Test result trends in Jenkins - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - Test result trends

Run Tests

↓

Collect Test Results

↓

Store Results in Jenkins

↓

Analyze Trends Over Time

↓

Display Graphs & Reports

↓

Use Trends to Improve Code Quality

This flow shows how Jenkins runs tests, collects results, stores them, analyzes trends over time, and displays reports to help improve code quality.

Execution Sample

Jenkins

pipeline {
  stages {
    stage('Test') {
      steps {
        junit 'reports/*.xml'
      }
    }
  }
}

This Jenkins pipeline runs tests and collects test results from XML files to track test trends.

Process Table

Step	Action	Input/Condition	Result	Notes
1	Run Tests	Codebase ready	Tests executed	Tests run on current code
2	Collect Test Results	Test output files exist	Results parsed	JUnit plugin reads XML reports
3	Store Results	Results parsed	Results saved in Jenkins	Data stored for trend analysis
4	Analyze Trends	Multiple builds with results	Trend graphs generated	Shows pass/fail over time
5	Display Reports	Trend graphs ready	Reports visible in Jenkins UI	Users see test stability
6	Use Trends	Reports viewed	Decisions made to improve tests	Helps fix flaky or failing tests
7	End	No more builds	Monitoring continues	Process repeats with each build

💡 Process repeats after each build to update test result trends

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 2	After Step 3	After Step 4	After Step 5	Final
Tests Run	0	Executed	Executed	Executed	Executed	Executed	Executed
Results Parsed	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Results Stored	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Trend Graphs	None	None	None	Generated	Displayed	Displayed	Displayed
Reports Visible	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why do test results need to be stored in Jenkins after parsing?

Storing results (see step 3 in execution_table) allows Jenkins to keep historical data needed to analyze trends over multiple builds.

What triggers the generation of trend graphs?

Trend graphs are generated only after multiple builds have test results stored (step 4), so Jenkins can compare results over time.

How does viewing reports help improve code quality?

Viewing reports (step 6) helps identify flaky or failing tests, so developers can fix them and improve overall test stability.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, at which step are test results parsed from XML files?

A Step 4

B Step 3

C Step 2

D Step 5

💡 Hint

Check the 'Action' and 'Result' columns in execution_table row for step 2.

According to variable_tracker, when do trend graphs first appear?

A After Step 3

B After Step 4

C After Step 5

D After Step 6

💡 Hint

Look at the 'Trend Graphs' row and see when it changes from 'None' to 'Generated'.

If no test results are stored, what will happen to trend analysis?

A Trend analysis cannot proceed

B Trend graphs will still be generated

C Reports will be displayed without data

D Tests will rerun automatically

💡 Hint

Refer to step 3 and 4 in execution_table about storing results and generating trends.

Concept Snapshot

Jenkins Test Result Trends:
- Run tests and generate XML reports
- Use 'junit' step to collect results
- Jenkins stores results per build
- Trend graphs show pass/fail over time
- Use trends to find flaky tests and improve quality

Full Transcript

In Jenkins, test result trends start by running tests and generating XML reports. The 'junit' step collects these results and Jenkins stores them for each build. Over multiple builds, Jenkins analyzes the stored results to generate trend graphs showing test pass and fail rates over time. These reports help developers identify unstable tests and improve code quality. The process repeats with every build to keep trends updated.