Interoperability Test Bed Guides

The Interoperability Test Bed Guides provide hands-on, step-by-step instructions to help with common tasks for various steps of the conformance testing process. Each guide is designed to take between 5 and 30 minutes with minimal prerequisite knowledge or tools.

How to use these guides

These guides are designed to be used in two ways:

  • As a training resource to improve your understanding of steps in the conformance testing process.

  • As hands-on and focused documentation on how to achieve common tasks.

Prerequisites in terms of knowledge and tools are listed at the beginning of each guide (in What you will need sections) but are typically minimal. In addition, the purpose of each guide is to help you on specific tasks, not provide complete documentation or cover all possibilities. Further and more complete resources are listed in each guide’s summary (in See also sections) and also in the Further information section at the end of this overview.

Available guides

The available guides are organised thematically in tracks that typically have a logical order. You can follow these in sequence or you can jump directly to the one that interests you. When a guide builds upon the results of a previous one you will always be presented the choice to go back and complete it step-by-step or skip the details and download any required resources you would need.

Track: Test bed setup

Determine the conformance testing solution that best suites your needs and proceed with its design and implementation. This includes evaluating the test bed, configuring available services, developing test components and authoring test suites using the GITB Test Description Language (TDL).

Title

Guide: Value proposition

Audience

Community administrator.

Description

Learn about the test bed’s value proposition. This also includes a high-level overview of the test bed’s key elements and operation, as well as a description of its use cases and available services.

Title

Guide: Getting started (for managers)

Audience

Community administrator.

Description

Learn how to get started using the test bed from the perspective of a project’s management. This explains how you can start using the test bed for your project and walks you through the different options and steps to expect.

Title

Guide: Getting started (for developers)

Audience

Test developer.

Description

Learn how to get started using the test bed as a test developer. This is the entry point to explain the test bed’s main concepts in a simple manner and get you started developing your own tests.

Title

Guide: Creating a test suite

Audience

Test developer.

Description

Create a GITB TDL test suite with one test case to address a fictional testing scenario. The test case includes requesting input from the user and validating it.

Title

Guide: Messaging in test cases

Audience

Test developer.

Description

Create a GITB TDL test suite to include test cases for sending and receiving content over HTTP. Properties of the communication are validated as well as the exchanged content.

Title

Guide: Setting up XML validation

Audience

Community administrator, test developer.

Description

Setup validation for a XML-based specification defined by your project. Includes the options to consider and the practical steps to launch your service for data validation or conformance testing purposes.

Title

Guide: Setting up RDF validation

Audience

Community administrator, test developer.

Description

Setup validation for a RDF-based specification defined by your project using SHACL shapes. Includes the options to consider and the practical steps to launch your service for data validation or conformance testing purposes.

Title

Guide: Setting up JSON validation

Audience

Community administrator, test developer.

Description

Setup validation for a JSON-based specification defined by your project using JSON schema. Includes the options to consider and the practical steps to launch your service for data validation or conformance testing purposes.

Title

Guide: Setting up CSV validation

Audience

Community administrator, test developer.

Description

Setup validation for a CSV-based specification defined by your project using Table Schema. Includes the options to consider and the practical steps to launch your service for data validation or conformance testing purposes.

Title

Guide: Creating a custom validator plugin

Audience

Test developer.

Description

Extend a validator with a plugin to contribute custom-developed checks that go beyond what would normally be possible. Explains how such plugins work and provides step-by-step instructions to develop, configure and use a simple plugin.

Track: Test bed operation

Manage a test bed’s installation and operation as well as its supporting services.

Title

Guide: Installing the test bed for development use

Audience

Test developer, test bed operations’ staff.

Description

Install a new test bed instance for development use.

Title

Guide: Installing the test bed for production use

Audience

Test developer, test bed operations’ staff.

Description

Install a new test bed instance for production use.

Title

Guide: Updating the test bed

Audience

Test developer, test bed operations’ staff.

Description

Update a test bed instance to the latest release.

Title

Guide: Installing a validator for production use

Audience

Test developer, test bed operations’ staff.

Description

Install a validator for production use.

Title

Guide: Collecting validator usage statistics

Audience

Test developer, test bed operations’ staff.

Description

Enable collection of usage statistics for on-premise validator instances.

Track: Test bed use

Use the test bed as a tester or an administrator to carry out conformance testing and monitor progress.

Title

Guide: Defining your test configuration

Audience

Community administrator, test bed administrator.

Description

Use the test bed’s interface to define the specification you want to support and upload a test suite for it. Manage also your user community by create an organisation and user account for users to start testing with.

Title

Guide: Defining a sandbox instance

Audience

Community administrator, test bed administrator.

Description

Define a test bed setup as a sandbox instance to be shared with your users. A sandbox instance can be installed by users on-premise to carry out testing locally and make available tools (validators, simulators) to facilitate development.

Title

Guide: Executing a test case

Audience

Tester (organisation administrator or user).

Description

Connect to the test bed to select the specification you want to conform to, execute a test and inspect its results.

Title

Guide: Migrating to EU Login

Audience

All users of a test bed offered by the European Commission.

Description

Migrate your legacy test bed account to use EU Login and understand when and why such a migration is needed.

Title

Guide: Using EU Login

Audience

All users of a test bed offered by the European Commission.

Description

Check whether you have an EU Login account, create one if not, and use it to sign-in.

Title

Guide: Using a validator via SOAP

Audience

Developer.

Description

Call a validator via its GITB validation service SOAP API using Java.

Further information

The available guides cover specific tasks and consider typically simplified scenarios that showcase only a fraction of what could be achieved. To explore the full potential of the test bed and access its complete documentation you are invited to check the resources listed below for further information: