Copyright: Copyright ® 1997 Softtware with Brains


Contents
Getting Started:  A Tutorial

Welcome to VMTracker.  This tutorial allows you to interactively step through the basics of using VMTracker.  Follow the lessons in order, and you will see how easy it s to use VMTracker to manage your defects and software releases.

First, begin with a brief overview of how VMTracker manages your defects:

Managing Defect Information

Next, let's create a hypothetical product with a hypothetical bug:

Lesson 1:  Creating a New Release

Lesson 2:  Adding a New Program

Lesson 3:  Adding a Defect to a Program

3.1:  Entering Defect Origin Information

3.2:  Entering Defect Environment Information

3.3:  Entering Defect Workaround Information

3.4:  Entering Defect Correction Information

3.5:  Entering Defect Verification Information

Lesson 4:  Printing Reports

4.1:  Customizing a Report


Managing Defect Information

VMTracker is more than just a "bug database."  VMTracker allows you to manage your software releases so that you always know which changes have been incorporated in each release of your product, as well as which programs and files contain those changes.

VMTracker tracks change requests to your product using a hierarchical structure, as follows:

Product   The highest level is the Product/Release level.  Here you create each release and the product it belongs to. VMTracker can track information about many products, and many release within each product.

Program   Within each release is a list of programs that make up the entire release.  This list of programs gives you a "packing list" that helps you verify that all necessary files have been included, and that each one is the correct version.  You can see the list of programs and files included in a release by viewing the "summary screen."

Defect   Within each program are the defects and change requests that are included in the version of the program being shipped in the selected release.  These entries can also include enhancements, documentation changes, or any other type of change requests.  The list of defects is viewed by "drilling down" on a program. That is, double-clicking a program entry, or clicking the View Defects button on the toolbar.  You can also highlight a program and press the Enter key to view its defects.

Now that you know how VMTracker stores the information about your product's defects and enhancements, let's create a new product and release, add some programs, and then add some defect entries.


Creating a New Release
Lesson 1:  Creating a New Release

To create a new release, click on the Select button or choose Products & Releases from the View menu.  When the Product and Release dialog appears, click on the New button.

Note: If you are using the trial version of VMTracker, you will not be able to create a new Product / Release because you are limited to three (3) products and releases.  You must first delete several of the releases displayed on this screen before creating a new one. To make room for new releases, delete all the releases under the product DynaWord.  To delete each release, highlight the release to be deleted, then click the Delete button.  Confirm each deletion.  When you have deleted all releases within Dynaword, continue with the tutorial.

1 	First, we need to enter a name for the new product.  Click on the Product field and type "DynaBrowse", our hypothetical new internet browser software.

2 	Next, move to the Release field and enter an identifier for this release.  In our case, type "Version 1.0", since this release will represent the first release of our new product.

3 	For Description, type the description for this release, which is "DynaBrowse Internet Browser -- Ver. 1.0"

4 	In the Status field, select Pending. This means this release has not shipped yet, and is not ready for release.  You will be able to change the choices that appear here later.

5 	You can leave the Comments blank for now.  In the future, use Comments for whatever you like.

6 	In the Responsible field, enter your name or initials.  There are two fields here in case more than one person is responsible for this release.

7 	In the Starting Date and Ending Date fields, enter today's date and the date for six months from now, respectively.

8 	On the bottom of the screen are some lists that you can customize accroding to the way your company tracks changes.  First, however, we need to insert the default choices.  To do this, click on Default All, and confirm the replacement.  A message will warn you that you have changed the list of Release Statuses, and therefore, you should check to make sure that the Release Status you selected is still a valid choice.  In our case, it is.

9 	Now let's change one of the lists to more closely match our hypothetical company's tracking paradigm.  For example, let's add another Severity to the Defect Severity list.  To do this, click on the Defect Severity tab, then click Edit List.  The cursor moves into the list box on the left.  Move to the end of the list (if you're not already there) and type "Unshippable."  This might represent a bug that is so severe, that the product cannot ship until it is corrected.  Keep in mind that each item (in any of these lists) must be 20 characters or less.

The new release for this product is now complete.  Click OK to save the information.  Next, click on the release you just entered and then click the Select button to work on that release.  Next, we'll add some programs and change requests to this release.


Adding a New Program
Lesson 2:  Adding a New Program

You are now viewing the main summary screen.  As you can see, the Product and Releas are displayed at the top to remind you which product and release you are currently viewing.

Below you can see an empty list that will contain the programs and files to be shipped on this release.  As we encounter new defects, we will also add the programs that are corrected to the list below.  The defects will then be listed under each of those programs.

Let's start by assuming we have a new defect that was just reported by a quality assurance technician, and we know we will be fixing it and shipping it for the first release of the product.  The bug occurs when the users adds the current web page to the list of favorites.  The first favorite to be added to the list is not saved properly unless it is saved twice.  Here's how we'd add this bug to the database:

1 	Click the New Entry button on the toolbar.  You will notice the Product and Release fields are already filled in.  The first thing we need to do is fill in the program that contains this bug.  Type the name of the program in the Program field.  In our case, the program is called "dynabrws.exe".   Then enter the date, time, and size of the program.  For now, simply type any date, time, and size.  You could also click on the Find button to select a program from a directory list, and VMTracker will automatically fill in the proper date, time, and size for the selected program.  Since there really is no program named DYNABRWS.EXE on your system, just type in the information for now.

