Automated Test Data Validation as a Test Prerequisite

Challenges in Common Test Environment: 

Test environment plays a key role in regression testing. Generally, test bed is separate for Regression & System and Integration Testing (or any other testing). In unavoidable situations there avails the same test environment for both regression and SIT testing. The major problem that arises in those situations is the Test Data Management. Being a common environment, the test data gets modified by one team without intimation to other teams.

This affects the execution of Automated Test Scripts in the Regression Lab which results into script failure due to test data.

Automated Test Data Validation Approach:

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­One of the possible solutions to overcome above issue is that, the testing team should verify and validate the test data as a prerequisite and refresh the data in case it is altered before starting the execution of automated scripts in the lab.

But this becomes a time consuming task and requires huge amount of manual efforts if the amount of test data is very large in numbers. This problem can be solved by automating the validation and verification process. This will reduce the manual efforts and time to prepare the test data and ensure that the test data prerequisite is met.

Steps:

1.      Identify the key test data in the test suite.  

2.      Develop an Automation Script to validate all the test data that is under use in Regression Suite in the test Environment.

3.      Run the script to Validate as Test data.

4.      Analyse the result for Valid and Invalid test data.

5.      Use the Valid Test Data for Automated Test Scripts in Regression Testing

   6.      Repeat the steps 3,4 and 5 for multiple releases. 

Key Benefits:

1.11. Reduction of Regression Test Script failures due to Test Data.

Data Validation before running the automation suite reduces the data failure percentage in the execution. This saves time and efforts in analysing the Test Data Failures.                                                              

2. Increase in Efficiency of Regression Test Suite.

Reduction in Test Data Failures enhances the test effectiveness ratio of regression suite. Thus chances of catching defects increases.

3. Reduction in Manual Effort for Validating and Preparing the Test Data.

Test Data preparation and validation requires a huge manual efforts. Automated approach reduces the manual efforts and increases the accuracy as well as efficiency.

 

4. Increase in Productivity of Regression Testing.

The overall productivity increases as execution cycle time gets improved and test effectiveness is also is increased with this approach

               

Please feel free to comment, share and reach me if case any clarifications, suggestions and any idea.

Thanks 

Anupam Kumar

er.anupamkumar@gmail.com