Original Software Qualify versus Hewlett Packard Quality Center. An Original Insight

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1 versus Hewlett Packard An Original Insight

2 Introduction Format of Comparison...This document is focussed on the test management area although at Original Software we believe the requirement is much broader and we promote it as Application Quality Management (AQM). The purpose of this document is to objectively compare from with (QC), from Hewlett Packard (HP). The intended audience is for companies needing to choose between the two products, and for those companies considering replacing QC with an alternative that offers superior capabilities and delivers a superior Return on Investment (ROI), combined with a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). There is also a subjective analysis which we cannot realistically include. Naturally we believe that is significantly superior on a subjective and an objective basis but the former judgement must be made by the prospective purchaser. HP have repackaged QC a number of times since their acquisition of Mercury Interactive so that the QC brand now encompasses HP s test automation product (aka QTP ), and HP s load testing product (aka Load Runner ), as well as the core test management capabilities (aka Test Director ). This document is focussed on the test management area although at we believe the requirement is much broader and we promote it as Application Quality Management (AQM). Please contact us if you would like to understand how the HP test automation product compares to s TestDrive. Pricing You should contact HP for their current pricing as their price list is complex and the price you pay may be considerably different. What we can say is that the list price for a single concurrent license of HP QC is considerably higher than a comparable license for Original Software. It should be noted that TestDrive also provides a price advantage over the list price for the QTP element of HP QC. s philosophy behind these prices is to encourage the widest possible roll-out of AQM as we believe that is key to the success of this key collaboration platform. Maintenance for products is based on 20% of the list price while HP provides maintenance at 22% of list price. two

3 Versions version SC1 vs HP QC version 11 The following versions were used as the basis of this comparison: version SC1 HP QC version 11 Notes 1. For a few UI features are not available within the current web version. 2. For HP QC only the Enterprise edition includes all the features described. Areas of Comparison The following areas of supported capabilities are included: 1. Technology how is each product is developed and what that means? 2. Platforms an overview of the hardware, operating systems, databases and browsers. 3. Data Structures a review of the types of data (entities), that can be stored within each product such as: Requirements, Tests and Defects. 4. Workflow and Notifications how does each product allows you to map your own processes and controls. 5. Data Content the extent to which each entity can be customised to meet your requirements. 6. Data Loading you will have existing AQM data, how easy is it to load into each product? 7. Data Visibility once the data has been loaded, how easy is it to transform the data into information? 8. Data Versioning the ability to track who updated the data is essential when handling sensitive information. 9. Consolidation Options for ease of organisation and security you will want to separate different projects, but senior staff will want full or partially consolidated views across multiple projects. 10. Resource (Personnel) Planning how do you customise the installation of each product? 11. Security and Permissions multiple levels of internal and potentially external resource will need to access the data and controlling that access is fundamental to success. 12. Integration and Attachments how does each product co-exist with your other corporate data and applications? 13. Features edit, view and report are the core capabilities, but what else can be achieved? three

4 Basis for Scores Every attempt has been made to make this comparison as objective as possible and this is reflected in the scoring system used in each section: 0 - No capability 1 - Capability only available through custom programming 2 - Limited capability 3 - Full capability 4 - Market defining capability TECHNOLOGY Score 3 2 The legacy ActiveX and VB Script architecture of QC inhibits its ability to deploy outside of Internet Explorer and also requires deep technical knowledge for customisation. The modern.net architecture of is combined with easy customisation and access to the full.net framework for extensions through Microsoft PowerShell. Development technology Microsoft.NET and ASP.NET Legacy Microsoft ActiveX, some.net Deployment options Desktop or browser Browser only Customisation Code free UI VB Script for some customisation Calculations Code free UI VB Script for calculations PLATFORMS Score 4 4 offers database support into the IBM world. Its support for any modern browser means it can embrace internal and external users where browser cannot be imposed and multiple desktops including Windows, Apple OS and Linux. Supported databases SQL Server, Oracle, IBM i DB2 SQL Server, Oracle Web servers Microsoft IIS Microsoft IIS, Linux (4 variants) Supported browsers All full HTML & Java Script browsers Microsoft IE Designed for tablets Yes No Desktop OS Windows XP and forward Windows XP and forward 64 bit support WOW64 WOW64 Microsoft Office integration Yes Yes four

5 DATA STRUCTURES Score 4 2 HP QC is limited to a fixed structure of Requirements, Tasks and Defects, which severely limits its ability to contribute to and support the wider quality infrastructure. In contrast can support as flexible and as extensive a structure as required, together with a complete integration with other data sources. This is amply demonstrated by the total integration offered for Microsoft TFS. Creatable applications Unlimited 1 Data entities per application Unlimited Requirements, Tasks and Defects Application instances Unlimited Multiple Projects Pre-shipped data models 4 (and counting) Not available Integrate with other data.net plug-in Not available Integrate with other apps.net plug-in ActiveX plug-in Column validation rules Code-free UI As programmed Pre-defined sub-entities Attachments, Audit Comments, Linked Data, Results, Test Steps Attachments, Audit Comments, Results, Test Steps WORK FLOW & NOTIFICATIONS Score 4 1 has been designed from its inception to support work flow and user notifications across all aspects of the application model. HP QC has some limited capability for Defects but primarily relies upon extensive custom programming to even approach the capabilities offered by as standard. Controllable entities Unlimited 4 Definition Code free UI VB Script Basis Any single-select column As programmed Controlled by Role Yes As programmed Electronic signatures Yes 3rd party plug-ins Workflow progression s Yes As programmed Notify on row changes Yes No Row update s by rule No Limited to 4 rules templates & substitutions Yes No Microsoft Outlook preview Yes No five

