1. How does SQAI Suite Leverage This Integration?
Connecting to Azure Boards allows SQAI to integrate directly into your development and QA workflow, transforming requirements into actionable testing assets:
Contextual Analysis: SQAI reads your user stories, tasks, and requirements directly from your Boards to gain the necessary business context.
Test Case Generation: Allows SQAI to generate test cases directly from a user story/task and link them back for full traceability.
Automation Context: Uses the requirement details to ensure any generated automation code addresses the intended feature logic.
Efficient Reporting: Provides a clear link between generated test cases/scripts and the original work item in Azure Boards.
2. Information Required from Your Azure DevOps Account
To establish a secure, plug-and-play connection, we need three specific pieces of information, all of which can be quickly extracted from a boards URL, plus a secure Personal Access Token (PAT).
The required information is extracted from a URL structure like this:
⚠️ Example:
https://dev.azure.com/{YOUR_ORGANIZATION}/{YOUR_PROJECT}/_testPlans/execute?planId=4&suiteId=5 (Note: While this example shows Test Plans, the Organization and Project are found in the same format for Boards.)
Required Detail | How to Find It in the URL | Example Value |
Organization Name | The first segment after |
|
Project Name | The second segment after |
|
Personal Access Token (PAT) | Must be generated securely (See Section 3) |
|
❌ Note on Project Names: If your Project Name contains spaces, it will be URL encoded as %20 (e.g., My%20Project). In the customer configuration in our database, these need to be replaced with actual spaces (My Project).
3. Setting up the Integration
The most crucial step is generating a Personal Access Token (PAT) with the correct scope to ensure secure access.
🔑 Permission Requirements
The user generating the PAT must have the necessary licensing and permissions to interact with Work Items:
The user must have the Basic Access Level.
For optional Test Plan integration: The user must have the Basic Access Level PLUS the Test Plans extension license.
More Information: Refer to the official Microsoft documentation on licensing: Permissions, licensing, and access for manual testing - Azure Test Plans | Microsoft Learn
PAT Scope Settings
When creating the PAT in Azure DevOps, ensure you set the following scope to grant SQAI the necessary permissions:
Category | Required Scope Setting |
Work Items | Read & Write (Allows SQAI to read user stories for context and potentially create/link work items.) |
Optional: Next Step if Test Plans is Activated
If you also intend to push test cases into Azure Test Plans, you must include the following scope in addition to the Work Items scope above:
Category | Required Scope Setting |
Test | Read & Write (Allows SQAI to create test cases and push them to your Test Plans.) |
Reference: For detailed steps on generating the PAT, please consult the Azure DevOps documentation: Use personal access tokens - Azure DevOps | Microsoft Learn
4. Entering Details in SQAI Suite
Once you have secured your PAT and gathered your Organization and Project details, you can complete the setup in the SQAI Suite platform.
Step 1: Navigate to Integrations Go to your SQAI Suite settings and select the Integrations page. Find and select the Azure Boards configuration.
Step 2: Enter Details Insert the following details into the corresponding fields:
Base URL (optional)
Only in the case you have have custom Azure DevOps instance URL. Leave this empty if you use the default URL (https://dev.azure.com).
Organization Name
Project Name
Personal Access Token (PAT)
Step 3: Save and Confirm Click "Save Configuration." If the set-up is successful, you will receive a success message and see a green indicator next to your Azure Boards integration.
5. Troubleshooting Azure Boards Integration
If SQAI reports an error or fails to connect, use this checklist to quickly identify and resolve the most common issues related to work item access.
Problem | Cause | Solution |
Connection Failed: "Unauthorized" or "Access Denied" | A. Incorrect PAT Scope: The Personal Access Token (PAT) is missing the required Read & Write permission for the Work Items category. | Verify PAT Scopes: Go to User Settings > Personal access tokens and confirm the active token includes Work Items: Read & Write. |
Invalid Resource: Cannot Find Project | B. Incorrect Name/Typo: The Organization Name or Project Name entered contains a typo. | Double-Check URL: Verify the Organization and Project Names are entered exactly as they appear in the Azure DevOps URL (names are often case-sensitive). |
SQAI simply does not connect | C. IP Restriction/Whitelisting: Your Azure DevOps instance could be secured by an additional organizational firewall or VPN, preventing external access. | Contact IT: If the instance is in a VPC, contact your IT team to whitelist a dedicated SQAI Suite IP address for inbound connections. (Contact the SQAI Team for a Static IP) |
PAT Expired | D. Token Expiration: PATs are set to expire after a certain period (e.g., one year). | Generate New PAT: The original user must create a new PAT with the required scopes and update the configuration in SQAI Suite. |