The June issue of the Software Planner newsletter looked at the benefits of Keyword Driven Testing. As part of this overview it looked at what is Keyword Driven Testing
Most automated testing tools require the tester to understand a scripting language, such as Java Script, to write their automated test cases. Most tools have the ability to create scripts using record and playback, but this can lead to inefficient code and problems with re-use and maintaince. Since many testers do not have deep scripting skills, it is imperative that your automated testing tool has a way to create Keyword Driven Tests.
Keyword Driven Testing is a way to define automated test cases without the need for scripting skills. It allows a tester (or even a subject matter expert) to create automated tests by describing each step of the automation. For example, if you are automating the login process of your application, your user will access your application, type in their user-id and password and press a button to login. Traditionally, testers would do this by writing VB Script that will navigate to your application, identify each object on the screen (user-id, password and login button), then write script to enter in the user-id, password and to press the login button. With keyword driven testing, the tester does not need to understand the scripting language to make this happen, they can simply describe the event (navigate to your application, enter in "abc" for the user-id, enter in "xxx" for the password, press the Login button when done). As you can imagine, this is a much simpler approach to automated testing than scripting. |
This model is already being put through its paces. Since 2004, networks of ground-based sensors placed around volcanoes, from Erebus in Antarctica to Kilauea and Mauna Loa in Hawaii, have been watching for sudden changes that might signal an eruption. When they detect strong signals, they can summon EO-1, which uses its autonomous software planner to schedule a fly-past. The satellite then screens the target area for clouds, and if skies are clear, it records images, processes them and transmits them to ground control.
Experimental simulations of a mission to Mars seem to confirm this view: in two tests the autonomous explorers came to the same conclusions as a human geoscientist. The system could be particularly useful for missions to Titan and Enceladus, the researchers suggest, since autonomy will be a key factor for the success of a mission so far from Earth.
Back at JPL, the day’s test of robot autonomy is almost complete. The two robots are running new software designed to improve coordination between craft. Part of the experiment is to see whether the robots can capture a photo of a moving target – in this case a small remote-controlled truck nicknamed Junior – and relay it back to “mission control” using delay-tolerant networking, a new system for data transfer.
For the full article visit Zikkir |
How many definitions of user acceptance testing do you think there are out there on the web. Plugging "user acceptance testing definition" into Google came up with nearly half a million results in 0.26 seconds. A few of them are completely bonkers but a scan of the top results shows there are some great suggestions there.
Take for example the definition of UAT from WIkipedia:
User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is a process to obtain confirmation by a Subject Matter Expert (SME), preferably the owner or client of the object under test, through trial or review, that the modification or addition meets mutually agreed-upon requirements. In software development, UAT is one of the final stages of a project and often occurs before a client or customer accepts the new system.
Of this one:
In software development, user acceptance testing (UAT) - also called beta testing, application testing, and end user testing - is a phase of software development in which the software is tested in the "real world" by the intended audience. UAT can be done by in-house testing in which volunteers or paid test subjects use the software or, more typically for widely-distributed software, by making the test version available for downloading and free trial over the Web.
Or this one on UAT:
Formal testing conducted to enable a user or other authorised entity to determine whether to accept a system or component to determine whether to accept a system or component. Often known simply as acceptance testing or customer acceptance testing, CAT. Acceptance tests are based upon business requirements.
There are plenty more that are easy to find. So given this why do people post questions like this one, when it takes only a few seconds to get the answer for themselves using a search engine? |
Neotys, a provider of load testing tools for web applications is offering companies that perform web application QA and preformance testing participation in the Neotys Service Partner Program.
They provide a web load & stress testing product (NeoLoad) which is aimed at easy use with web apps. The tool supports a range of technologies for web applications including: J2EE, .NET, PHP, AJAX, SOAP, FLASH, FLEX, Google Web Toolkit and Oracle Forms.
