Test Automation in Software Testing

Test Automation in Software Testing

• Test automation involves using purpose-built software tools to control and set up test preconditions
• It includes executing tests using these software tools
• The automated process also compares actual outcomes to predicted outcomes

Key Principles for Test Automation

• Keep automated tests up-to-date: fix failed tests instead of disabling them.
• Plan for deployment: ensure test scripts can be easily deployed, changed, and redeployed.
• Retire tests as needed: ensure automated test scripts can be easily retired if they are no longer useful or necessary.
• Monitor and restore the System Under Test (SUT): continuously monitor the SUT and recover from fatal errors.
• Enable easy troubleshooting: provide a way to troubleshoot failing tests due to SUT, test automation, or test environment issues.
• Address the test environment appropriately: ensure consistency in the test environment and test data.
• Document automated test cases: clearly describe and document test automation goals and objectives.
• Trace automated tests: support tracing for test automation engineers to trace individual steps to test cases.
• Enable easy maintenance: ensure automated test cases are easily maintained, analyzable, changeable, and expandable.

Test Automation Process

• Designing the testware: including software, documentation, test cases, test environments, and test data.
• Implementing automated test cases: executing tests without human interaction.
• Monitoring and controlling the execution of automated tests: interpreting, reporting, and logging test results.

Test Automation Approaches

• API testing: testing through public interfaces to classes, modules, or libraries of the SUT.
• GUI testing/CLI testing: testing through the user interface of the SUT.
• Testing through a service or protocol: testing through a service or protocol.

Objectives of Test Automation

• Improve test efficiency: reduce the total test cost and shorten the test execution period.
• Provide wider function coverage: perform tests that manual testers cannot.
• Increase test frequency: reduce the time required for test cycles.
• Improve system reliability: improve repeatability, consistency, and system reliability.

Advantages of Test Automation

• Run more tests per build: enable more tests to be run per build.
• Create complex tests: create tests that cannot be done manually (real-time, remote, parallel tests).
• Less operator error: reduce the possibility of human error.
• More effective use of testing resources: use testing resources more efficiently.
• Quicker feedback: get quicker feedback regarding software quality.
• Improved system reliability: improve system reliability through repeatability and consistency.

Disadvantages of Test Automation

• Additional costs: require additional costs for setup and maintenance.
• Initial investment: require an initial investment to set up the test automation system.
• Requires additional technologies: require additional technologies and skills.
• Team needs development and automation skills: require team members to have development and automation skills.
• Ongoing maintenance: require ongoing maintenance and updates.
• Can distract from testing objectives: can distract from testing objectives, focusing on automating tests instead of executing tests.

Limitations of Test Automation

• Not a replacement for exploratory testing: cannot replace exploratory testing.
• Limited to machine-interpretable results: can only check machine-interpretable results.
• Limited to actual results: can only check actual results that can be verified by an automated test oracle.
• Not all manual tests can be automated: cannot automate all manual tests.