Note: This information only applies to TestTrack 7.0 and later.

You can store data in a Relationship Database Management System (RDBMS) database, such as Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server, instead of the TestTrack native database format.

Consider the following issues when choosing between RDBMS and TestTrack native database formats:

• Administration – The TestTrack native database format does not require much advanced administration. RDBMS databases usually require some administration to optimize speed, set up backup processes, etc. If you are considering using an RDBMS database, we recommend you use an experienced database administrator. See the database vendor documentation for best practices.
  
  
• Set Up – When creating a TestTrack native database, the TestTrack Server automatically creates the entire database. When creating a RDBMS database, the TestTrack Server can create all of the database tables, but the physical database must already exist. Your administrator should create the physical database so they can change the configuration settings for your specific environment. When using an ODBC database, you must also create an ODBC data source name (DSN) so the TestTrack Server can find the database.
  
  
• Database Licenses – TestTrack native database functionality is bundled with your TestTrack user licenses and does not require additional licenses. RDBMS database licenses are not bundled with TestTrack. If you use a RDBMS database, you may need to purchase additional database licenses.
  
  
• Number of Projects – When using a TestTrack native database, a single TestTrack Server is limited to approximately 150 active projects. This limit is lowered to approximately 40 active projects if running the TestTrack Server on Mac OS X. When using Oracle or SQL Server, a single TestTrack Server is limited to approximately 300 active projects. You can configure multiple TestTrack Servers to run against the same Seapine License Server. You may want to consider an RDBMS database if you plan on running more than 150 simultaneous TestTrack projects on a single TestTrack Server. This limit may vary based on the number of records in a project and OS configuration.
  
  
• Reporting – TestTrack’s built-in reports are available regardless of your choice of database format. TestTrack also has external reporting plug-ins that can be used to create reports using a third-party reporting tool, such as Crystal Reports. Additional reporting utilities ship with some RDBMS databases. If your company has expertise with a specific set of reporting tools or has existing non-TestTrack data in a specific RDBMS database format, this may help you choose a TestTrack database format.

The following issues should not impact your decision when deciding between RDBMS database format and TestTrack native database format:

• Speed – In our testing, operations resulted in similar timings for RDBMS and TestTrack native database formats. We selected the TestTrack native database format in part for its quick speed.
  
  
• Back Ups – Back up TestTrack databases on a regular basis to protect against hard drive crashes, viruses, or other corruption. Both TestTrack native databases and RDBMS databases can be backed up, but the processes vary. For more information, see Backing Up TestTrack Databases. For information on backing up RDBMS databases, see to the database vendor documentation.
  
  
• Configurability – For both TestTrack native databases and RDBMS databases, you can configure field names, custom fields, workflow processes, notification rules, and more. We recommend using the TestTrack Client to make these changes instead of making them at the database level. Do not change database tables/column names, modify column size/attributes, or make any other structural database changes. These types of changes result in errors running TestTrack.
  
  
• Live Updates – TestTrack caches data to improve the performance of complex reports and filters. Do not perform live updates of TestTrack at the database level unless the TestTrack Server has been shut down. The TestTrack native database format prevents users from opening the database in read/write mode while the TestTrack Server is running. TestTrack does not implement similar locks when running against a RDBMS database. If you want to perform live updates to TestTrack data use SOAP, bulk field changes, or other methods available in the TestTrack Client. For more information, see Modifying TestTrack Databases.