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Test a route before you activate

Before a route transfers data in live operation, verify that every stage delivers what is expected. The route editor provides test and preview surfaces on several tabs for this, working with a real example record without actually processing a message.

No live run against the draft

There is no real run against the draft — processing always runs against the active Configuration Snapshot. "Testing before activating" therefore means: use the preview surfaces in the editor and check the draft. The final proof is the first real run after activation (see below).

The route Artikel-Export Webshop serves as the running example. Check it along the processing chain: first the data read, then its mapping, and finally the draft as a whole.

What you need​

  • A route whose Source data and Mapping tabs are already configured. Open the route in the editor.

Check source data​

Switch to the Source data tab and load a real record via Load by key — in the example, the item A00001. The data preview then shows the internal message that Xchange converts the record into.

Source data tab with loaded record A00001 and the data preview

  • Check that OriginalPayload contains the expected values.
  • If additional data is configured, click Fetch enrichments and check whether the retrieved values appear under Enrichments.

If something is wrong here, the mapping will be wrong too — that is why this step comes first.

Test the mapping​

Switch to the Mapping tab and open the test area via the Test panel icon in the toolbar.

  1. Load the test message from the source data (or paste a JSON example).
  2. Click Run test.
  3. Check the result as JSON: it shows the target document that the current mappings produce. Failed mappings are marked on the affected rows.

Mapping tab with the test panel open and the result as JSON

If the route has several steps, test each step individually. If you change a mapping afterward, the Outdated — run test again badge indicates that you should test again.

Test dispatch​

Only for dispatch routes: the Dispatch tab offers its own test area, where you evaluate a test message against the rules and see which rule matches and which target routes it dispatches to. The guide Set up dispatch → Test the rules describes the flow.

Check the draft​

The editor tests check one route on its own. Before you activate, check the draft as a whole via the Configuration Snapshots: validation reports configuration errors that the editor does not surface — e.g. missing required fields or a target route on a different connection. Only an error-free draft is worth activating.

After activation: the first real run​

Once the draft is error-free, activate it — the guide Activate configuration changes describes the full flow. The first real run is the actual proof: track it via Track runs and clarify an operation and check whether the operation completes as expected.

See also​