How to Enable Debugging for Datamaker

Products

• CA Test Data Manager (Data Finder / Grid Tools)

Issue/Introduction

This document will outline how to enable debugging for Datamaker through the user interface.

If you are experiencing any issues while using Datamaker and either want to get more information on why you are experiencing the issue, or need to send log files to Support, enabling debugging is a good first step.
The result of enabling debugging are logs and other files that may contain a clearer error message or relay more details of when the error occurred in the scenario you are testing.
This can be very helpful when troubleshooting a potential bug or finding out where things went wrong.
This form of debugging can be turned on from within Datamaker’s user interface so that you will not need to change any configuration files. 

Environment

CA Test Data Manager
TDM
Datamaker

Resolution

1. Launch Datamaker by double clicking the icon on your desktop, or by going to your GTDatamaker directory and double clicking on the gtdatamaker.exe.

• The default file path for the GTDatamaker directory is C:\Program Files (x86)\Grid-Tools\GTDatamaker. 
• It is also recommended that you right click on the icon or executable and ‘Run as administrator’ when starting the program.
  
  

2. On the login page, enter your User Name and Password. Then click the green checkmark in the bottom, right-hand corner of the window or hit ‘Enter’ on your keyboard.
3. Connect to the Source and Target profile connections that you would like to use for your test by checking the boxes next to the profile name. Click on the green icon at the bottom, left-hand side of the window to enter Datamaker.

• If you get an ‘Unable to connect to service layer’ error message, you will need to check that in your Windows Services, the ‘CA Remote Publish’ and the 'CA TDoD Service’ services are listed as ‘Started’ and running.
• You can also choose to ignore this error message by clicking the ‘OK’ button. It is not necessary to have these services running to enter Datamaker or use all of the features it offers.
  
  

4. Once inside Datamaker, click on the ‘Settings’ tab at the top of the screen.
5. Choose ‘Options’ from the drop down list. 

• A keyboard shortcut for this window is Ctrl + F12.
  
  

6. In the Options window that appears:

• Take note of the file path next to the ‘Log File’ box.
• Check the box for ‘Log all messages’.
• Check the box for ‘Enable debug messages’.
• Select ‘All Connections’ above both connection tables.
• Click the green checkmark in the bottom, right-hand corner of the window to save your options.
  
  

 

7. Re-run the test or scenario you were doing previously when getting the error or unexpected behavior.
8. Once done, look in your GTDatamaker logs folder. 

• This location will be the same one given in the ‘Log File’ box in the ‘Options’ window where you enabled debugging. 
• The default location for this is at C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Grid-Tools\DM_Logs
• AppData is by default a hidden folder, so if you do not see it automatically, then you will need to change your Windows ‘Folder Options’ to ‘Show hidden files, folders, and drives’ from your settings.
  • Here is a link on how to Show Hidden Files
    
    

If you see log files in this location, then you have successfully enabled debugging.