Small fixtures or real inputs for workflow testing?

Use a known fixture to test logic and representative real inputs to test practical fit. These stages complement one another; neither alone proves the workflow handles every case.

Compare the practical differences

Decision	Known fixture	Representative input
Best fit	Manually checkable answers and edge cases	Actual formats and messy records
Useful property	Makes errors easy to locate	Exposes practical compatibility issues
What to check	May omit real-world variation	Requires careful handling and a reliable review baseline

A concrete choice

Test a missing-date rule on five labeled rows, then review a representative export with the same schema before relying on recurring reports.

Verify the choice

Keep expected answers and observed results separate, and label illustrative data so it cannot be mistaken for business evidence.

Write the reason for your choice into the task brief or setup notes. Then run a small representative task and compare the actual result with the requirement that drove the decision. Keep any unmet requirement visible rather than declaring the whole workflow ready from a single successful step.

Continue with the setup

The related desktop guide explains the relevant controls and limits. Use the current application state when applying this comparison; the presence of an option in a document does not mean every dependency on your computer is ready.