Creating a Test Data Partition on Luminate Online

We strongly recommend that you create a test partition on Luminate Online for testing your data synchronization process. A test partition can ensure that test data is kept separate from "live" data and can be reinitialized to a known state for the purpose of re-running a test.

A Partition is a subset of your Luminate Online constituent database that Luminate Online Web Services can access.

Note: Do not change the existing Default partition. Instead, create a new partition for testing as described below. The Default partition, created during initial configuration, is used for your "live" data.

To create a Test Partition on Luminate Online:

1. Log in to Luminate Online as a site administrator.
2. Create a query that uses a subset of your records for testing:
   1. Click Data Management > Query.
   2. Click Create a new Query.
   3. Enter a Name, Description, and Security Category to define your test records.
   4. Click Save.
   5. On the Query Details page, create your query and click Save Query. For help with a Query, see Query Builder.
3. Create the custom partition: (Note: You must create and use a custom partition for testing. Using your default partition can impact your live data.):
   1. From the Data Management menu, select Import/Export.
   2. Click the Partition Management tab.
   3. Click Create a New Partition Definition and define the partition from the options. Choose the Query you created above to use those test records.
   4. Click Finish.

Creating a Test Partition in the External Database

For the same reasons you should use a "test" database partition in Luminate Online, the external database used for development and test should contain only test data, not "live" data. How this is accomplished will depend upon the external system. Consult the system administrator or documentation to determine how to create a test partition in the external system, or contact the system vendor for support.

Creating Test Transactions on Luminate Online

If you will synchronize transaction information with the external database, you also need to create test transaction data for the transaction types you are interested in using the constituents in your test partition. You will need to enter these transactions through Luminate Online by either documented manual test steps or a scripted process.

Debugging Tools

Your middleware synchronization platform or development environment may provide tools to help you develop test and debug the synchronization process. Be sure to take full advantage of these. Best practices include:

• Use the most sensitive error level and warning level settings practical in your compiler or development environment.
• Include debug assertions to test any assumptions in your code or scripts.
• Set breakpoints and step through your code or scripts in the debugger to inspect the code at runtime.
• Disable any global error-trapping features of your middleware or IDE.
• Enable verbose logging of all SOAP requests and responses in the middleware or IDE to more easily diagnose failures.
• Use the Luminate Online Web Services Console to monitor, log and view incoming SOAP requests and responses on the Luminate Online server side.

The Data Validation Cycle: Test, Fix, Repeat

Development, testing, and data validation is typically a cycle, rather than a sequence of events. During this cycle you will run a number of test synchronizations, carefully inspecting the data on both systems, and making adjustments to the field mapping or fixing bugs in the data synchronization process as necessary, until the process runs successfully and reliably.

Things to look for when verifying the results of synchronization include:

• Incorrect field mappings
• Invalid values
• Truncated values
• Missing records
• Un-handled synchronization errors
• Boundary conditions (for example, minimum and maximum data values, high transaction volume).
• Exception conditions (for example, missing required fields in one or the other system).

The Logging and Monitoring features available through the Luminate Online Web Services Console are helpful when debugging a synchronization session.