Tosca Test Data Service: Use Cases and Setup
In modern software testing, having accurate and reusable test data is just as important as having test cases. Manual data preparation is time-consuming, error-prone, and difficult to maintain. Enter Tosca Test Data Service (TDS)—a powerful feature in Tricentis Tosca that allows testers to manage and reuse test data in a centralized, structured, and automated way.
This blog explores the use cases, benefits, and step-by-step setup of Tosca TDS, helping teams improve efficiency, reduce duplication, and enable true test data-driven automation.
💡 What is Tosca Test Data Service (TDS)?
Tosca Test Data Service is a centralized data storage system integrated into Tosca. It stores test data that can be dynamically accessed, reused, and updated by Tosca test cases during execution. TDS is especially useful in data-driven, API, and end-to-end test scenarios.
With TDS, test data is stored on a server (typically accessed via REST APIs), rather than hardcoded into test cases. This promotes flexibility, maintainability, and reusability.
✅ Use Cases for Tosca TDS
1. Dynamic Test Data Retrieval
Instead of hardcoding usernames or IDs, testers can fetch the data directly from TDS during execution. This makes tests adaptable to environment changes and reusable across projects.
2. Data-Driven Testing
TDS enables the reuse of test steps with different input values. You can loop through records from TDS to validate multiple scenarios without duplicating test cases.
3. API Testing
When chaining multiple APIs (e.g., Create User → Get User → Update User), you can store dynamic values (e.g., user ID) in TDS between test steps.
4. Team Collaboration
Centralizing data in TDS ensures all team members access consistent and updated data sets, promoting better collaboration in shared test environments.
5. Test Data Version Control
TDS supports structured organization and controlled access to test data, helping in managing versioned or environment-specific data.
🛠️ How to Set Up Tosca Test Data Service
1. Install & Configure TDS
TDS usually comes with Tosca Server. You can install it using the Tosca Server installer, which includes services like TDS, DEX, and OSV.
Ensure you have access to Tosca Server
Use Tricentis Admin Console to enable the Test Data Service
TDS runs typically on http://<your-server>:8732/ToscaTDSService
2. Access TDS in Tosca Commander
Open Tosca Commander
Go to Project → Test Data Service → Manage Test Data
You’ll see a UI to create or import datasets
3. Create TDS Definitions and Records
Definition: Like a table schema (e.g., CustomerData, LoginData)
Records: Actual data entries under a definition
Each record is key-value based, and you can reference these in your test steps.
4. Use TDS Values in Tests
To use data from TDS:
Add a TestStepValue and bind it with TDS[<DefinitionName>:<Key>]
During execution, Tosca fetches the corresponding value dynamically
5. Integrate with Modules
You can use standard Tosca modules or custom ones to create/update/fetch records from TDS via REST API, giving you flexibility in complex test flows.
🎯 Final Thoughts
Tosca Test Data Service is a game-changer for managing test data efficiently. It brings reusability, scalability, and dynamic behavior to automated testing. By separating test logic from test data, you not only streamline your testing efforts but also enhance collaboration, reduce redundancy, and accelerate your DevOps pipelines.
Whether you’re testing UI, APIs, or workflows—TDS gives your automation the agility and reliability it needs.
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