Application-to-Application Interface Testing
Verizon provides a separate CLEC Test Environment for the testing of application-to-application interfaces for pre-order and order. There are two types of testing: new release testing and new entrant testing. New release testing provides the opportunity to test the code associated with the release. New entrant testing allows Telecommunications Companies (TCs) to test their entry into new products or geographic areas. It also allows TCs currently in production who need to perform regression testing, due to changes within their own applications, to notify the VZ test coordinator to create and implement a test plan in the CLEC Test Environment.
New Release & New Entrant Testing in the CLEC Test Environment
This section provides information regarding the CLEC (TC) Test Environment (CTE) and the procedures for new release and new entrant TC testing.
The CLEC Test Environment is a separate systems environment that contains the application-to-application interface and gateway applications for preordering and ordering. This environment is used for TC testing both new release testing and new entrant testing. TCs are responsible for establishing and maintaining connectivity into the CLEC test Environment. Provided a TC uses the same connectivity option as it uses in production, the TC should, in general, experience response times similar to production. However, this environment is not intended for volume testing. The CLEC Test Environment contains the appropriate applications for pre-ordering and Local Service Request (LSR) ordering up to and including the service order processor. The Verizon-East production applications required will be provided for the Verizon-East CLEC Test Environment, and the Verizon-West production applications required will be provided for the Verizon-West CLEC Test Environment.
The CLEC Test Environment allows for comprehensive testing of Pre-Ordering and LSR Ordering functionality. All pre-order functionality is available in the CLEC Test Environment excluding the installation status inquiry, XDSL loop qualification inquiry, and loop qualification inquiry extended transactions. Arrangements will be made with interested TCs to test these functions in production. Ordering functionality is tested from receipt of an LSR via EDI through the creation of a service order and the return to the TC of confirmations and completions (as negotiated with Verizon). Service orders associated with LSRs that flowthrough will be entered into the service order processor. Verizon will manually enter Service orders associated with LSRs that do not flowthrough into the service order processor. Once the service orders have been entered into the service order processor, confirmation notices will be generated automatically. Completion notices are generated through a process that simulates completion processing in production. Verizon will work with each TC to identify specific test scenarios in the TC s test plan to test completion processing. Data on completion notices will be sample data and may not be specific to each test account.
In the CLEC Test Environment, service orders will not impact the end state of accounts. Therefore, a CSR inquiry will not reflect any changes to the end state of accounts as a result of a service order. Also, an LSR cannot be issued to migrate a retail account to a TC and then a subsequent LSR issued to do post migration changes. Post migration changes may be done against accounts that were previously set up for each TC.
Any special procedures required due to geographical or system differences will be reviewed with the participating TC prior to the implementation of their testing phase.
The CLEC Test Environment will contain the data associated with a wide range of accounts. TCs participating in new release or new entrant testing will be solicited for the accounts they need to have in the environment. TC specific accounts will be generated for each TC along with a group of retail accounts to be used by all TCs. The environment will also contain the data necessary to support the Quality Baseline Validation Test Decks.
Not all addresses and telephone numbers from production will be loaded into the CLEC Test Environment. Addresses and telephone numbers from representative NPA s will be in the environment. These addresses and telephone numbers can be used for pre-order and order transactions.
Definitions
New entrant testing is the process TCs must go through prior to submitting live LSRs or pre-order transactions to Verizon in the production environment through an application-to-application interface. This testing is important to ascertain that the trading partner OSS interfaces and interactions work to the satisfaction of both the TC and Verizon - and that no adverse operational impacts are likely to occur to other operating TCs. This process does not apply to the Web GUI interface.
New entrant testing is intended for those TCs that are not currently in production or that want to test new ordering or pre-ordering transactions for which they have not been through testing.
There are three phases to new entrant testing. The first, connectivity testing, ensures that the TC connectivity option is functioning properly. The second phase is the actual transmission of test transactions and responses and is conducted in the CLEC Test Environment. The third phase involves allows the TC to begin friendly production testing.
The duration of new entrant testing will vary based on the complexity of services being tested and the type of connectivity requested by the TC. A TCs expertise with establishing connectivity and processing EDI/CORBA transactions will greatly impact the duration of new entrant testing. Verizon will work with the TC to complete new entrant testing as expeditiously as possible.
