JUnit

The run as a JUnit XML report — the format Azure DevOps, GitLab, GitHub Actions and Jenkins turn into a test report with pass/fail per test.

When to use it #

In a pipeline, when the platform should show the tests — green and red per test, the failure message on click, trend over runs — rather than a log. JUnit is the report format every CI platform reads: Azure DevOps (Publish Test Results, JUnit), GitLab (artifacts:reports:junit), GitHub Actions (reporter actions), Jenkins (JUnit plugin). It carries the result and the message of each test, not the full definition; keep JSON next to it when a step needs the data. On Azure DevOps TRX is the alternative; elsewhere JUnit is the one to use.

How to set it #

Output: junit

writes TestResults/cat-test-results-{timestamp}.xml. A pipeline usually wants a fixed name to publish:

Output:
- Format: junit
  File: TestResults/cat-junit.xml

See Settings. Not available on the Starter and Professional plans (MS Excel only). How each platform picks the file up is in Integrations.

What it looks like #

The sample run, complete:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<testsuites>
  <testsuite name="Smoke tests" timestamp="2026-08-21T09:06:38" hostname="build-agent-01" tests="2" failures="0" errors="1" skipped="0" time="6.3247960999999995">
    <testsuite name="" timestamp="2026-08-21T09:06:38" hostname="build-agent-01" tests="2" failures="0" errors="1" skipped="0" time="6.3247960999999995">
      <testcase name="[Smoke tests].[Airline dimension matches the source]" classname="[Smoke tests].[Airline dimension matches the source]" time="0.0755756" />
      <testcase name="[Smoke tests].[Flights table is loaded]" classname="[Smoke tests].[Flights table is loaded]" time="6.2492205">
        <error>Invalid object name 'dbo.Flights'.</error>
      </testcase>
    </testsuite>
  </testsuite>
  <testsuite name="Data quality" timestamp="2026-08-21T09:06:38" hostname="build-agent-01" tests="1" failures="1" errors="0" skipped="0" time="0.1389169">
    <testsuite name="" timestamp="2026-08-21T09:06:38" hostname="build-agent-01" tests="1" failures="1" errors="0" skipped="0" time="0.1389169">
      <testcase name="[Data quality].[No booking without a passenger]" classname="[Data quality].[No booking without a passenger]" time="0.1389169">
        <failure>No row was expected, but at least 1 row exists.
MaximumErrorsLogged setting is set to 1. To see more data in the error message, set it to value between 2 and 50.
If the logs should not contain any data, set MaximumErrorsLogged to 0.

┌──────────┬────────┐
│BookingId │Airline │
╞══════════╪════════╡
│BK-1001   │CSA     │
└──────────┴────────┘

CAT did NOT scan the entire set. There may be additional rows.


Description: A booking must reference an existing passenger.
First Data Source: DWH
First Query:

SELECT 'BK-1001' AS BookingId, 'CSA' AS Airline UNION ALL SELECT 'BK-1002', 'LH'

</failure>
      </testcase>
    </testsuite>
  </testsuite>
</testsuites>

Details #

Structure. <testsuites> holds one <testsuite> per test suite; inside it one <testsuite> per test case (named "" when the tests have no Test case); inside that one <testcase> per test. name and classname of a test case are both the test’s full name. Every suite element carries tests, failures, errors, skipped, time (seconds) and timestamp of its first test, and hostname — the machine that ran it.

Result mapping.

Platforms show <failure> and <error> text on the test’s detail page — the box-drawing sample of a failed test is legible there when the viewer uses a monospace font, which Azure DevOps and GitLab do.

Written once, after the run. Publishing a JUnit report does not by itself fail a pipeline; configure the publish step to fail on test failures when that is wanted (Azure DevOps: Fail if there are test failures).

Related #

• TRX — the Visual Studio report format, for Azure DevOps.
• Integrations — Azure DevOps, GitLab, GitHub Actions and Jenkins, step by step.
• Results — the four result values.