fTest provides a comprehensive analysis of a DSD's data gathering process and results.

The option to test data is available everywhere in the application where it is relevant to see how data is gathered. For example, from the fDocs details page to see the data for a document, or the fPanels dashboard DSD Set maintenance page.

There are several sections, each available from a tab:

• Summary of data, including any load errors
• Status (fData designers only) shows details of individual data groups' parameters
• Data shows a limited number of sample gathered rows of data
• Schema is a list of the fields in each data group
• Data Items lists any data items added to each data group
• JSON shows the internal representation of each data group
• Dependencies is a graphical representation dependencies between data groups
• Performance shows a timeline of when each data group started and ended

Any errors encountered are listed in the left panel. Click on an error to open the Status tab showing the data group concerned. The centre panel summaries the time taken to gather data and how many rows were found. A brief description of each data group's action is also shown. In the third panel is a list of any external inputs provided by the user when selecting the test.

(fData designers only)

This tab shows the parameters used for each data group's data gather. The content depends on the type of data group, for example a SQL data group will show the source, connection and SQL query used.

For each data group, a list of the data rows gathered is displayed (up to a maximum of 200). If the data group has child data groups, row counts from these may optionally be added to the display If the data group has a parent data group, the data is broken down by it's parent rows. Some values have a raw value (e.g. dates, or formatted number); an option is provided to view the raw data.

This tab shows the fields in each data group, together with their type and whether they are from the data source or a data item. If the type and output format have been overridden by the designer, that is also shown here.

Data items are fields generated by fData and so it is important to see which fields are from data items and how they are calculated. For each data group, a list of the data items used is shown with a text version of the function used.

Internally, data is held in JSON format and this tab lets you see this internal representation.

Dependencies between data groups is very important as it determines the sequence in which they are executed and is also used to prevent loops. fData will discover dependencies between data groups automatically and they can be added to by the designer. This tab shows how the data groups are dependent on each other.

It can be very useful to understand the order in which data groups are executed and the time each takes. This can provide insights into the performance of the DSD.

The chart show the start and end of each data group's gathering phase followed by the phase during which the gather is finalised (e.g. calculating data items and performing other post load processes).

Enter a search term and press return. All tabs showing text are marked up highlighting any instances of the text entered.

At any time you can download data or details from the Downloads menu.

• All Data includes the full JSON representation of the data gathered in the test.
• Data Group Data is available if you have clicked on a data group in any of the tabs; it contains the JSON version of that data group's data
• Support Pack (fData designers only) is a full JSON dump of everything generated for the test. This is useful to send to support for assistance with issues.

NOTE: These download may contain private information and should not be shared without careful consideration

This option lets you re-run the test having selected different criteria.