2 	Below the program information, type in a short description of the program, such as "Main Browser Program."

3 	The Status defaults to Pending, which is correct as it is.  This means the progam contains bugs that have not been corrected, and therefore, is not ready for release.  When all defects have been corrected in this program, you can change this status to "Approved."

4 	Click OK to save this program's information.  The program will appear in the summary screen program list.


Adding a Defect to a Program
Lesson 3:  Adding a Defect to a Program

Now we are ready to add our hypothetical bug to our database.

1 	On the main summary screen, double-click on the program "dynabrws.exe"  This will display a list of the defects associated with this program.  Currently, there are none.

2 	Next, click on the New Entry button on the toolbar.  Because we are viewing the defect listing, this button creates a new defect rather than a new program entry.  When you click this button, the Defect Information dialog appears.  The Product, Release, Program, and Defect ID are already filled in.  The Defect ID is automatically assigned for new defects.

3 	Below the Information tab is displayed.  Click on the Status field and select "Confirmed".  This means the bug has been confirmed (reproduced) in-house.

4 	Next, click on the Nature field and select "Defect", since this entry is for a bug, rather than an enhancement or documentation change.

5 	Then click on the Severity field and select "Moderate" for this bug.  While this bug will be annoying, it does not cause any fatal program or system errors, and a workaround does exist that allows the program to function properly.

6 	Click on the Priority field and change the priority of this bug to "5."

7 	Leave the Error field blank, since no error number is associated with this defect.

8 	For Summary, type "Program does not save first entry added to Favorites list."  This summary is only a short, one line description of the item.  A longer description will be entered later.

9 	Next, we'll move to the Origin tab, and enter information about the origin of the problem.


Defect Origin Information
3.1:  Defect Origin Information

Click on the Origin tab on the Defect Information form.  We will now enter information about the origin of the bug.

1 	First, click in the Reported By field.  You will notice that the field is a pull-down list, but it is currently blank.  We can add to the list of people who reported the bug by clicking on the plus (+) sign next to the Reported By field.  This launches a dialog box that contains a list of customers.  Scroll down the list and select QA Department, since the QA team initially reported the problem.

2 	Next, click on the Release field, and enter the release the bug was originally reported in (not the one it is being corrected in).  Since it was originally reported prior to Version 1.0, you could enter "Pre-Release".  This field allows you to track how many bugs are reported in a particular release.  This information is useful for comparing quality across several releases of a product.

3 	The Report Date is automatically defaulted to the current date.

4 	In the Technician field, enter the name of the technician that wrote up this bug report.  In this case, you are entering the bug, but let's assume the QA Technicians enter the bugs into VMTracker as they find them.  Type "T. Brown" for the name of the Technician who entered this problem report.  Note that Technician fields only allows 12 characters, so it is best to use abbreviations or initials here.

5 	The EXE information is defaulted from the Information tab.

6 	Click on the Notes box.  It has defaulted to the text you entered in the Summary field.  You can continue to add any descriptive notes about this problem in this field.  This field will hold notes of any length.

This completes the entry of the Origin information.  Next, we will enter some information about the environment the problem occured in.


Defect Environment Information
3.2:  Defect Environment Information

Click on the Environment tab.  Here we can enter information about specific environmental factors that may contribute to the occurence of this problem.

1 	For Hardware Type, enter "Pentium 200; 4GB HD; 64MB RAM"

2 	For Operating System, enter "Windows NT 4.0"

3 	Check the Network Attached field, which means that the machine exhibiting the problem was attached to a network.

4 	At NetworkType, enter "Windows NT Server"

5 	Under Notes, type any relevant hardware or configuration information about this problem.  For example, you might note the fact that this problem does not occur on non-networked PCs, if that were the case.

Next, we'll enter information about the known workaround for this problem.


Defect Workaround Information
3.3:  Defect Workaround Information

Click on the Workaround tab to enter information about a workaround associated with this problem.  This allows you to enter notes that may be used to help other customers who experience this problem in the future.  If someone were to report this same problem in the future, a technician could search for and find this bug, then view the workaround information and tell the user how to avoid the problem, or at least continue working with the problem.

1 	In the Technician field, fill in the name or initials of the technician who discovered the workaround for this problem.  In our case, enter your own initials.

2 	Next, move to the Notes field, and enter a description of the steps required to circumvent this problem.  For example, you could type: "This problem only occurs the first time you try to add the current page to the Favorites list.  Adding the same page again (immediately following the first try) will cause it to be saved properly."

3 	Next, we'll enter some information about the corrective action taken to solve this problem.


Defect Correction Information
3.4:  Defect Correction Information

Click on the Correction tab.  This tab allows programmers to record information about the changes made to correct the problem, and alert tester to these changes so they can target their testing more precisely.  It also records the date, time, and size of the corrected program.