Development
of a Test Plan
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1. |
The
TCs will advise Verizon when they are ready to use application-to-application
interfaces to conduct business with Verizon. There will be a meeting
or conference call between the TC and Verizon to discuss connectivity.
A testing coordinator is assigned to the TC at this time. |
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2.
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TC obtains
and reviews the most current EDI and Business Rules documentation
from the Verizon Web site and will contact their test coordinator
when ready to test. |
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3. |
The TC and
Verizon test coordinator will jointly developed the TCs test plan.
For ordering, the scenarios will be determined by the business the
TC will be in (Resale, UNE, Platform), the markets they will serve
(residence/business), and the types of transactions (Migrate as
is, Migrate as Specified, New, Changes, etc). The scenarios should
include supplemental transactions. Pre-Order transactions are based
on which transactions the TC will be using in production (CSR retrieval,
TN selection, etc). Verizon will assist in the determination of
which scenarios are needed based on previous testing experience.
TCs will be required to test at least one scenario of each type
of transaction they will be using in production. For ordering, TCs
will be required to test each of the three types of supplementary
LSRs (change date due, cancel, other). Verizon will support up to
5 test cases of the same transaction.The scenarios will be grouped
into logical phases based on type of request (Resale, UNE, Platform),
complexity of request (single line, multiline), or other logical
grouping. The TC and Verizon will develop a schedule including intermediate
milestones for the test. This schedule will be reviewed and updated
on a regular, periodic basis. Verizon will provide a spreadsheet
for the TC to enter a description of each scenario and the PON number
used to transmit the scenario. See sample spreadsheet
at end of this section. |
Test
Account Establishment
Verizon will review each scenario and determine what test account can be used for that scenario. The scenarios contained in the Quality Baseline Validation Test Decks used in new release testing are also available for TCs use in new entrant testing. The TC may elect to submit scenarios contained in the test decks and/or develop new scenarios to use during new entrant testing. If new test accounts are required, Verizon will build these accounts, as required, within two weeks. If test deck accounts are selected to use during new entrant testing, Verizon will update them to reflect the TC's AECN or RSID. Verizon will provide the TC with the necessary account information including BTN, SBN, etc. Test deck documentation is posted to the Verizon Wholesale Web site.
New Entrant Testing Process
TCs may submit test transactions into the CLEC Test Environment from 8:00AM to 8:00 PM Eastern, Monday through Friday. Verizon will negotiate with any TC for any request for a different schedule through the Change Management Process. In addition, the one exception to this time will be during the four weeks of New Release testing, when availability will be 8:00AM to 5:00PM, Eastern. Any exception to the process can be worked between TC and the test coordinator. Verizon personnel will be available to support the TC during normal business hours. The CLEC Test Environment will be unavailable for new entrant testing on the Friday before a new release is implemented in the CLEC Test Environment or in production. The TC and Verizon will use the spreadsheet at the end of this section to communicate when PONs will be delivered to Verizon and the status of each PON. The spreadsheet will be sent through e-mail. The TC will notify Verizon via the spreadsheet of the intent to transmit EDI transactions and the associated PON numbers. Verizon will provide a status of the PON via the spreadsheet through e-mail by the next business day. The status will indicate if the PON completed successfully or contained errors. Verizon will also provide telephone support for the test throughout the day via the Testing Coordinator. If necessary, the Testing Coordinator will arrange for conference calls between the TC and Technical Support staff. The Testing Coordinator will be the TCs point of contract for all troubles and issues identified during the test including the "friendly production" phase.
Verizon will track issues arising during the test. Each issue will be documented and logged into an issue tracking document. The status of each open issue will be reviewed on a regular, basis as established at the test planning meeting.
Entrance/exit criteria are established for each phase of testing. The basic criteria for exiting the connectivity test phase is the ability of the TC and Verizon to successfully pass and receive information across the interface. The exit criteria for each phase of transaction testing will be the successful completion of the transaction in that phase including proper responses being returned to the TC by Verizon.
View entire OSS Interface Change Management Process Document
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