'NAD+SU+8236459000874 Split: NAD+SU+8720121000874::3++Test?'file' NAD+SU+8236459000874
Stop Receiver Processing	Stops Receiver Processing when using PIT as a message injector.

Test Case Validation

Parameter name	Description	Example
Validate message output	This flag allows activating output payload validation for SAP PI/PO The validation is performed before the final backend validation, and the results are combined. It is the same validation as used by default by PI Unit Test type.
PI: Validate message status	SAP PI/PO message processing status will be taken as a part of the test case result. By default, the processing status is not part of the test as such, for example, the communication channel may be deactivated not to send test messages. This option is helpful when performing validation of receiver communication channels. It would not validate the results of processing in the channel but at least collect SAP PO status.
PI: Validate message attachments	This flag allow to check SAP PI/PO message attachments as a part of the test.
Show XML in the original order (unsorted)	This flag determines if the lines of the file in the XML Comparison Report should be displayed in the original order or should be sorted alphabetically for a specific nodes.	Checked or 'X' - payload will not be sorted on the report Unchecked or '' - payload will be sorted alphabetically (default value)

Message Selector

Parameter name	Description	Example
PI: Message Search - Interface Name	Used to specify the Interface Name within which the Message Selector should search for the version of the message. This parameter is only to be entered if Interface Name visible in the Message Monitor main screen differs from the Interface Name used to create the object definition.	If we only have receiver interfaces visible in the message monitor, then use the receiver name specified in the ICO of the sender interface specified in the automation object used.
PI: Message Search - Namespace	Used to specify the Interface Namespace within which the Message Selector should search for the version of the message. This parameter is only to be entered if Interface Namespace visible in the Message Monitor main screen differs from the Interface Namespace we have used to create the object definition.	The same condition as the previous parameter but then for the namespace of the receiver interface