Description

While EDI provides a standard syntax and data format for data transfer, it presents significant challenges for QA organizations responsible for testing the software that manages the massive volumes of payments and transactions taking place thousands of times per minute. 

GenRocket addresses these test data challenges with the EDI Test Data Management Platform. With this platform, you can generate X12 EDI test data for standardized transaction sets/documents such as EDI 837, 834, 835, 278, and 850. 

The GenRocket EDI Test Data Management Platform can be used to customize the industry-standard transaction set (e.g., 837-I) to meet a healthcare organization's specific implementation of the EDI standard. Then when testers want to generate test data for different testing scenarios, GenRocket's Test Data Cases, Test Data Rules, and Test Data Queries modules can be used to speed the process of creating many different test data sets to match the data requirements of each test case. 

In This Article

• Overview Video
• How to Access the EDI Test Data Management Platform
• What is the EDI Management Dashboard? 
• What is an EDI Project?
• Required Files for Generating EDI Test Data
• Self Service Module for EDI
• How to Generate EDI Test Data?
• Additional Information

Overview Video

Please take a few minutes to watch the following video showing the benefits of the GenRocket EDI Test Data Management Platform:

How to Access the EDI Test Data Management Platform

Expand the Management Menu within the Menu Bar and then select EDI Management.

What is the EDI Management Dashboard? 

EDI Projects may be viewed and managed within the EDI Management Dashboard. Users may access several features through this dashboard as well.

What is an EDI Project?

An EDI Project represents an individual standardized EDI Document or Transaction Set. It contains a default Project Version, which automatically has the following primary components:

• Domain – Represents a Segment or Loop within the EDI Document or Transaction Set.
• Attribute – Represents an Element within a Segment or Loop.
• Generator – Each Attribute will have an assigned Generator, which generates the values needed for an Element.
• Scenarios – Each Domain will have a Scenario for generating its EDI test data.
• Scenario Chains – A Scenario Chain contains two or more linked Scenarios. Scenario Chains are used when building data for complex data models.
• Receiver – Defines output format for generated test data. Each Domain is automatically assigned the required Receiver to generate EDI test data segment files and merge them to create EDI Documents or Transaction Sets.
  
  

Below is an 837I EDI Project displayed within the EDI Management Dashboard:

Below is a sample 837I EDI Project displayed within the Project Dashboard:

Required Files for Generating EDI Test Data

Additionally, the EDI Project will contain the following items that need to be downloaded to the user’s local computer to generate EDI test data:

• Scenario Chain Set – A Scenario Chain Set contains two or more linked Scenario Chains. Scenario Chain Sets are used when building data for complex data models.
  
  
• EDI Config File – This configuration file contains information on how to merge the created data from different segment files. It also includes the EDI output file naming configuration.

Self Service Module for EDI

Testers can use the Self Service Module to generate test data for different testing scenarios. G-Cases, G-Queries, and G-Rules speed up the process of creating many different test data sets to match the data requirements of each test case.

The following components can be used for customizing an EDI Document or Transaction Set:

• G-Cases – An instruction set for generating EDI test data based on business scenarios.
• G-Queries – Include real data within the generated EDI test data.
• G-Rules – Generate EDI test data for testing specific business rules or logic.

Below is a screenshot of accelerated Test Data Cases (or G-Cases) for an 837I EDI Document.

How to Generate EDI Test Data?

• Step 1 - Create a Project in the EDI Store
• Step 2 - (Optional) Customize the EDI Document at the Project Version Level 
• Step 3 - (Optional) Customize the EDI Configuration File 
• Step 4 - (Recommended) Create Test Data Cases for Testing Requirements
• Step 5 - Create a config Subdirectory within the user’s Output Directory
• Step 6 - Download the EDI Config File and Scenario Chain Set
• Step 7 - Run the Scenario Chain Set to Generate EDI Test Data
• EDI Example Output

Step 1 - Create a Project in the EDI Store

An EDI Project must be created through the EDI Store to ensure the appropriate Domains, Attributes, and Values are generated for the selected standardized EDI document. Please note that it will take a few minutes to create the project.

Step 2 - (Optional) Customize the EDI Document at the Project Version Level 

Once the project has been created, users can view and modify the standard template configuration by returning the EDI Management Dashboard.

The EDI Management Dashboard provides an easy way to view and modify the EDI Segments and Loops (i.e., Element or Field) for a document or transaction set in a familiar EDI nested structure. Changes made to the standard template in this dashboard impact all users who will be using the template to generate EDI test data.

Note: To learn more about the EDI Management Dashboard, please see: EDI Management Dashboard Overview.

Step 3 - (Optional) Customize the EDI Configuration File 

This configuration file contains information on how to merge the created data from different segment files. It also includes the EDI output file naming configuration. 

Step 4 - (Recommended) Create Test Data Cases for Testing Requirements

Test Data Cases or G-Cases are recommended to perform each required test. Changes at the Test Data Case Level do not impact the standard template configuration and can vary per user. can build a group of test data cases and then apply specific test data rules against those cases when you want to. Test Data Cases and Test Data Rules were designed to be used together.

Note: To learn more about how to use Test Data Cases, please see: Test Data Cases.

Step 5 - Create a config Subdirectory within the User’s Output Directory

A config subdirectory must be created on the user's local machine. It should be created within the location specified as the user's output directory within the GenRocket web platform. 

Note: The resource.output.directory path should not be the same as the resource.home.directory path. When they are the same, it slows down test generation, and the process will not finish. It is best practice to use an additional stubdirectory for the resource.output.directory path. 

Step 6 - Download the EDI Config File and Scenario Chain Set

The EDI Config file contains the standardized EDI format configuration seen in the dashboard for the EDI Project. The user must download the EDI Config file and the Scenario Chain Set. 

• Click on the EDI Config and Scenarios buttons within the EDI Management Dashboard.
  
  
  Note: It may take a few minutes for the Scenarios to be available for downloading after viewing the EDI Project.
  
  
• The EDI Config file must be placed within the config subdirectory created in Step 5.
  
  
  

Step 7 - Run the Scenario Chain Set to Generate EDI Test Data

• Open a CMD or Terminal Window to run the Scenario Chain.
• Change the directory to the output directory.
• Enter the following command to run the Scenario Chain:

  genrocket -r <ScenarioChainName.grs>

  
  

EDI Example Output

The following shows the EDI output for an EDI 834 Document.