A datapool consists of two files:
1. Datapool values are stored in a text file with a .csv extension.
2. Datapool column names are stored in a specification(.spc) file. The Robot or
TestManager software is always responsible for creating and maintaining this
file. You should never edit this file directly.
.csv and .spc files are stored in the Datapool directory of your Robot project.
Unless you import a datapool, the Robot or TestManager software automatically
creates and manages the .csv and .spc files based on instructions you provide through
the user interface.
If you import a datapool, you are responsible for creating the .csv file and populating
it with data. However, the Rational Test software is still responsible for creating and
managing the .spc file for the imported datapool.
Datapool Cursor
The datapool cursor, or row-pointer, can be shared among all users that access the
datapool, or it can be unique for each user.
Sharing a datapool cursor among all users allows for a coordinated test. Because each
row in the datapool is unique, each user can share the same cursor and still send
unique records to the database.
Also, a shared cursor can be persistent across suite runs. For example, suppose the
last datapool row accessed in a suite run is row 100:
1. If the cursor is persistent across suite runs, datapool row access resumes with
row 101 the first time the datapool is accessed in a new suite run.
2. If the cursor is not persistent, datapool row access resumes with row 1 the first
time the datapool is accessed in a new suite run.
