Introduction to Test automation
Test Automation- Definition
Software test automation refers to
Activities and efforts that intend to automate engineering tasks and operations in software test
process.
Software test automation uses
Well-defined strategies and systematic solutions.
Software must be tested to have confidence that it work as it should in its intended environment. Software
testing needs to be effective at finding any defects which are there but it should also be efficient,
performing the test as quickly and cheaply as possible.
Automating software testing can significantly reduce the effort required for adequate testing or
significantly increase the testing which can be done in limited time. Test can be run in minutes that can
take hours to run manually. A mature test automation regime will allow testing at the ‘touch of a button’
with test run overnight when machine would otherwise be idle. Automated tests are repeatable using
exactly the same input in the same sequence time and again, something that cannot be guaranteed with
manual testing. Automated testing enables even the smallest of the maintenance changes to be fully
tested with minimal effort. Test automation also eliminates many menial chores. The more boring testing
seems, the greater the need for tool support.
Difference between Testing and Test automation
Testing:-
Testing is a skill. While this may come as a surprise to many people it is a simple fact. For any system
there is an astronomical number of possible test cases and yet practically we have time to run only a very
small number of them. Yet this small number of test cases is expected to find most of the defects in the
software, so the job of selecting which test cases to build and run is an important one. Both experiment
and experience have told us that selecting test cases at random is not an effective approach to testing. A
more thoughtful approach is required if good test cases are to be developed.
What exactly is a good test case? There are 4 attributes that describe quality of a test case.
Defect detection effectiveness: - whether or not it is likely to find defects.
Exemplary: - exemplary test case should test more than one thing thereby reducing total number of test
cases.
Cost consideration: - How economical a test case is to perform, analyze and debug.
Evolvable: - How much maintenance effort is required on the test case each time software changes.