In a press release, Neotys state:
"The market proliferation and mission critical nature of web applications has rapidly increased the need for load and stress testing. These tests ensure performance targets are met before applications are deployed and keep performance tuned throughout the lifecycle. Neotys is actively seeking new partnerships with organizations that provide web application consulting, design, quality assurance and testing services that want to generate new services business in this fast growing space. NeoLoad offers service providers unprecedented value in performance testing capabilities, increased productivity and cost effectiveness. "
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CollabNet, a leader in distributed application lifecycle management (ALM) solutions, has stated that the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), the information systems group for the U.S. DoD, has granted the SoftwareForge component of the Forge.mil initiative Interim Authority To Operate (IATO) on SIPRNet, the DoD's classified version of the civilian Internet.
Forge.mil enables collaborative software development and cross-program sharing of software, system components, and services in support of net-centric operations and warfare. Forge.mil is powered by CollabNet TeamForge, the leading application lifecycle management platform for distributed software development teams, and CollabNet Subversion, the leading version control and software configuration management (SCM) solution for distributed teams.
For the full article visit here
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Software Planner has been released with significant new enhancements for all stages of the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle). New features include:
- Advanced workflow support, which allows the you to configure business rules with the Software Planner SDLC testing tool, to define and manage the status and transition of data items. The example given with the new release is creating new defects: you may want to automatically assign a status of New and set mandatory requirements for some attributes (such as name and description) when a defect is raised. Once the defect has been assigned the status would change, progressing ideally to Resolved with the tool configured to require data items such as a resolution description are input before it can be closed.
- The new release of Software Planner is integrated with Microsoft Visual Source Safe. Defects can be associated with the source code that was fixed due to the defect. This allows you to determine what source code models are affected by specific types of defects, making analysis of code impact easier to understand.
- More robust reporting, including many new defect, test case, functional specification and project management reports. The newer reports allow trending of defects, test cases and functional specifications over time, allowing teams to spot trends and determine if the quality of their software is improving as the project progresses towards production. Software Planner has also been integrated with Business Objects Crystal Reports, so you can create your own reports and post them into Software Planner for others to use. You can also import reports from other SQL based databases (like Oracle, SQL Server, etc), allowing Software Planner to double as a full reporting solution for all areas of your business
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If you are a user of Conformiq Qtronic, you'll be pleased to know that there is a new vestion available. IT aims at generating automated test cases faster using distributed and parallel computing techniques.
"Conformiq's flagship product, Conformiq Qtronic, automates the design of tests for software and systems by generating black-box functional tests from high-level models without user intervention. These models can be created in a fraction of the time compared to writing the corresponding test cases by hand. Conformiq has helped its customers increase their test generation speed by as much as 20 times, and helped them achieve higher test quality and better test coverage. The mean of customer benchmarks shows test generation speed increases more than 5 times at the beginning of a Conformiq Qtronic deployment."
For more information visit this notice
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If you are looking for a paper on performance testing in the Java environment, then there is one at Tech Republic here.
It looks at three key areas: the software testing products from unit testing right through to acceptance in production; the reasons for automating testingl and the tools that are needed throughout the SDLC.
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Acutest , the UK software testing solution provider, have announced the launch of their new load testing service: the Load Cannon. This is a performance testing service for web-enabled applications and websites. Hosted in the UK, it is a fusion of performance testing tools; load generators; monitors; structured testing methods; risk-based testing techniques and experienced
The load testing service is designed to be robust, quick to operate, capable of both onsite and offsite deployment and is also scalable. The pricing has been designed for the current economic climate. There are no testing tool license costs or restrictions such as rental periods. There are no additional costs for simulating high volumes of users, or transactions, in a test scenario. And you only pay for what you use.
A risk assessment is carried out at the start of the assignment and the testing is prioritised by business impact and likelihood of failure so organisations can match their budget with the level of risk they want to mitigate. This enables them to choose the level of performance testing they want, ranging from a simple benchmark load test to a comprehensive set of performance tests for a complex web-enabled system. So now organisations no longer have to live with the untested risk of performance failure.
