White Paper. Achieve Next Level of Automation with Robotic Test Automation

Transcription

1 White Paper Achieve Next Level of Automation with Robotic Test Automation

2 Table of Contents Abstract... 3 Introduction... 4 Problem Statement... 4 Solution... 5 How we do it at Datamatics? Conclusion Author s Biography About Datamatics... 16

3 Abstract The purpose of this white paper is to bring out some of the best practices of testing that Datamatics is following while working on Test Automation to achieve next level of automation by using real-time data for testing. Following are some of the key things addressed in this document: What are the shortfalls with existing test automation solutions? What is the importance of shift left in test automation? What is Robotic Test Automation? What is the level of automation that we can achieve? How can RTA further enable DevOps?

4 Introduction Many organizations are moving toward Robotic Process Automation (RPA) where day to day business process activities are automated and thus save a lot of efforts and cost of manual efforts. The automated system here captures the data from within the organization and from outside word through Mobile applications, Web applications, desktop applications, green screen applications, PDF documents, OCR format, etc. Robotic test automation is a step ahead in automation testing by leveraging the RPA data capturing capability and enhancing the test automation by using real-time data. This facilitates the detection of defect types that will not be identified if the application would have continued been tested with the static data. Apart from testing applications using real-time data RTA also have various other benefits of consolidating all the types of tests under a single platform, Business users getting involved much earlier in test automation and automating the build deployment process depending on quality gates. Problem Statement Automated testing of applications usually uses static test data which is passed through an external excel sheet. Defects are leaked into the production environment because the live application is using real-time data from the real world and not the static data. This scenario has never been tested before going live. There are many tools available in the market that caters to test automation for regression testing. The issue occurs when the application is tested using same static data and that too when the team is spending more time on creating the test bed, test data. No single tool will support all the type of applications and hence for an organization with multiple application types like Web, Desktop, SAP, Seibel, Oracle, etc. we will have to opt for various tools. Managing execution of multiple tools is a challenge. The need of the time is to introduce dynamic data retrieval techniques for ensuring that live data conditions are covered in the automated test executions. Robotic Automation testing is one such means that will enable Business Analyst to use real-time data into testing from multiple data sources without user intervention and executing an automated suite with a single click.

5 Solution Robotic Test Automation: Datamatics Robotic Test Automation solution is built on a tool agnostic framework that reduces software testing time by 60% to 80%, and also saves up to 60% cost by reusing existing investments. Robotic test Automation is an automation testing framework with a web UI. It enhances the test automation suites by replacing static data with real-time data. Its advanced data capturing mechanism helps capture data from various application types, data sources, and OCR format document. The data captured is passed to test execution suite. Its Hybrid framework allows business users to execute the test automation suites with bare minimum automation tool knowledge and creating Test plans by using Keywords in the sequence of execution that they are comfortable in. Test execution module uses the scripts that are built in various automation tools like Selenium, QTP, RFT.

6 Technical Architecture The RTA framework is a web-based application with two modules. 1. Advanced Data Accessibility Module (ADAM) In this module, the data points required by automation test suites are identified. The team works with automation of data capturing capability of the tool and captures the data from different external or internal applications. This module is a proven mechanism in Datamatics award-winning RPA solution which has capabilities of capturing index data from Web applications, Desktop applications, Green screen applications, PDF documents, scanned document, OCR format. Captured data is then transferred to test automation suite at runtime.

7 2. Automated Test Execution Module (ATEM) In this module, automation test suites are created using test execution engine. This engine executes the regression test cases using tools like Selenium, QTP, RFT, etc. in the backend data captured from ADAM is passed on at runtime to ATEM depending on what test suites are to be executed. Backend execution engines supported by RTA. 1. Selenium Selenium is a portable software testing framework for web application. Selenium provides a record/ playback tool for authoring tests without learning a test scripting language (Selenium IDE). It also contains a test domain specific language (Selenese) to write tests in some popular programming languages, including Java, C#, Groovy, Perl, PHP, Python, and Ruby. The tests can then be run against most modern web browsers. Selenium deploys on Windows, Linux, and Macintosh platforms. It is open source software, released under Apache 2.0 licenses and can be downloaded and used without charge. 2. HP UFT HP UFT software automates testing through an intuitive, visual user experience that ties manual, automated, and framework-based testing together in one IDE. This far-reaching solution significantly reduces the cost and complexity of the functional testing process while driving continuous quality.

