BI Validator - FAQ

What do I need to get started with BI Validator?

Getting started with BI Validator is very simple. Just install BI Validator on a windows machine and connect to you BI system. There is no additional software installation requirements in the BI environment.

What BI tool testing does BI Validator support?

BI Validator currently supports Tableau, OBIEE, MicroStrategy, Cognos and Business Objects testing automation. We are rapidly adding support for new BI tools. Please contact us if you are interested in trying out BI Validator for another BI tool.

3.x, 4.x

OBIEE	10g, 11g, 12c
Tableau	9.x, 10.x
MicroStrategy	9.x, 10.x
Business Objects	3.x, 4.x
Cognos Analytics	10.x, 11.x
BI Publisher	12c

Can BI Validator help automate Business Objects Testing?

Yes. BI Validator currently supports testing of Web Intelligence reports and Crystal reports currently. We will be adding support for testing Design Studio dashboards shortly.

Following test plans can be used for automating Business Objects testing:

Report Test Plan	Regression test your Webi reports by taking a snapshot prior to a change and comparing it with the latest result after the change
Upgrade Test Plan	Compare Webi report outputs across environments (eg. dev & test or pre-upgrade & post upgrade)
Stress Test Plan	Simulate concurrent user load to identify performance bottlenecks
Performance Test Plan	Schedule and run Webi reports periodically to see a trend of report run times
Data Compare Test Plan	Compare data in your Webi reports with data from a database SQL Query. Compare Summary Report data with Detail Report data
Security Test Plan	Regression test Groups, Users and their permissions

Can BI Validator help automate Cognos Testing?

Yes. BI Validator supports testing of Cognos Analytics 10.x, 11.x reports.

Are report parameters supported?

Yes. Report parameters can be specified during report import and updated as needed.

What if my BI tool is not supported by BI Validator?

No problem. We will be happy to work with you to add support for the BI tool that you are interested in testing as long as it is in our roadmap. We work in an agile manner to quickly add support for new BI tools.

Is there a free trial available for BI Validator?

Yes. You can download BI Validator and try it out for 30 days. We will provide full support during this period for your POC.

What is a repository? What databases are supported as repository?

BI Validator stores the test plan metadata and results in a repository database. It currently supports PostgreSQL 10.1, Oracle 11g/12c and SQL Server databases as the repository.

What are the Architectural components of BI Validator?

Below are the majar architectural components for BI Validator :

BI Validator Desktop: Windows based client for defining and executing tests. Can be used by itself in a standalone mode.
BI Validator Server: Windows based service that connects to the Oracle repository for executing scheduled test plans. Runs in Tomcat 8 or later
Repository: Oracle 11g/12c, PostgreSQL 10.1 & SQL Server database that stores the test plan metadata
Web Reporting: Runs in a J2EE container such as Tomcat 8 or later