# Test Groups

**Test Groups** allow you to organize and track tests within a single stage as independent sub-suites. This is the primary solution for supporting modern, parallelized CI pipelines where multiple test jobs run simultaneously.

### Why It Is Useful

In complex pipelines, a single "Functional Test" stage might be split across 20 parallel agents. Without Test Groups:

* SeaLights would view all 20 jobs as one single entity.
* Recommendations might become inaccurate if agents are testing different builds at the same time.
* Savings data would be aggregated, making it hard to see which specific suite is performing efficiently.

### Detailed Functionality

* **Independent Tracking:** Test Optimization recommendations are calculated separately for each group based on its specific execution history.
* **Parallel Resilience:** Different groups can run against different builds simultaneously. One group might be testing Build A while another has already moved to Build B; Test Groups ensure each receives the correct guidance.
* **Granular Analytics:** You can view execution data and optimization savings specifically for one group, rather than just at the stage level.

### Implementation

When executing your tests, you provide two identifiers:

1. **Test Stage:** `testStage`  The standard name for the testing phase (e.g., `Integration_Tests`).
2. **Test Group ID:** `testGroupID`  A unique, meaningful name for the specific sub-suite (e.g., `Payment_Service_Parallel_1`).

### Viewing Results

To see the impact of a specific group:

1. Navigate to **Test Optimization** → **Savings Breakdown**.
2. Use the **Test Group filter** to select the specific ID you wish to analyze.

<figure><img src="/files/d10YCktpanGmD7gSRQ4n" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Note:** Test Groups affect Test Optimization logic only. Code coverage is still aggregated and displayed at the **Test Stage** level.
{% endhint %}


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