How do I associate a software version with a test run?

Question

I'm very new to testing and using TestLodge to create and manage all our non-unit testing work. I've just realized that I don't understand how to create an association between a test run and a version of our software. I thought that I could use the "Name" of the test run to capture this detail, but that seems weak. TestLodge does support custom fields and I could create a "Software Version" field, but the fact I need to create a custom field makes me think I'm approaching this wrong.

Update: I misunderstood the custom fields as they apply to Test Runs; it will add a field to each Test Case in the run, but not a field to the Test Run "container" itself.

Is there a common approach or best practice to associate a test run with a software version? Do you use the name? Do you create a new Test Plan for each version?

Answer 1

After checking out TestLodge, I think it's fine if you keep a single Test Plan for your software and create a separate Test Run for each new version of your software, with the version included in the Test Run's name.

The "best practices" for associating a test run with a software version would be to ensure that it is easy to determine in the future exactly what test steps were performed against a particular software version and what their results were. How that is accomplished is totally dependent on your testing management software. For TestLodge, keeping the version in the Test Run name makes it easily findable on the Test Runs screen, and you can drill down to the steps/results in the future if necessary.

However, if TestLodge supported complete full imports/exports of Test Runs (complete as in capturing the entirety of data of a Test Run, including attached files, and the ability to restore one for browsing), it would be preferable if you stored exported Test Runs in a version control management system, tagged them as applicable to your software version, and removed them from TestLodge once they were completed. That would provide more durable historical data, less clutter within TestLodge, and a clean separation of name and version. But since that kind of import/export doesn't exist, work with what you've got.