Authoring Transaction Data

A transaction based on document rules is used to create an empty set of transaction data containing all data points reference in the document PTRs. Once created, you can edit the transaction by entering data into a particular data element. This feature is used in part to assist in transaction testing and, as a best practice, the data (values) entered into a data element should represent a realistic example of actual transaction data as opposed to nonsense data.

Once authored, you will want to verify all necessary data is entered to test the document or section of the document. This involves both verifying the data needed to create an instance of the document as well as the data for the logic being tested.

Consider the following guidelines when authoring transaction data.
  • TxnString: an alpha-numeric string
  • Enumerations/Boolean: select an option from drop-down list. If selecting True, a 1 is inserted as the value. For False, a 0 is inserted.
  • TxnMoney: only numeric values up to 2 decimal places (decimal places are not required).
  • TxnInteger: only a whole number.
  • TxnDate: enter in the format YYYYMMDD.
  • TxnRef: These are just identifiers used to tie different collections/containers together, valid values should include both a number and a letter. For example, each Reg E Policy has an ID and each Deposit Account has a Reg E Policy ID Ref so that the applicable Reg E Policy can be tied to the Account. Both of these data points are defined as TxnRef, and to tie a given policy to an account the same value would be entered for the Reg E Policy ID and the Account’s Reg E Policy ID Ref.

All paths contained in the document (REQ file) should appear in transaction editor. You can, however, add additional data points not already in the transaction. For example, if you have an existing transaction file (XML) and the REQ file changes to use additional data points you can manually add the new data points to the existing transaction XML.

To add data inputs within an existing container right click anywhere in the Element Attributes pane and select Add Attribute. A list will appear with all available data points at that location. Highlight the data point you want to add and click Add.
Note: You can select multiple data points at the same time by holding Control while you select multiple and then click Add.

To add an entire new collection/container right click on the element that the collection is a child of in the Transaction Element pane, then select Add Child Element and select the element you wish to add.