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Reference Guide
This guide describes conceptual information about data design environment components when you want to use the data fabrication feature in HCL OneTest™ Server.
Schema design
A schema is a graphical data dictionary that contains metadata definitions of the structure of a document to generate test data. Schema provides visual cues for understanding the structure and complete definition of an object.
Type properties
The properties of a type define the characteristics of the data objects of that type.
Basic type properties
Release characters

Reference Guide
This guide describes conceptual information about data design environment components when you want to use the data fabrication feature in HCL OneTest™ Server.
- Files
  You add a file to a project to use it as input in the project. You can upload a file from your local file system to a project from the Files tab to generate test data. Alternatively, you can upload it when you define an action.
- Connections
  A connection defines the properties that are required to connect to an external resource. An action uses a connection to provide source data to a project or write data from a source to a target. Multiple actions can use the same connection. You can define both connections and actions at the project level.
- Schema design
  A schema is a graphical data dictionary that contains metadata definitions of the structure of a document to generate test data. Schema provides visual cues for understanding the structure and complete definition of an object.
  - Introduction to schema design
    Use the Schemas tab to define, modify, and view schemas. A schema describes the syntax, structure, and semantics of your data.
  - Type properties
    The properties of a type define the characteristics of the data objects of that type.
  - Item restrictions
    Item restrictions are an optional feature you can use to specify valid or invalid data objects for an item type. Item restrictions are grouped into three categories: Value, Character, and Range.
  - Components
  - Partitioning
  - Type inheritance
  - Schema analyzer
  - Distinguishable objects
  - Functions and expressions

Release characters

A release character is a one-byte character in your data indicating that the character(s) following it should be interpreted as data, not as a syntax object. The release character is not treated as data, but the data that follows it is treated as actual data.

Building release characters for output data

If a release character is defined for a type, a release character is inserted for each occurrence of a syntax object in the data of any item contained in that type.

Guidelines for using release characters

Guidelines for using release characters include the following:

Release characters apply to character data only, not binary data.
Characters defined as pad characters are not released.
The maximum size of an item does not include the release characters.

Release character example

The group type Record type has a literal delimiter of , and a release character of ?. The group type Record has three item components. Data for the record looks like the following:

Miller?, MD,Harkin Hospital,1996

The ? releases the comma after Miller.

In the first field, the actual data value is Miller, MD. Because the comma appears as part of the data, it is necessary to have the release character ?, which indicates that the , following it is data, not a delimiter. This data would be interpreted as the following:

Data for component #1: Miller, MD

Data for component #2: Harkin Hospital

Data for component #3: 1996

A release character can apply to a delimiter, a terminator, or even the release character itself.

If a release character appears in the data and it is not followed by a syntax item, the release character is ignored.