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Third-party software testing for mobile applications will boost the testing market in India. With companies planning to cut down on the cost and manpower, testing companies sees domestic market as an opportunity.
According to research firm IDC, the global software testing market is estimated at $13 billion of which India accounts for $1 billion.
Mukesh Sharma, founder and chief executive officer of QA InfoTech, said that the recession has proved to be a positive for testing firms in India.
“Indian companies have started realising the importance of independent third-party testing. Unlike the US market, Indian companies do not carry out independent testing, but this trend is changing now as companies have started focusing on their core job and outsourcing it to testing companies,” he said.
For the full article visit the Financial Chronicle
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| » SDLC testing tool finds UK market interest |
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Acutest, a QA and software testing company, has announced a strong demand for Software Planner in the UK.
Software Planner is an award winning ALM tool (Application Lifecycle Management) that helps organisations manage all components of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). This includes managing project deliverables, requirements, defects, test cases, test execution and help desk support. “We had anticipated there would be a real demand for Software Planner in the UK, when we formed the partnership with Prgamatic Software, the US developer of the testing management tool, to bring it to the UK market.” said Barry Varley, Managing Director of Acutest. “But we have been surprised at the how fast interest has picked up. The recession in the UK has made many organisations cautious about spending on SDLC test tools. But the immediate value that Software Planner offers has led to a host of enquiries, particularly for the SaaS version of the product. Within a fortnight of announcing the Acutest and Pragmatic Software partnership, we’d signed up our first customer for Software Planner: HMD Clinical." “HMD clinical is a software house developing databases and applications for the clinical trial industry. We operate in an extremely regulated industry that demands high quality, traceable requirements and needed a solution that enabled us to link activities from requirements gathering through design, build, testing and release,” an HMD Clinical spokesman said. “On evaluating many different products, we found there was no shortage of excellent project, requirements, test and defect management solutions, but most were limited to only 1 or 2 of these functions. Software Planner was the only one that provided it all in a single package. Using Software Planner will ensure that we have clear visibility of the entire system validation process."
Software Planner provides features for managing all phases of the software development lifecycle within a single integrated tool. It supports all development methodology including Agile, Waterfall, Iterative, and Spiral. It is available in two versions: an enterprise version which a client installs in their own environment and a Software as a Service (SaaS) version which is hosted by Pragmatic Software.
Jun. 15th, 2009 @ 04:12 pm
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| » IEEE 828 testing standard |
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IEEE 829-1998, also known as the 829 Standard for Software Test Documentation, is an IEEE standard that specifies the form of a set of documents for use in eight defined stages of software testing, each stage potentially producing its own separate type of document. The standard specifies the format of these documents but does not stipulate whether they all must be produced, nor does it include any criteria regarding adequate content for these documents. These are a matter of judgement outside the purview of the standard. The documents are: - Test Plan
- Test Design Specification
- Test Case Specification
- Test Procedure Specification
- Test Item Transmittal Report
- Test Log
- Test Incident Report
- Test Summary Report
For the full article visit Wikipedia
May. 28th, 2009 @ 03:38 pm
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| » Test tool and conformance process |
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The Open Network Video Interface Forum (ONVIF) announced Tuesday that it has released its test tool and conformance process, giving manufacturer’s the ability to declare that its products meet the standard group’s specifications. According to a statement, the organization said that the test tool and conformance process “strengthens its position” as the lead standardization initiative and that they will now focus on the global interoperability of IP video solutions.
For the full story visit IP Security Conformance testing
May. 27th, 2009 @ 07:45 pm
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| » ALM testing tool partnership |
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Pragmatic Software Company, a leading provider of application life-cycle management solutions, has partnered with Acutest, a leading software test company, to bring Software Planner to the United Kingdom.
