Parasoft SOAtest: Test execution in different environments via Test Configuration

In Parasoft SOAtest, if you have 20 .tst files where your environment reference points to QA environment, after developers push the code to UAT, do you still need to manually change them to UAT 20 times and then do the smoke tests?

Later, if you would like to do regression tests in QA environment again, do you still need to manually change them back 20 times?  

Here is one easy way to handle the scenario above using the Test Configuration in SOAtest.

• Right click the tst file
• Click Test Configuration
• Duplicate the Example Configuration and rename it
• Click Execution tab
• Enter the name of environment
• Close the window

If you want to run the tests in QA environment, just right click the tst files and choose Test Using->User-Defined->QA1. The tests will be run in QA1 perfectly.

Fix the issue of EDI 834: the first line contains all of the strings

If you use Notepad ++ to open the EDI 834 file, sometimes the first line contains all of the strings. It is hard to read. If we would like to make it more readable in the normal way, how do we do it?

After talking to our BizTalk developer who works on EDI 834, he mentions one important point: In EDI 834, at the end of each line, you can see ~, which can be used as the line break.

Please follow the following screenshot and use ~\n to replace ~  and you are all set.

Expensive Manpower HSA plans of 2016

I am a W2 consultant in Manpower (Experis) in WA.  Some colleagues and I complain about the Manpower HSA plans of 2016 because it is really expensive.

After looking into their insurance plans of United Health Care in 2016, I would say the Base HSA plan is really expensive compared to individual plans in WA such as Premera, Lifewise and even United Health Care.

If I compare 2 plans between United Health HSA 6500 (HSA6500) and United Health Care (Base HSA Plan) in Manpower, I get the following result:

For the family size, we need to pay annual premium $15230.28 for Manpower, but the out of pocket is still high. If I shop by myself, I just pay $9,498, but the out of pocket is similar. Paying $5,732 annually gets the similar result. That’s really bad. If I use Premera’s plans, I get the same result. 

If you are W2 consultants in Manpower and you are healthy, plan to have the major surgery or pregnant in 2016, don’t enroll in Manpower’s Plan because you need to pay $15230.28. You can just shop individual plan in Premera , Lifewise or even in the State Exchange . You will save a lot of money.

Everyone says employers sponsor 20-50% of insurance, but in Manpower, I don’t see it at all.

They are trying to let consultants in 50 States pay the same price (bi-weekly). Different State has the different rate of insurance. That’s the common sense.

Manpower, if you expect to hire consultants to work for you,  please make them happy and treat them nicely. 

Fixed the issue- Find someone feature in Microsoft Lync 2013 didn't work

Last week, I noticed that when using “Find someone” feature in Microsoft Lync 2013, searching was pending forever and the names were never showing up.  

The interesting part was that when opening MS Outlook 2010, the color of the presence indicator in my name was not green, but it was green in MS Lync 2013. I was still available.

After looking into this issue, just repair Microsoft Lync 2013 in program and features. After the reboot, find someone feature in Microsoft Lync 2013 is working.