1 	In the Programmer field, enter the name or initials of the programmer who corrected the problem.

2 	In the EXE information box, enter the date, time, and size of the corrected version of the program.  This helps you verify that the correct version of the program is shipped in this release.  Remember, you could click on Find to locate the program, and VMTracker would fill in the date, time and size for you.

3 	Under Notes, the programmer would enter information about how the problem was corrected.  For example, type: "Logic Problem -- Changed routine ADD_FAVORITE() so it would not skip Update statement if list was initially empty."  You could, of course, be more descriptive, or even paste a snippet of code in this field; however, for our tutorial, this description will do.

Next, we'll make some notes about the program after it is tested.  For this, we change to the Verification tab.


Defect Verification Information
3.5:  Defect Verification Information

Click on the Verification tab.  Here you will enter information about the testing of the changes made to correct this problem.

1 	In the Tester field, enter the Tester's name or initials.

2 	Next, enter the date the program was tested in the Date Tested field.

3 	The date, time, and size in the EXE Information box always match the information on the Correction page, since the version changed is always the version that is tested.  You should not change this information -- it is shown here primarily as a reference.

4 	Under Notes, enter information about the results of the tests, as well as a description of the testing performed.  For example: "Performed regression testing of Favorites functionality, as well as clearing the list and adding a favorite page for the first time. The program functions correctly now if the list is initially empty or contains items."

This completes the necessary information for this bug.  Click OK to save the defect entry and return to the detail browse screen.  You will be prompted by a message that informs you that you have made changes to the correction or verification page, and you have the option to update the Defect Information tab, as well as the information on the Program (or summary) browser.  Click OK to make the changes.  When you return to the defect detail screen, click the View Programs button on the toolbar, or simply press Esc to return to the program summary browse screen.  As you can see, the date, time, and size now reflect the information entered on the Correction tab -- that is, the newest (fixed) version of this program.


Printing Reports
Lesson 4:  Printing Reports

Once you've entered you defect, it's time to print out a report about it.  Since we only have one bug entered, many of the reports won't be very useful. But we can still show you how to select a report and print it, preview it, or mail it to someone.

1 	From the main program summary screen, click once on the "dynabrws.exe" program entry, then right click.  Select "View Defects" from the popup menu.

2 	Now click once on (to highlight) the defect you just entered.  It should be the only defect on the screen.

3 	Now click on the Printer button on the toolbar.  This will launch the Report Selector window.

4 	Click on Defect Detail in the report list, then click the Preview button.  This will display the information about the selected bug in detail.  You can flip from one page to another using the page control slider at the top of the screen.  You can change the zoom factor using the Zoom pull-down list at the top of the screen.  You can print the report from the preview screen by clicking on the printer button.

5 	Close the preview window by clicking the Close button.

In the next part of this lesson, you'll learn how to customize some of the reports to restrict the information provided, or to limit the number of defects reported based on specific criteria that you select.


Customizing a Report
4.1:  Customizing a Report

To begin this portion of the lesson, first change the current release.  Press Ctrl-R to access the Select Product & Release screen.  Next, click on the plus sign next to the DynaCalc product, then double-click on Version 1.0 of DynaCalc to select it as the current release.  Now we're ready to create a customized report.

1 	Click once on the program "dynacalc.exe" to highlight it (if it is not already highlighted).

2 	Next, pull down the Print menu from the main menu, and click on Customize & Print Reports.  This will display the Report Selector screen.

3 	Click once on Release Summary Report, then right-click and select Customize from the popup menu.  The Report Customizer screen appears.

4 	Click on the Defect Severity tab.  Double-click on "Minor" in the Selected to Print list.  This severity is moved to the opposite list (Select From).  Entries with a Minor severity classification will now be omitted from the report.

5 	Click on the Options tab.  Uncheck the Status and Nature options, and check the Priority option.

6 	Change the Sort By option to "Priority".  This will cause the report to print the defects in Priority order.

7 	Click on Save As and enter "Release Summary by Priority" as the title of this report.  You have now created a copy of the stock report "Release Summary" that is customized to print items of Moderate or Critical severity in order of priority.  You will see your report at the end of the report list in the Report Selector window.

8 	Right-click on Release Summary by Priority, and select Preview from the popup menu to view your report.  The report breaks by Program, and shows summary information about each entry within each program in Priority order.

There are other also options that can be customized on "Detail" style reports, such as which information about the item you want printed.  For example, you may want to print Origin and Workaround information, but not Correction or Verification information.  Or, you may want to order the Summary report by Error number, to check for duplicate reports of the same problem.

Note:  Keep in mind it is always best to use Save As when creating a customized report for the first time, rather than Save.  Save simply overwrites the "stock" report with your customization changes, whereas Save As creates a new copy of the report with your changes.  Once you have created this copy, you can edit it to make additional modifications, and use Save to save your changes to the copy.


summary screen

The summary screen is the main screen used to browse the programs included in a selected release.  The summary screen shows the program name, description, date, time, and size.