Test Tag

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A Test Tag provides governed metadata used to classify, organize, discover, select, filter, or correlate a Test or another applicable testing element.

A Test Tag does not define the behavior, structure, execution sequence, or expected outcome of a Test.

Instead, it provides descriptive or organizational information that may be used across testing activities and Information Model elements.

Test Tag is distinct from:

• a Test identifier, which uniquely identifies a Test
• a Test name, which provides a human-meaningful name
• Test Set, which groups testing elements structurally
• Test Plan, which organizes and governs a testing effort

The Test Information Interchange Format (TestIF) provides foundational concepts for describing and exchanging testing information. Test Tag is not treated here as a direct TestIF model element. DIDO-TE retains Test Tag from the DIDO Reference Data Model and defines its semantics so that it can be used consistently with TestIF-aligned testing concepts.

A governed label associated with a Test or other applicable testing element to support classification, organization, discovery, selection, filtering, correlation, or Traceability.

• [DTE4] DIDO Reference Data Model
• Object Management Group, Test Information Interchange Format (TestIF) 1.0, for related foundational testing concepts
• DIDO-TE architectural normalization

A Test Tag may characterize a Test or related testing element according to information such as:

• testing purpose
• testing category
• applicable capability
• technology
• protocol
• profile
• domain
• environment
• release
• lifecycle stage
• governance classification
• organizational grouping
• other controlled classification criteria

A Test or related testing element may have zero or more Test Tags.

A Test Tag SHOULD have governed semantics where consistent interpretation is required.

The value of a Test Tag may be selected from a controlled vocabulary, registry, catalog, profile, or other governed source.

A Test Tag SHALL NOT be interpreted as establishing structural membership unless the applicable Information Model explicitly defines that relationship.

For example, applying:

security
conformance
air-gapped

as Test Tags to a Test does not by itself place that Test into a Test Set or Test Plan.

A Test Tag is not an identifier.

For example:

Test ID   = TEST-00427
Test Name = Node Restart Conformance Test
Test Tags = conformance, node, lifecycle

The Test ID distinguishes the Test from other Tests.

The Test Name provides its human-readable name.

The Test Tags provide additional classifications that may be used for discovery, filtering, selection, or governance.

Test Set and Test Tag provide different forms of organization.

A Test Set establishes an explicit structural grouping of testing elements.

A Test Tag provides metadata that may be shared by testing elements regardless of their structural location.

For example, Tests belonging to different Test Sets may all have:

security

as a Test Tag.

The shared Test Tag allows those Tests to be discovered or selected together without changing their Test Set membership.

A Test Plan may use Test Tags as selection or classification criteria.

For example, a Test Plan may identify that all Tests tagged:

conformance

and:

release-candidate

are candidates for inclusion in a governed testing effort.

The use of Test Tags for selection does not replace the explicit Test Plan relationships required to define the governed testing effort.

A Test evaluating Node behavior under disconnected operation may be represented conceptually as:

Test
    ID   = TEST-00142
    Name = Disconnected Node Operation

    Tags
        distributed
        disconnected
        node
        resilience

The Test Tags support classification and discovery without changing the Test's identity or execution semantics.

Another Test may use some of the same tags:

Test
    ID   = TEST-00189
    Name = Disconnected Network Recovery

    Tags
        distributed
        disconnected
        recovery

A repository or Test Plan could use the shared distributed and disconnected tags to locate both Tests.