6 DATA CONTENT Score 4 2 The design of recognises that over time a company will want to embrace all aspects of their quality process in ways that cannot be initially predicted. It therefore offers complete customisation so that it can support the exact needs of any company. In contrast HP QC provides a legacy approach of a limited number of custom fields. Fixed columns None, all can be customised Fixed per entity Additional columns Unlimited 30 per entity Data types 19 6 Calculated columns Yes No Column verification Code-free UI VB Script Edit Form Layout control Yes No DATA IMPORT Score 3 2 Both products offer similar capabilities but offers a more powerful approach to support the more extensive application models it provides. Microsoft Word Yes Via plug-in Microsoft Excel Yes Via plug-in Tree structures Yes Yes Parent/child data Yes No HP QC Data Yes n/a Drag from Microsoft Outlook Yes No six

7 DATA VISIBILITY Score 4 2 A common grid approach provides the prime on-line access to the rows in each data entity but uses extended views to provide a richer view across your data in contrast to the multiple views required in QC. Choose columns Yes Yes Column sort Yes Yes Column Grouping Yes No Column summary functions Yes No Client side filtering Yes Yes Server side filtering Yes No Parent columns Yes No Child count and calculation Yes No Linked entity column data Yes No Shared views Yes Yes Private views Yes Yes Multi-grid view Desktop only No Preview panel Yes No Search all column types Yes No Single instance dashboards Yes Yes DATA VERSIONING Score 2 3 HP QC offers an optional versioning mode with full check in/out capability which does not currently provide. does version all information as standard. Full audit trail Yes Yes Rollback to prior versions No via Check In/Out Check in/out No Yes Concurrent update warning Yes No seven

8 CONSOLIDATION OPTIONS Score 4 0 s ability to hold multiple instances of an application allows simple consolidation knowing that the application definitions are identical. In contrast QC needs the definitions of multiple application instances to be manually kept in line. Multi-instance dashboards Yes No Multi-instance data views Yes No Multi-instance search Yes No Multi-instance reporting No No RESOURCE (PERSONNEL PLANNING) Score 4 1 provides a complete solution for management of personnel so that their current assignments can be rapidly understood and their reassignment simply accomplished. Single application instance Yes Yes Cross application instance Yes No Cross application Yes No In-line reassignment Yes No In-place edit duration/start Yes No Public & private holidays Yes No Milestone tracking Yes No SECURITY & PERMISSIONS Score 3 3 Both products offer a robust set of features to control access to data although they offer different approaches to data access at a more molecular level. provides row level security so that groups or individuals will not even be aware that certain data exists. In contrast HP QC does not offer this capability but does allow individual columns to be shielded from specified users or groups. eight

9 Field level security No Yes Row level security Yes No Role based security Yes Yes Role membership Yes Yes INTERGRATION & ATTACHMENTS Score 4 1 is capable of including practically any data source within its application models whereas QC is limited to the basic attachment of files. can therefore totally integrate with the rest of the corporate data. Attach files Desktop only No Upload files Yes Yes Attach links Yes Yes View external data in place Yes No Create links to external data Yes No External data based columns Yes No Link to external data editing Yes No Vendor test tool integration Yes Yes FEATURES Score 3 3 This is a difficult area to asses as individual features will be assessed differently by every company. We have therefore awarded matching scores. Burn down charts Yes Yes Risk based planning No Yes Reporting Yes Yes Data Export Yes Via SQL Script Personal work list Yes No nine

10 Overall Score Card A full capability score in each section would be awarded 4 marks. There are thirteen sections so the maximum mark is 56. On this basis the two products scored: 46 points 82 %...question how the historic market leader scores so poorly... HP 26 points 46 % A natural reaction to these scores will be to question how the historic market leader scores so poorly both in an absolute and a comparative sense. The answer is simply that what the market demands and what a modern solution can now deliver has moved on HP has not deteriorated as a product but the score card has been redefined. Discover more about Application Quality Management with, get in touch today at: ten

11 About With a world class record of innovation, offers a solution focused completely on the goal of effective quality management. By embracing the full spectrum of Application Quality Management across a wide range of applications and environments, the company partners with customers and helps make quality a business imperative. Solutions include a quality management platform, manual testing, full test automation and test data management, all delivered with the control of business risk, cost, time and resources in mind. More than 400 organisations operating in over 30 countries use solutions. Current users range from major multi-nationals to small software development shops, encompassing a wide range of industries, sectors and sizes. We are proud of our partnerships with the likes of Coca-Cola, HSBC, Unilever, FedEx, Pfizer, DHL and many others. European Headquarters Basingstoke, UK solutions.uk@origsoft.com North American Headquarters Chicago, USA solutions.na@origsoft.com This document is for information purposes only and the contents are subject to change without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the express written permission of. All trademarks are properties of their respective owners.