Software Planner is an award winning ALM testing tool (Application Life-cycle Management) that helps Information Technology (IT) departments manage all components of software development including managing customer requirements, project deliverables, test cases, defects, and support tickets. Software Planner also provides collaborative tools like document sharing, team calendars, interactive dashboards, knowledge bases and threaded discussions and integrates with most of the major automated testing tools. Software Planner is currently being used by over 70,000 users in 24 countries.
"We are delighted to be partnering with Pragmatic Software to bring the Software Planner tool to the UK market: both the company and the product are very impressive," says Barry Varley, CEO of Acutest. "At Acutest we're proud of our ability to create new tailored testing service solutions, to meet the complex demands of our clients, and to deliver them quickly. Software Planner adds another very effective building block to the mix and we envisage a wide range of situations in which it will provide tremendous value."
"We are excited about having a local presence in London UK as this will provide Software Planner clients access to a knowledgeable software test consultancy that can help them maximize their use of Software Planner," says Steve Miller, President/CEO of Pragmatic Software. "When looking for a partner in the United Kingdom, we searched for a company with a solid track record of outstanding performance that is knowledgeable in testing applications under a variety of different methodologies -- including waterfall, agile, and RUP. Acutest's experience with SAP performance testing was a big plus. We are excited about offering clients in the UK an awarding winning application lifecycle management tool backed by experts in testing that service their locality.", adds Miller.
May. 16th, 2009 @ 12:40 pm
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| » SAP testing |
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Functional, integration and regression testing
Testing is very important before going live with any system. Before going live with a SAP system, it is vital to do many different kinds of testing, since there is often a large, complex infrastructure of hardware and software involved. Both requirements as well as quality parameters are to be tested. Important types of testing are:
- Functional testing: to test using functional use cases, i.e. a set of conditions or variables under which a tester will determine if a certain business process works
- Integration testing
- Regression testing
All tests should be preceded by creating solid test plans.
Systems and stress testing
Another vital preparation activity before going live with SAP is systems and SAP stress testing. This means planning, scripting, executing and monitoring system and stress tests, to see if the expectations of the end users, defined in service level agreements, will be met. This can be done with SAP’s standard application benchmarks, to benchmark the organization’s configurations against configurations that have been tested by SAP’s hardware technology partners. Again, a test plan should be created at first
For the full article visit Wikipedia
Mar. 25th, 2009 @ 07:06 pm
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| » SAP User Acceptance Testing (UAT) |
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Testing SAP requires the involvement of the end users of the systems, They know the outcomes expected from the combination of the organisations business processes and the SAP business modules (such as FI, MM, AM and HR).
Yet these users have two problems to overcome: they are very rarely trained in how to test effectively and they often have a business as usual job to run while they do the testing as well. These mean they have little time to spare for testing and what time they have is not spent as efficiently as they would like. A double whammy that often limits the value of user acceptance testing SAP implementations.
This course on SAP user acceptance testing is designed to address that very problem. It is also suitable for many of the other participants in SAP UAT such as business analysts, SAP implementors and managers of acceptance test.
Mar. 23rd, 2009 @ 06:11 pm
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| » Software testing in the Telecoms Market Sector |
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The specific challenges for the Telecommunications software testing community have their basis in the complexity and diversity within the Operational Support Systems (OSS) Architecture and the associated commercial and financial pressures that exist to ensure first to market products.
The Telcos (large telecommunications service providers) are moving towards a standardised Service Orientated Architecture (SOA) that has an emphasis on reusability and common capabilities in order to deliver consistent customer experience. These architectures will support the full range of business activities including Customer Care, Billing and Order Processing; Service Execution Management; Resource Management; Portfolio Management; Enterprise Information Management; Collaborations (with Customers, Users, Employees, Partners and Suppliers).
