Test case ID
A test case ID is the permanent identifier a test management system gives each documented test case. It stays the same when the case title, steps or suite change, which makes it the reliable key for linking automated tests, defects and requirements to the case. Automation usually carries the ID in the test title, a tag or an annotation.
Why automation needs it
An automated test and a documented test case are two different records. The runner knows a file path and a test title; the test management system knows a case with steps, a requirement and a history. Something has to connect them, and the stable ID is the usual answer. Once results map to case IDs, a pass or a failure updates the case, coverage reports count automated work, and a requirement shows whether its checks ran.
How the link breaks
Mapping by test title or file path works until someone renames a test, moves a file or splits a spec. The run still passes, so nothing looks wrong, but the result no longer lands on the case, and coverage drops without anyone noticing. Parametrised tests cause a related problem: one test body produces several results that may belong to different cases, or to the same one several times.
Keeping it stable
Put the ID inside the automated test itself, where a rename does not touch it: in the test title as a prefix, in an annotation or tag, or in a property the reporter writes out. Treat the ID as permanent for the life of the case, and never reuse one after a case is deleted. In QAM Hub, a TC- prefix with the case number in the test title links an automated test to its case, and one automated test can cover several cases. The failure modes and fixes are covered in detail in mapping automated test results to test cases.