8 3. IBM Rational Functional Tester IBM Rational Functional Tester is automated functional testing and regression testing tool. This software provides automated testing capabilities for functional, regression, GUI, and data-driven testing. Rational Function Tester supports a range of applications, such as web-based,.net, Java, Siebel, SAP, terminal emulator-based applications, PowerBuilder, Ajax, Adobe Flex, Dojo Toolkit, GEF, Adobe PDF documents, zseries, iseries, and pseries. Storyboard testing: Simplifies test visualization and editing using natural language and rendered screenshots. Automated testing: Enables testers to automate tests resilient to frequent application user interface changes with ScriptAssure technology. Data-driven testing: Lets you perform the same series of test actions with a diverse set of test data. Test scripting: Combines a recorder of user actions with multiple customization options and intelligent script maintenance capabilities. Integrations: Integrates with IBM Rational Team Concert and IBM Rational Quality Manager to provide access to work items and logical or compound SCM test asset support. 4. Micro Focus Silk Test Silk Test is based on visual testing and scenario-based workflow, which improves product quality, inspires creativity and improves productivity. The easy-to-use, code-free testing comes with wizards for logic and workflow, which enables users to maintain test scripts more easily. The ActiveData feature tests business logic functionality to show you how well your products would perform, and visual, script-based, or IDE-powered interfaces enable you to use your favorite tools to improve quality. Other unique features of Silk Test enable users to run unattended tests that function 24/7. While the tests run, any errors are logged, and the application is restored. Unique features like this permit multitasking and increase productivity while encouraging thorough testing. Cross-browser testing both for Android and ios enables users to customize control support, including support for libraries such as DevExpress, Infragistics, green screen, and terminal server applications.

9 Keywords: Keywords are a reusable factor of the test execution suites. Large Test cases are broken into keywords. Each keyword is a logical sub set that can be reused in any test case/test scenarios Automation tester will create test cases and keywords using the web UI. Every test case can have multiple keywords assigned to it. Every keyword contains the application for data extractor that is linked to ADAM. It will be linked to an automated test script, i.e., backend execution engine and a data file that needs to be used as part of the test execution. Test Planning: Test plans are created depending on the logical sequence of test cases. Each test plan can be named as per the module/ type of testing, etc. Business users find it very easy to create a Test Plans by just dragging and dropping the desired keywords from the planning view.

10 The complexity of test scripts that would be automated by automation engineers is now hidden from the end users to execute. They need to work with the user-friendly web UI to plan and create the test execution the way they want. Execution: One of the existing features of RTA is to capture real time data and pass it at runtime to test plans. This is exactly what happens when a test plan is executed. Distributed testing is achieved by executing a test plan on multiple terminals in parallel. Each environment inbound to a URL / exe that can be managed by the admin. This helps testers and developers to be in sync with what URL is tested at present. Compatibility testing can be achieved by executing the same test plan on multiple browsers. This gives flexibility of comparing results with multiple browsers. Three ways of selecting the data type for test execution provides the flexibility of either selecting with real time or static data. Capture: This will execute the test using already captured data from the previous execution Re-Capture now: This will activate the ADAM and start the data capturing mechanism. The case of the real-time date we have to always select this option Use uploaded: This is selected if there is no real time data required and one need to execute the test using data from the uploaded file. Unattended nightly executions are planned by scheduling the run at a particular date and time.

11 Enabling QA for Single click Deployment Creating a single click deployment is every organization's goal while implementing DevOps. Quality gates need to be introduced before each deployment. When a build manager fires a build, it must trigger the set of test cases to be executed. Depending on test result tools will decide whether to go ahead with the deployment or not. These quality gates have a different level of threshold values for different environment types. E.g., A build will be deployed in a Test environment automatically after test execution in case there are not more there 5 % test failures, but the same will not be deployed into production. In production, it will be deployed only in case of 100% test passes. RTA is configured to trigger the automation build automatically depending on the environment type and test plan execution result. Threshold values can be set in RTA to configure automated build deployment process. Tools that integrate into RTA to set QA gates and automate build deployment. 1. Jenkins Jenkins is a self-contained, open source automation server which can be used to automate all sorts of tasks such as building, testing, and deploying software. Jenkins can be installed through native system packages, Docker, or even run standalone by any machine with the Java Runtime Environment installed 2. IBM Urbancode Deploy IBM UrbanCode Deploy orchestrates and automates the deployment of applications, middleware configurations and database changes into development, test and production environments. This

12 software enables your team to deploy as often as needed on demand or a schedule, and with self-service. UrbanCode Deploy can help your team to accelerate their time to market, drive down costs and reduce risk. 3. Octopus Deploy Octopus works with your build server to enable reliable, secure, automated releases of ASP.NET applications and Windows Services into test, staging and production environments, whether they are in the cloud or on-premises. 4. Electric Cloud ElectricFlow ElectricFlow is a unified DevOps Release Automation platform that supports the entire end-to-end software development and delivery process. ElectricFlow Deploy is built on top of this powerful platform to automate deployments to accelerate time to market, reduce delivery costs, and increase quality, reliability, and traceability. Dashboards and Reports: Dashboards and reports are standard hygiene factors of any automation tool or framework. Similarly, RTA's Role base dashboards are set to populate the right information to right stakeholders. Execution dashboard gives a current view of test execution at run time.

