9780321754066

The practice of test automation is becoming more and more popular, but many organizations are not yet experiencing success with it. This book unveils the secrets of how automation has been made to work in reality. The knowledge gained by reading this book can save months or years of effort in automating software testing by helping organizations avoid expensive mistakes and take advantage of proven ideas. By its nature, this book shows the current state of software test automation practice. The authors aim to keep the contributions focused on those things that are more universal (e.g. people issues, return on investment, etc.) and to minimize detailed technical content where this does not impede the process of learning valuable lessons, in order to give the book as long a shelf life as possible. Software practitioners always enjoy reading about what happened to others. For example, at conferences, case study presentations are usually very well attended. The authors/editors have gathered together a collection of experiences from a cross-section of industries and countries, both success stories and failures, in both agile and traditional development. In addition to the case studies, the authors/editors comment on issues raised in these stories, and also include a chapter summarizing good practices and common pitfalls.

Dorothy Graham is a world-renowned consultant, speaker, and author with nearly forty years of experience in software testing. After nineteen years with Grove Consultants, she now concentrates on conferences and writing. She was Programme Chair for the 1993 and 2009 EuroSTAR conferences and holds the European Excellence Award in Software Testing. Mark Fewster has thirty years of software testing and automation experience. As developer and manager for a multi-platform graphical application, he designed an architecture for long-lasting test automation. With Grove Consultants since 1993, he provides training and consultancy in all aspects of software testing. Graham and Fewster coauthored the popular book Software Test Automation (Addison-Wesley, 1999).

Contributed chapter lead authors include Lisa Crispin, Henri van de Scheur, Ken Johnston, Bo Roop, John Kent, Ane Clausen, Elfriede Dustin, Alan Page, Stefan Mohacsi, Simon Mills, Jason Weden, Bryan Bakker, Antti Jääskeläinen, Christoph Mecke, Björn Boisschot, Michael Williamson, Lars Wahlberg, Jonathan Kohl, Albert Farré Benet, Seretta Gamba, Wim Demey, Ursula Friede, John Fodeh, Mike Baxter, Ross Timmerman, Ed Allen, and Harry Robinson.

Foreword xxix

Preface xxxi

Reflections on the Case Studies (by Dorothy Graham and Mark Fewster ) 1

A Management Issues 2

B Technical Issues 8

C Conclusion 16

Chapter 1: An Agile Team’s Test Automation Journey: The First Year (by Lisa Crispin) 17

1.1 Background for the Case Study 18

1.2 Whole Team Commitment 19

1.3 Setting Up the Automation Strategy 20

1.4 Applying Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD) to Test behind the GUI Using FitNesse 24

1.5 Use an Incremental Approach 26

1.6 The Right Metrics 27

1.7 Celebrate Successes 28

1.8 Incorporate Engineering Sprints 28

1.9 Team Success 29

1.10 Continuous Improvement 31

1.11 Conclusion 32

Chapter 2: The Ultimate Database Automation (by Henri van de Scheur) 33

2.1 Background for the Case Study 33

2.2 Software under Test 35

2.3 Objectives for Test Automation 36

2.4 Developing Our Inhouse Test Tool 37

2.5 Our Results 40

2.6 Managing Our Automated Tests 40

2.7 Test Suites and Types 41

2.8 Today’s Situation 43

2.9 Pitfalls Encountered and Lessons Learned (the Hard Way) 43

2.10 How We Applied Advice from the Test Automation Book 45

2.11 Conclusion 47

2.12 Acknowledgments 48

Chapter 3: Moving to the Cloud: The Evolution of TiP, Continuous Regression Testing in Production (by Ken Johnston and Felix Deschamps) 49

3.1 Background for the Case Study 50

3.2 Moving Our Testing into the Cloud 52

3.3 How We Implemented TiP 55

3.4 Sample of Monthly Service Review Scorecards 58

3.5 Exchange TiP v2–Migrating TiP to the Windows Azure Cloud 62

3.6 What We Learned 63

3.7 Conclusion 67

3.8 Acknowledgments 67

Chapter 4: The Automator Becomes the Automated (by Bo Roop) 69

4.1 Background for the Case Study: My First Job 69

4.2 My Great Idea . . . 72

4.3 A Breakthrough 74

4.4 Conclusion 80

Chapter 5: Autobiography of an Automator: From Mainframe to Framework Automation (by John Kent) 83

5.1 Background for the Case Study 84

5.2 A Mainframe Green-Screen Automation Project 88

5.3 Difference between Mainframe and Script-Based Tools 89

5.4 Using the New Script-Based Tools 91

5.5 Automating Tests for IBM Maximo 97

5.6 Conclusion 102

5.7 Additional Reading 103

Chapter 6: Project 1: Failure!, Project 2: Success! (by Ane Clausen) 105

6.1 Background for the Case Study 105

6.2 Project 1: Failure! 107

6.3 Project 2: Success! 109

6.4 The Next Time Period: Testing for Real 118

6.5 Conclusion 127

Chapter 7: Automating the Testing of Complex Government Systems (by Elfriede Dustin) 129

