Tests for Siebel applications differ slightly in appearance from
standard HTTP tests and there are a few additional features.
The primary differences between a Siebel test and a standard HTTP test
are in how dynamic data is stored and substituted during test execution:
- In a standard HTTP test, a data source (datapool variable, custom code,
or a reference) is linked to a test value that is substituted at runtime.
Siebel tests support standard HTTP data sources and substitution.
In a Siebel test, there is an additional type of data source called
a built-in data source containing variables from which
you can substitute a test value. The following figure shows the wizard that
you use to substitute from a Siebel variable:

See Correlating
a request value with a built-in variable for detailed instructions.
As
the names imply, variables support the substitution of dates (in defined formats),
timestamps, and counters throughout tests. SWE Unique Value can
be used in some cases as an alternative to a datapool: for example, to supply
variable account names.
Siebel variables are stored in a proprietary data structure called a star
array. A star array stores both strings and their length in hexadecimal
(length_string) or integer (length*string). Siebel substituters know how
to substitute data and recompute the length. You can choose to substitute
from a value in a star array (highlight a length_string or length*string format
value, right-click and click Substitute From). If you
do, a dialog prompts whether you want a Siebel or a standard HTTP substitution:

With rare exceptions, you should choose Siebel data correlation.
Siebel tests are organized inside the test editor much like standard HTTP
tests, but there are some page differences:
- As illustrated in the following figure, the first page of a Siebel test
is named Message Bar, which emulates the ticker-tape
message that Siebel application pages display.

- Page names are fabricated by the test generator to assist you in locating
pages of interest. For example, one of the commonest changes that you make
to a test prior to running it is to substitute the username and password that
you entered during recording with values in a datapool. As illustrated, the
page in which you logged into the Siebel server is named Login
- Send UserName/Password, to help you locate this page quickly.
When you click the page, the Test Data table shows
the username and password variables. To datapool these values, you need only
click the appropriate row and click Datapool Variable.
Datapools, explained in Providing tests with
variable data, work the same in Siebel tests as in standard HTTP tests,
but the datapool candidates in Siebel tests are more precisely designated.
In many cases, datapool substitutions are the only changes that you need to
make to a Siebel test.