Test systems have different data logging requirements influenced by system-level requirements of storage for traceability or analysis and by the testing and debugging processes used.

Each report format TestStand can generate contains different pieces of information. For example, the ASCII and HTML report formats contain only the step name, status, limits, limit comparison type, module time, and any additional results associated with the step. The TSR format contains all the information available in the ASCII and HTML formats and additional information, such as the parent step IDs of steps and the execution thread IDs.

Use the following categories to consider the set of data available in each report format:

  • Minimal—Contains minimal context information, such as the station ID, user name, execution start date and time, overall status, and minimal step-related information (such as the step name, module time, measurement value, and limits and module time).
  • Controlled—Contains all the information in a minimal report and information associated with a step, such as step ID.
  • Moderate—Contains all the information in a controlled report and other information, such as the step type, step group, total step execution time, and report options.
  • Complete—Contains all the information in a moderate report and other information, such as the parent step IDs and execution thread IDs. The ResultLogRecordTypes enumeration specifies the complete list of all data logged.

The following table summarizes how the built-in TestStand report formats correspond to these report type categories:

Report Type ASCII ATML 6.01, 5.0, or 2.02 ATML 6.01, 5.0, or 2.02 with Extensions HTML TSR XML
Minimal ✓ — — ✓ — —
Controlled — ✓ — — — —
Moderate — — ✓ — — ✓
Complete — — — — ✓ —

Recommended Report Options

The following table summarizes the recommended options you configure in the Report Options dialog box when you optimize for report content:

Report Option Value
Format ATML, XML, TSR*, ASCII, HTML (best to worst)
Asynchronous N/A
On-the-Fly Report N/A
Only Display Latest Results N/A
Note *The TSR format generates a compact raw results file and, if used, requires the TestStand Offline Results Processing Utility to generate the final report.

Tradeoffs

Consider the impact to the following requirements when you optimize for report content:

  • Maximize test system throughput
  • Minimize report file size
  • Interoperate with other processes and systems