7.1 Background for the Case Study 129

7.2 Our Requirements for Automation 131

7.3 Automated Test and Re-Test (ATRT), Our Automated Testing Solution–What Is It? 132

7.4 Automated Testing Solution Applied 140

7.5 Conclusion 142

Chapter 8: Device Simulation Framework (by Alan Page) 143

8.1 Background for the Case Study 143

8.2 The Birth of Device Simulation Framework (DSF) 145

8.3 Building the DSF 146

8.4 Automation Goals 148

8.5 Case Studies 149

8.6 No Silver Bullets 153

8.7 Conclusion 154

8.8 Acknowledgments 154

Chapter 9: Model-Based Test-Case Generation in ESA Projects (by Stefan Mohacsi and Armin Beer) 155

9.1 Background for the Case Study 155

9.2 Model-Based Testing and Test-Case Generation 157

9.3 Our Application: ESA Multi-Mission User Services 161

9.4 Experience and Lessons Learned 168

9.5 Conclusion 173

9.6 References 174

9.7 Acknowledgments 175

Chapter 10: Ten Years On and Still Going (by Simon Mills) 177

10.1 Background for the Case Study: “Before” 177

10.2 Insurance Quotation Systems Tested Automatically Every Month 179

10.3 What Happened Next? 193

10.4 Conclusion 193

Chapter 11: A Rising Phoenix from the Ashes (by Jason Weden) 197

11.1 Background for the Case Study 197

11.2 The Birth of the Phoenix 199

11.3 The Death of the Phoenix 202

11.4 The Rebirth of the Phoenix 203

11.5 The New Life of the Phoenix 207

11.6 Conclusion 212

Chapter 12: Automating the Wheels of Bureaucracy (by Damon Yerg [A Pseudonym]) 217

12.1 Background for the Case Study 217

12.2 The Agency Automation 219

12.3 From 2000 to 2008 223

12.4 An Alignment of Planets 226

12.5 Building Capability within Test Teams 231

12.6 Future Directions: The Journey Continues 233

12.7 Conclusion 235

Chapter 13: Automated Reliability Testing Using Hardware Interfaces (by Bryan Bakker) 237

13.1 Background for the Case Study 238

13.2 The Need for Action 239

13.3 Test Automation Startup (Incremental Approach) 240

13.4 Buy-In from Management 242

13.5 Further Development of Test Framework 244

13.6 Deployment and Improved Reporting 248

13.7 Conclusion 250

Chapter 14: Model-Based GUI Testing of Android Applications (by Antti Jääskeläinen, Tommi Takala, and Mika Katara) 253

14.1 Background for the Case Study 253

14.2 MBT with TEMA Toolset 256

14.3 Modeling Application Behavior 261

14.4 Generation of Tests 266

14.5 Connectivity and Adaptation 268

14.6 Results 272

14.7 Conclusion 273

14.8 Acknowledgments 274

14.9 References 274

Chapter 15: Test Automation of SAP Business Processes (by Christoph Mecke, Melanie Reinwarth, and Armin Gienger) 277

15.1 Background for the Case Study 278

15.2 Standards and Best Practices 282

15.3 eCATT Usage Examples 286

15.4 Conclusion 292

15.5 Acknowledgments 293

Chapter 16: Test Automation of a SAP Implementation (by Björn Boisschot) 295

16.1 Background for the Case Study 295

16.2 Project Overview 298

16.3 Phase 1: Proof of Concept 299

16.4 Phase 2: Project Start 307

16.5 Conclusion 319

Chapter 17: Choosing the Wrong Tool (by Michael Williamson) 321

17.1 Background for the Case Study 321

17.2 Our Preexisting Automation (or Lack Thereof) 324

17.3 Decision Needed: New Tool or Major Maintenance Effort? 326

17.4 Moving Forward with eggPlant 328

17.5 What Did We Do after eggPlant? 336

17.6 Conclusion 336

Chapter 18: Automated Tests for Marketplace Systems: Ten Years and Three Frameworks (by Lars Wahlberg) 339

18.1 Background for the Case Study 340

18.2 Automated Test Frameworks 341

18.3 Test Roles 344

18.4 Abstraction Layer 345

18.5 Configuration 348

18.6 Cost and ROI 349

18.7 Conclusion 352

Chapter 19: There’s More to Automation Than Regression Testing: Thinking Outside the Box (by Jonathan Kohl) 355

19.1 Background for the Case Study 355

19.2 Two Tales of Task Automation 357

19.3 Automation to Support Manual Exploratory Testing 362

19.4 Automating Data Interactions 364

19.5 Automation and Monitoring 368

19.6 Simulating Real-World Loads by Combining Simple Tools 370

19.7 Conclusion 372

19.8 References 372

Chapter 20: Software for Medical Devices and Our Need for Good Software Test Automation (by Albert Farré Benet, Christian Ekiza Lujua, Helena Soldevila Grau, Manel Moreno Jáimez, Fernando Monferrer Pérez, and Celestina Bianco) 375

