How to import tests in a spreadsheet to Jira with QAlity Plus?

[#1]

No doubt, Excel is often software developers’ go-to choice when it comes to managing and documenting test cases. It's affordable and easy to use, but here's the thing: it doesn't have all the essential features that dedicated test management software offers. Especially as teams grow in size and complexity, the limitations of Excel spreadsheets might become more and more apparent. Then, it's definitely worth considering importing your test cases into Jira.

What are some of the advantages? Moving your test cases to Jira allows for:

- More centralized test management: teams can consolidate all their project-related work, including test management, within the same tool. This results in better visibility and coordination. As test cases become easily accessible to every team member, it’s easier for everyone to be on the same page, exchange information, and address issues promptly.

- Enhanced traceability: importing test cases into Jira enables teams to establish connections between test cases and other project elements, such as user stories, requirements, and bugs. By establishing these connections, teams can easily trace the relationships between test cases and these project elements which helps to gain a holistic view of the project's progress.

 - Streamlined collaboration: once you’ve imported your test cases to Jira, you can utilize its features that promote enhanced collaboration, such as assigning test cases to specific team members, adding comments and attachments, and tracking test execution status.

- Efficient test reporting: since all the important data is stored in one central place, you don't have to spend time manually collecting and combining information from different sources.

- Standardized processes: you can establish consistent templates, fields, and workflows for managing tests. It makes things scalable, so you can handle larger projects without losing track. By having standardized practices, you ensure that everyone follows the same guidelines. This kind of setting helps you minimize mistakes. Also, it makes it easier for new team members to get up to speed quickly.

Importing test cases from a spreadsheet to Jira with QAlity Plus

If you're using Jira and want to import test cases from a spreadsheet, you first need to make sure that it was saved as a CSV file. If it wasn't, open the spreadsheet you want to convert, click File, and Save As. Then, select "CSV" from the "Save as type" drop-down menu and click Save.

Once your CSV file is ready, you can easily import your test cases with the help of QAlity Plus by following this 3-step process:

Step 1: Configuration 

To begin the test case import process, open the QAlity Plus menu in Jira and click Import.  

Then, you can specify the details of your CSV file and configure the import settings. Here's what you need to do:

• Select the project to which you want to import the test cases. Make sure the project contains the QAlity test issue type; otherwise, you will receive a warning prompting you to set it up before proceeding.
• Choose the CSV file you want to import. Ensure that the file is not larger than 10MB and has the ".csv" extension.
• By default, QAlity Plus uses UTF-8 encoding to read the file. However, if your file contains characters from different languages, you may need to change the encoding. QAlity Plus will fall back to UTF-8 encoding if an incorrect value is provided.
• Specify the delimiter that separates the values in your CSV file. The default delimiter is a comma (","), but you can choose a different one if needed.

Step 2: Mapping CSV Columns to Jira Fields

In the second step, you need to map the columns in your CSV file to the corresponding fields in Jira. Identify which column from your CSV file corresponds to the test case name, test steps, expected results, and any other required fields in Jira. The test case name is used to differentiate between different test cases and is also used as the name for newly created test cases. 

Here are a few things you should remember:

• Ensure that you use unique test names in your CSV file.
• Each column in the CSV file can be mapped only once to a specific field in Jira.
• Make sure to select all the required fields; otherwise, you won't be able to proceed further with the import.
• If you have any required fields that are not supported by the importer (e.g., due date or attachments), you will need to temporarily make those fields optional before importing.

QAlity Plus supports the following field types for the import:

• Number fields (e.g., 1, 2, 1000)
• Text fields (e.g., "Lorem ipsum")
• User fields (e.g., User_Id)

Please note that multi-select fields and date fields are not currently supported.

Step 3: Import and Import Summary

When you map all the fields, you can start the import process by clicking Start Import.

Remember to not close your browser while the import is in progress.

Once it's completed, you will see a summary of the process. Here's what you can do in the summary screen:

• View the number of test cases that were successfully created during the import.
• Identify any test cases that encountered errors, such as missing values for required fields.
• Review a list of the errors that occurred during the import.
• Access the list of created test cases by clicking on the "See the list" link.
• Download error logs by clicking the Download logs button.
• Import more test cases by clicking the Import more button, which will take you back to the first step. 

More information about QAlity Plus

QAlity Plus - Test Management for Jira is a tool designed to streamline the testing process within Jira. It offers a user-friendly interface that allows you to effectively plan, organize, and execute test cases and test cycles. The function to report defects and gain insights from previous executions helps to improve manual testing practices. With QAlity Plus, you can make sure that you maintain a clear overview of the system's quality.

[Beth]

I cant import because appers that account is necessary but there is no sush option in the template or on Jira issue fild in the mapping required