Resolute Support

This release includes a minor alteration of v2.0.0 installer. Its purpose is to reduce the deltaTest security footprint.

Previously, the installer demanded a global change to the local machine's ExecutionPolicy permitting the user to run unrestricted scripts. This was a big hammer, but seemed necessary to prevent script errors when running test scripts from the File Explorer shell.

What we discovered was that File Explorer performs a silent ExecutionPolicy elevation every time you select the "Run with PowerShell" option. If we eliminate that ONE time, then there is no need to elevate ExecutionPolicy globally.

v2.0.1 makes a single registry change: it eliminates automatic ExecutionPolicy elevation on "Run with PowerShell" invocation. This happens when the installer runs, which requires local admin privileges anyway. The net effect is to render the user's environment MORE secure, not less, so most enterprise admins should be comfortable with the change.

For those who wish to dig into the code and validate this for themselves, the relevant line is here.

Installation & Upgrade

The source for this release is at tag v2.0.1. For new installations, simply follow these instructions to get started.

To upgrade from any lower version, follow these steps:

• Open a Git BASH prompt from your shared deltaTest repo clone.
• Run command git checkout v2.0.1
• Refactor your existing tests to match the tests in the STARTER TEST REPO.

Active Endeavor

This is a major refactor of deltaTest v1.0.1. Key changes:

• deltaTest no longer interacts with the Windows Registry, except through System Environment Variables. Local config settings are persisted to a file.
• Every script is fully documented, including the test templates.
• The repository is reorganized to surface all important controls.
• All user interfaces refactored for better usability.
• All code synced with online documentation.

We went through our code with a fine-toothed comb and rationalized it to upgrade gracefully into the future. The changes we made went deep, such that your existing test scripts will not run until you upgrade them for deltaTest v2.0.0!

Upgrading your tests is easy: just delete top part that loads the deltaTest module and replace it with this header, As long as your tests remain reasonably straightforward, this highly structured header should enable us to automate updates to your test repos as well as your deltaTest installation, should it become necessary for future version upgrades.

####################################################################
#
# DELTATEST v2.0.0
#
# Test Script
#
# Place this header at the top of every test to support automated
# upgrades to your test archive.
#
# Initialize deltaTest.
  Invoke-Expression "$env:deltaTestLocal\init.ps1"
# 
####################################################################

Installation & Upgrade

The source for this release is at tag v2.0.0. For new installations, simply follow these instructions to get started.

To upgrade from any lower version, follow these steps:

• Open a Git BASH prompt from your shared deltaTest repo clone.
• Run command git checkout v2.0.0
• Refactor your existing tests to match the tests in the STARTER TEST REPO.

Release Contents

• Changed sample test directory name.
• Moved documentation online.
• Reorganized repository files.
• Refactored installer.
• Eliminated most references to Global variable scope.
• Completed module manifest.
• Replaced all config scripts with PSD1 data files.
• Added an initialization script to local config.
• Replaced Registry entries with a local directory & config file.
• Refactored system environment variables to %deltaTestLocal% and %deltaTestShared%.
• Replaced in-module SqlServer module load with manifest dependency.
• Added standard documentation headers to all internal scripts.
• Added standard header to sample tests to support automated version update.
• Abstracted local config changes from +INSTALL to +LOCAL script.
• Rationalized UI colors & added to shared config.
• Improved output formatting for readability.
• Added +UNINSTALL script.
• LOTS of other stuff, mostly under the hood. This was a line-by-line refactor.

Noble Eagle

This is primarily a stabilization release. We fixed a few bugs and rationalized a few processes, so the release is definitely worth having, but moving to this release should be very simple.

Note that this is the last deltaTest release to exploit the Windows Registry for local installs! Developers often don't have local admin permissions in enterprise environments, so while the registry was convenient it imposed an undesirable support load on those users.

Beginning with the next release (v2.0.0), deltaTest will store local settings in a local config file instead. We will still use one PATH variable, whose purpose will be to store the location of that config file, so the local install will still require local admin privileges... but changing local settings (like the target test environment) will not. Upgrading will require a minor alteration to the first line of every existing test, hence the new major version number.

Installation & Upgrade

The source for this release is at tag v1.0.1. For new installations, simply follow these instructions.

To upgrade from any lower version--at this point meaning 1.0.0--follow these steps:

• Open a Git BASH prompt from your shared deltaTest repo clone.
• Run command git checkout v1.0.1

Release Contents

• Added unblock script & HelloWorld test.
• Updated Show-Execution to make Result param optional.
• Fixed defect where installer could not see registry NoInput value.
• Fixed defect where installer writes to WinReg HKLM instead of HKCU.
• Updated scripts to read Registry items from HKLM instead of HKCU.
• Updated script links to use %deltaTest% location.
• Fixed bug where -ConfigurableParams arg was not working in Invoke-MedmComponent.
• Switched Registry key from EnterpriseTestFoundation to EnterpriseDataFoundation.
• Updated documentation.
• Updated HelloWorld test.
• Fixed bug where blank CSV cells were imported as empty strings instead of NULL values.
• Eliminated extra cols in Results.txt.
• Eliminated debugging code.
• Fixed defect where some cmdlets used the server name instead of the DB name.
• Added cmdlet Invoke-deltaTest & rationalized config template.

Hello, World!

The inaugural version of deltaTest, newly forked from hqTestLite and ready for production!

Installation is as easy as cloning this repo. Follow these instructions to learn more!