The four kinds of test data
Every value in a test step — an email, a URL, a password — has a test-data type. Click the highlighted data value in any step and the Test Data popup opens with four tabs:
Plain Text — a static value typed straight into the step. It won't change during execution. Good for throwaway demo data.
Parameter — a value that comes from a Test Data Profile (a data set). Use this for data-driven tests where the same flow runs once per row of data.
Environment — a value stored in an Environment (Staging, Production, a specific site). Use this for anything that changes per environment: base URLs, credentials, API endpoints.
Runtime — a value produced or captured while the test runs.
Where environment values live
Go to Environment & Data → Environments in the left sidebar. Each environment (for example "E-Com Site" or "SAP – Env – staging") holds a table of parameters — each with a name, type, and value, like URL or Password. Click Create to add an environment, then add the parameters your tests need.
Using an environment value in a step
In the test steps editor, click the highlighted data value in the step (for example the email in "Enter [email protected] in the Email field").
In the Test Data popup, open the Environment tab.
Search or scroll the list — each parameter shows which environment it belongs to (e.g. Password — E-Com Site).
Select the parameter and click Apply.
You can also open the step's full edit panel and change Test-data Type there. For new environments, the popup has a Create New + shortcut.
Running the same test against different environments
Define the same parameter names in each environment — for example, both your Staging and Production environments have a URL and a Password, each holding that environment's value. A step that points at the parameter then picks up the right value for whichever environment is in play. Each environment also has a Test Plans tab (open the environment → Test Plans) showing the plans associated with it.
Test-case variables
For values that belong to one test case, open the test case and use the right-side panel → Variables tab. Add a Parameter Name and Parameter Value, click + Add Variable, then Save.
Data-driven testing
Data sets are managed under Environment & Data → Data Profiles. Each profile holds one or more named data sets (with an "expected to fail" toggle per set). To make a test data-driven: open the test case's Configuration panel → Execution, set the Test Data Profile and Test Data Set, and enable the Data Driven flag under Key Flags.
"I don't see one of these options"
Access in ContextQA is controlled by an Admin toggle plus custom roles with specific permissions, so some pages (like Environments or Data Profiles) may be hidden depending on your role. See our article on roles, permissions, and login — or ask a workspace Admin.