Table of Contents
Conformance Testing
Conformance Testing is a phase of testing introduced to ensure that any PASI Client Integrating with PASI are using those the PASI services as they were intended to be used. This ensures that:
- A single PASI Client cannot adversely affect other PASI Clients,
- The services are used in a manner to protect the privacy of the students contained within the PASI Core, and
- The services are used in a consistent manner across the Alberta Education system.
Before any organization may use a software product that integrates with the PASI, that product must have successfully passed the PASI Conformance Testing.
It is the responsibility of the Software Provider1) to engage Alberta Education in order to complete Conformance Testing. Once conformance testing is complete, the software is considered PASI-compliant and can be integrated with PASI for business use.
The first time a PASI Client is used in a production setting the PASI Client will enter into a pilot phase. This period ensures the first organizations using the PASI Client are satisfied with the PASI Client before it is rolled out to other organizations.
How to Complete Comformance Testing
Conformance Testing is completed in two phases.
Self-Conformance Testing
PASI will make available to Software Providers, the approach and the set of test cases that the Software Provider must successfully pass in order to be considered PASI Compliant.
The Software Providers are to execute these test cases themselves as part of the development and testing processes in order to determine if they are PASI compliant.
Once the Software Provider is confident that they are PASI compliant and the pilot organization(s) have completed and signed off UAT testing, the Software Provider can request conformance testing from the PASI team.
PASI Conformance Validation
After the Software Provider has completed Self-Conformance Testing and pilot organization UAT testing has been completed, they will request conformance testing from the PASI team.
During this phase of testing, the Software Provider along with members from the PASI team will work closely together. Each test case will be executed and the PASI team will validate the results of the test case are as expected.
Once all test cases have been executed and validated, the version of the product tested will be considered PASI compliant, and a pilot project can commence.
Important Terms
The following terms are used throughout the conformance testing documentation and should be reviewed for clarity.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Software Provider | Refers to the organization (and their staff) that develop a software product. |
| PASI Client | Refers to a system that is connecting directly to PASI using the established PASI services. |
| PASI Team | Refers to the PASI Project Team and the team members that will participate in the Conformance Testing. |
Test Case Definitions
Each aspect of Integrating with PASI has a set of conformance test cases. Each Test Case describes a specific scenario that the PASI Team wants to confirm.
Each test case outlines a number of steps to be performed (either by the Software Provider or the PASI Team) and the Expected Behaviour of PASI and/or the PASI Client. If the Software Product does not behave exactly in this manner outlined, it doesn’t mean that the Software Product cannot be used or that it won’t pass the Conformance Test. All it means is that the specific behaviour will need to be reviewed in more detail by the PASI Team.