A Telecoms tester must also possess skills and experience beyond the generic ability to write and execute tests. This is because of the varied range of functional areas that telecoms software testing encompasses:- Technical Domain and Network Access areas
- Billing and payment processing
- Collaborations between telecoms service providers
- Customer Relation Management (CRM
There is also a need to have the relevant expertise to facilitate testing across the products and services offerings, for example:
- Mobile applications
- Broadband and internet applications
- IPTV (Internet TV)
- VOIP applications.
However, a single software tester can't be expected to possess the experience to cover all of these areas and functions. The tester must communicate effectively as it is imperative that they can converse throughout the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), with Business Analysts (BA), Designers, Developers, Third party supplies, Customers and End users throughout the different test phases such as customer acceptance testing and system integration testing.
There is also the issue of data to consider. This may result in the tester selecting or creating data for tests. Or in the case of the introduction of new platforms and data structures, there a need for data migration activities to take place, this means that the tester needs to have the capacity to understand and verify the transformed or migrated data.
And there are other trends which are also having a bearing on the future of testing software in Telecoms:
Agile Testing: Until recently the principal approach to software testing was the Waterfall or V model, Due to the scale of many projects it was not uncommon for the need for a specific product or the technology to be rendered obsolete before it was delivered. This lead to increased interest in Agile methodologies, including agile software testing, in an attempt to meet the demand for faster time to market. This change in itself has brought its own challenges in terms of managing the array of smaller agile projects and ensuring change control across the varied components, computer systems and telecom platforms.
Outsourced QA and testing: In recent years it has become popular for testing to be outsourced to offshore test factories with the aim of reduced cost and delivery timescales. The test factories provide automated regression test services which constantly run on the test environments to identify if any errors have been introduced as a result of recently delivered code.
Testing Environments: These can be complex and expensive to establish and maintain, it is common for environments to be shared by many systems and integration test teams, however this can produce a configuration management headache.
Mar. 3rd, 2009 @ 08:56 pm
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| » Stress testing in the Finance Sector |
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In the financial services business, stress testing is a widely used method of figuring out how strong a bank's balance sheet is — essentially using computer models based on historical data to judge how it would withstand various hypothetical situations.
The process is sometimes called "shocking" its books. How would a bank's loan portfolio fare if the growth rate fell as low as it was in 1991, or 1930? How would its deposit base do if unemployment rose to where it was in 1982?
"The stress test is designed to answer the question, 'How much worse would things get if the economy continues to deteriorate?' and, therefore, 'How much capital should the banks be required to hold to protect against that adverse outcome?' " says Albert Kyle, professor of finance at the University of Maryland.
Extract from npr
Feb. 28th, 2009 @ 05:05 pm
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| » Software tester to Software Developer Ratio |
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An long-standing question in the software development world is: what is the correct ratio of testers to developers? A recent thread on the Scrum Development list asked how agile impacts this ratio. The answer to the first question seems to be 'It depends'. The answer to the second question, according to Elisabeth Hendrickson, is that agile teams can do more testing, with fewer testers.
For the full article visit Info Q
Agile testing software development
Jan. 6th, 2009 @ 09:08 am
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| » Performance testing interoperability of HP Loadrunner and Shunra VE Desktop |
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Shunra announced the HP certification of Shunra VE Desktop for HP Software, a Windows-based solution that tests the impact of applications on networks in all developmental stages by emulating a wide area network (WAN) and detailing network conditions seamlessly during load testing. The interoperability with HP LoadRunner enables a powerful, integrated solution offering customers highly-accurate, network performance testing. “Application performance testing labs are looking to lower costs, while delivering load test results in a simple, repeatable manner,” said Subbu Iyer, Senior Director of Products, Performance Center and LoadRunner, Software, HP. “The combination of HP LoadRunner with Shunra VE Desktop for HP Software allows customers to achieve this and test network-aware applications with a WAN emulation capability.” For the full article visit Business Wire
Jan. 2nd, 2009 @ 02:27 pm
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