20.1 Background for the Case Study 376

20.2 Comparison of the Different Approaches to Each Project 381

20.3 Project hamlet 385

20.4 Project phoenix 386

20.5 Project doityourself 388

20.6 Project miniweb 391

20.7 Test Execution 392

20.8 Result Reporting 393

20.9 Conclusion 396

Chapter 21: Automation through the Back Door (by Supporting Manual Testing) (by Seretta Gamba) 401

21.1 Background for the Case Study 401

21.2 Our Technical Solution 403

21.3 Implementing Test Automation with ISS Test Station 406

21.4 Implementing Test Automation 409

21.5 Supporting Manual Testing 413

21.6 The New Manual Test Process 417

21.7 Conclusion 422

21.8 References 423

Chapter 22: Test Automation as an Approach to Adding Value to Portability Testing (by Wim Demey) 425

22.1 Background for the Case Study 427

22.2 Portability Testing: Love or Hate It 428

22.3 Combination of Both Worlds as a Solution 428

22.4 Conclusion 435

22.5 Acknowledgment 435

Chapter 23: Automated Testing in an Insurance Company: Feeling Our Way (by Ursula Friede) 437

23.1 Background for the Case Study 437

23.2 The Application 439

23.3 Objectives 440

23.4 The Work 441

23.5 Lessons 443

23.6 Conclusion 444

Chapter 24: Adventures with Test Monkeys (by John Fodeh) 447

24.1 Background for the Case Study 447

24.2 Limitations of Automated Regression Testing 449

24.3 Test Monkeys 451

24.4 Implementing Test Monkeys 453

24.5 Using Test Monkeys 454

24.6 Benefits and Limitations 458

24.7 Conclusion 459

24.8 Additional Reading 460

Chapter 25: System-of-Systems Test Automation at NATS (by Mike Baxter, Nick Flynn, Christopher Wills, and Michael Smith) 461

25.1 Background for the Case Study 461

25.2 Test Execution Tool Integration 465

25.3 Pilot Project for the Tool 466

25.4 In-Service Model 467

25.5 Implementation 467

25.6 Typical Script Template 470

25.7 Lessons Learned 472

25.8 Conclusion 474

Chapter 26: Automating Automotive Electronics Testing (by Ross Timmerman and Joseph Stewart) 477

26.1 Background for the Case Study 477

26.2 Objectives for Automation Project 480

26.3 Brief History of the Automation Project 480

26.4 Results of the Automation Project 483

26.5 Conclusion 483

Chapter 27: BHAGs, Change, and Test Transformation (by Ed Allen and Brian Newman) 485

27.1 Background for the Case Study 485

27.2 Buy-In 487

27.3 The Story of Building the Automation Framework 491

27.4 Description of our Automation Framework 493

27.5 The Test Environment 497

27.6 Metrics 499

27.7 Conclusion 501

Chapter 28: Exploratory Test Automation: An Example Ahead of Its Time (by Harry Robinson and Ann Gustafson Robinson) 505

28.1 Background for the Case Study 505

28.2 What’s a Trouble Manager? 507

28.3 Testing a Trouble Manager Transaction 509

28.4 Constructing Test Cases Programmatically 510

28.5 New Ways to Think about Automated Tests 511

28.6 Testing the Trouble Manager Workflow 513

28.7 Test Generation in Action 518

28.8 Home Stretch 520

28.9 Post-Release 521

28.10 Conclusion 522

28.11 Acknowledgments 522

Chapter 29: Test Automation Anecdotes 523

29.1 Three Grains of Rice (by Randy Rice) 523

29.2 Understanding Has to Grow (by Molly Mahai) 527

29.3 First Day Automated Testing (by Jonathon Lee Wright) 528

29.4 Attempting to Get Automation Started (by Tessa Benzie) 535

29.5 Struggling with (against) Management (by Kai Sann) 536

29.6 Exploratory Test Automation: Database Record Locking (by Douglas Hoffman) 538

29.7 Lessons Learned from Test Automation in an Embedded Hardware—Software Computer Environment (by Jon Hagar) 545

29.8 The Contagious Clock (by Jeffrey S. Miller) 549

29.9 Flexibility of the Automation System (by Mike Bartley) 551

29.10 A Tale of Too Many Tools (and Not Enough Cross-Department Support) (by Adrian Smith) 552

29.11 A Success with a Surprising End (by George Wilkinson) 556

29.12 Cooperation Can Overcome Resource Limitations (by Michael Albrecht) 561

29.13 An Automation Process for Large-Scale Success (by Michael Snyman) 562

29.14 Test Automation Isn’t Always What It Seems (by Julian Harty) 567

Appendix: Tools 573

About the Case Study Authors 587

About the Book Authors 605

Index 607

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Experiences of Test Automation Case Studies of Software Test Automation

Experiences of Test Automation Case Studies of Software Test Automation

0321754069

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Write a Review