What Is Test Mode?

What Is Test Mode?

Test mode allows you to run test calculations without affecting production.
Optionally, you can also create test transactions to test edge scenarios without affecting production.

Main Use Cases
You can use this functionality:
  1. To run test calculations with confidence that they will be hidden from payees, and cannot affect production calculations
  2. To test edge scenarios by creating test transactions with confidence they can only be processed by test calculations



For example, suppose you have an existing production calculation for July. 

You want to re-calculate July, however you do not want to affect production. You enter test mode and run a July test calculation. Your test calculation will be aware of the production one, and so be marked as a duplicate (and if applicable apply deductions). However, your test calculation remains invisible to payees. You also know that your test calculation cannot affect subsequent production calculations.

You may also want to simulate an edge case where revenue is negative. You create a July test transaction with negative revenue. You enter test mode and run a July test calculation. Your test calculation will process the test transaction. However, your test transaction will never be processed by production calculations. It will be also be hidden from revenue analytics, for example.

Enabling Test Mode
Enabling test mode allows you to a/ view existing test calculations, and b/ run new test calculations.
To enable test mode:
  1. Login to your workspace
  2. Browse to "Calculations > All Calculations"
  3. Toggle test mode in the top left corner


Disabling Test Mode
Enabling test mode allows you to hide test calculations and focus on production.
To disable test mode:
  1. Login to your workspace
  2. Browse to "Calculations > All Calculations"
  3. Un-toggle test mode in the top left corner

Test Mode Indicator
When test mode is enabled, an indicator is displayed at the top.
Clicking on this indicator brings you to the "All Calculations" page (where you can toggle this setting back to production).



    Creating Test Transactions
    You can create test transactions which will only be processed by test calculations.
    This allows you to transactions to test edge scenarios without affecting production.
    To create a test transaction:
    1. Login to your workspace
    2. Browse to "Transactions > All Transactions"
    3. Find a transaction to clone
    4. Duplicate the transaction
    5. Update field values
    6. On the metadata tab, toggle test mode
    7. Save
    Your test transaction will only be processed when running a test calculation in test mode.
    Your test transaction will not affect revenue analytics.

    Searching For Test Transactions
    You may want to search for test transactions. 
    1. Login to your workspace
    2. Browse to "Transactions > All Transactions"
    3. Click on "advanced search"
    4. Search for "Tag (System)" = "Test"


    Test Mode is an Individual Mode
    Test mode is an individual setting only available to admins.
    When you enable or disable it, it only impacts you.
    1. Regular payees (participants) do NOT have access to test mode
      1. They cannot switch to test mode
      2. They will never see any test-related statements / commissions / etc.
    2. Other administrators are not affected
      1. However, they also have the option to switch to test mode (individual setting)
      2. They will then see relevant test calculations

    Understanding Test Mode
    Test mode allows administrators to run both production and test calculations in the same workspace.
    1. When test mode is enabled, both production and test calculations are displayed
      1. Think of test mode as an augmented mode which shows production + test calculations
    2. When test mode is enabled, any new calculation you start is a test calculation
      1. Test calculations are tagged as shown below

      2. However, if you re-run a production calculation, it remains a production calculation
    3. When you run a test calculation, it IS "aware" of production calculations 
      1. Your test calculation will show as a duplicate, if a duplicate production calculation exists
      2. Your test calculation may deduct commissions from a production calculation
    4. When you run a production calculation, it is NOT "aware" of test calculations
      1. Your production calculation will NOT show as a duplicate, if a duplicate test calculation exists
      2. Your production calculation will NOT deduct commissions from a production calculation
    5. When you run a test calculation, it IS "aware" of test transactions 
      1. Your test calculation may process relevant test transactions
    6. When you run a test calculation, it is NOT "aware" of test transactions 
      1. Your production calculation will NOT process any test transaction
    7. When test mode is enabled, test calculations are reflected in the interface
      1. Test calculations impact reports, dashboards, revenue analytics, etc.
      2. Remember - this is a personal setting not available to regular payees
    8. When test mode is disabled, test calculations are hidden from the interface
      1. Test calculations do not impact reports, dashboards, revenue analytics, etc.
      2. Regular payees are always in this mode 

    Q & A
    Why would I care about test mode?
    Test mode allows you to run experiments without affecting production.
    You can be confident that your payees will never see statements / payouts from test calculations.
    You don't have to delete test calculations immediately after you are done to keep your workspace tidy.
    You can keep your test calculations because you know they will never affect production.

    Is test mode dangerous?
    When you enable test mode, payees and other admins are NOT switched to test mode because this is an admin-only individual setting.
    Test calculations are never be visible to regular payees.
    Test calculations are only visible to other admins with test mode enabled.
    When exporting payouts / running reports / viewing dashboards with test mode enabled, keep in mind that amounts from test calculations are included.
    In the example below, the payroll export indicates that some amounts should NOT be paid, because they originate from test calculations.

     

    Do I need to create test transactions to use test mode?
    If you only want to run tests against production transactions, you do not need to create test transactions.
    However, if you want to test some edge scenarios, then you have the option to create test transactions.
    They will only be processed in test mode. 
     
    Additional Notes
    1. The setting to automatically run calculations ignores test calculations
      1. This setting is only responsible for running production calculations
    2. APIs such as the OData API ignore test calculations
      1. API callers do not need to indicate whether test data should be included or not

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