13 Detailed Report This report shows step by step execution result along with assertion value and snapshot The report is used by various organizations to compliance with audits How we do it at Datamatics? Focus at Datamatics is to accelerate software testing and delivery quality products in Agile / DevOps environment by achieving the right level of automation. The goal is to reduce the defect in production by testing the application of real-time data much ahead of time. At Datamatics we provide solutions to customers by integrating multiple testing automation tools under a single platform. As part of the solution, we have helped customers to use their existing solutions in better ways and reach the next level of Robotic test automation. We accelerate the Integration testing activity by virtualizing the services and middle tier in a different environment. Our regression test automation framework and Robotic Automation framework helps in accelerating the Test automation implementation process and get started much earlier. In some of the projects, the development team is also provided a plugin to facilitate impacted method detection and impacted scenario automated tests Product quality is controlled by implementing regression test automation, performance testing and QA gates deployed in build management. This provides wrong builds from getting deployed in the respective environment, and all are managed, controlled and monitored through RTA.

14 Conclusion: Robotic automation testing is next level of test automation, and this is achieved by fetching data from multiple applications and uses it at real time for testing. This all is done without user intervention and thus save time and manual efforts in an agile environment. Our intelligent robotic automation testing framework has helped us achieve Robotic smart testing by using real-time data and thus avoid defects getting cascaded into production. By integrating build automation within RTA, we have created quality gates at different environment deployment. This prevents defective code from getting deployed in the wrong environment. The key is to start testing early in the lifecycle and go for maximum automation. At Datamatics we automate our test plan and link the traceability between requirements, test case, test execution and defects. In fact, such integrated frameworks help us automate within the same sprint most of the times and thereby reducing lag in automation testing Automate regression testing suite as much as possible. This will reduce the manual efforts and enable overnight unattended test execution, thus saving time and money.

15 Author s Biography Hemant Khanolkar Head - Testing Practice. Datamatics Global Solutions Ltd. Hemant is managing the Testing Practice at DGSL. He has over 15 years of IT experience out of which 13 years are into software testing. He has diversified experience in testing which includes Test Management, Performance testing, Test Automation, Implementing solutions for DevOps testing, Service Virtualization, Mobile testing and building Testing COE s. Before Datamatics he has worked with companies like Cigniti Technologies, IBM, and Omnitech where he has handled multiple roles of Testing Presales, Practice Head, Solution Architect, and Performance Tester. He has completed his Masters in Computer Management and Post-graduation Diploma in Business Administration. He is a certified testing professional with certifications in CSTE, ISTQB, CSI, and tools certifications in IBM Rational Functional Tester, IBM Performance Tester, Rational Quality Manager, IBM Requirements Management with Use cases and NCFM.

16 About Datamatics Datamatics is a trusted partner to several Fortune 500 Companies globally for managing their End-toend Application Life Cycle & Business Critical Processes. Datamatics is a global Information Technology (IT), and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) organization focused on delivering smart, next-generation business solutions that help enterprises across the world overcome their business challenges. These solutions leverage innovations in technology, knowledge of business processes, and domain expertise to provide clients a competitive edge. As a strategic partner, Datamatics helps its clients improve their business competitiveness and achieve operational efficiencies. The benefits delivered by the Datamatics unique solutions include accelerated time-to-market for new products and services, maximized productivity and efficiency in business processes, shorter turn-around times for service delivery and lower total cost of ownership. Datamatics next-generation solutions and the services span: A cross-section of industries including Banking & Finance, Insurance, Publishing, Manufacturing, Research, and Retail. Varied business processes that transcend F&A, Enterprise Document Management, Portal Management, Publishing Solutions, Application Development, Support & Testing, Data warehousing & Analytics, Engineering & Embedded solutions, Billing solutions, Enterprise Content solutions. Datamatics has a geographically diverse portfolio of Fortune 500 clients with a footprint across four continents- Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe.

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