The Ultimate Guide to Automation Testing

Let's go over the fundamentals to get you started making what I like to refer to as automation awesomeness.

Definition of Automation Testing in INDEX

Problems with Manual Testing

Automated testing: Does it take the place of human testers?

Advantages of Automated Testing

Automation of Tests Has Drawbacks

Testing by automation is a development activity.

Additional Automated Testing Issues

Which test scenarios ought to be automated?

Automation Test Types

ROI for automation testing (What is the Cost of Test Automation)

An automation framework is what?

 

What Is Automation Testing? Definition

Automation Testing Training is the use of a tool to automate a repeatable manual procedure carried out by a developer or tester.

You can speed up the process of running through several test scenarios to ensure that the outcomes produced by particular actions or lines of code correspond to the intended outcomes. If not, it raises an exception to alert you to the problem.

This strategy is crucial since it shortens the testing period because you are utilising a scripted method to determine whether the software actually complies with your criteria.

We refer to this as automated testing since you can quickly run through a large number of test cases and test scenarios on your computer in a matter of minutes.

Since they don't need to constantly complete these repetitive processes after modifying an application under test, automation can save you a tonne of time.

Automation testing is a method used to speed up the execution of checks and verifications as well as any other recurring tasks throughout the software development lifecycle.

Many people prefer to use the terms automated checking or automation in testing instead of the sometimes contentious term "automation testing."

In any event, let's discuss some problems with manual testing before we look at automation testing

 

Problems with Manual Testing

Several factors make manual testing potentially problematic, including:

·         It is very resource-intensive.

·         It takes a long time.

·         It occasionally lacks adequate coverage

·         Because they are monotonous, manual testers may become disinterested and skip steps, which could result in inconsistencies.

The term "manual testing" can be debatable, just like the term "automated testing." Michael Bolton has even asserted that there is no such thing as manual testing.

You should employ automation testing to support your testing efforts.

But do all of your tests need to be automated?

The extent of automation Does automated testing supplant manual testing?

Some people believe that automation entails the removal of human testers. However, the truth is quite the reverse. Automated scripts are excellent for quickly and accurately executing tests, but they in no way take the role of human testers.

Additionally, automation is fantastic for repeating actions that don't require thought.

We can all agree that automated testing does not take the place of other application testing procedures, but it is essential in the modern software development environment and continuous integration techniques. We require automation testing because of how quickly we are developing applications.

More automation is required by Agile and DevOps approaches, which is another factor. Automated scenarios that run rapidly and consistently are necessary for techniques like continuous integration and delivery. In fact, I'd go so far as to suggest that automation is essential for success in the contemporary development environment.

What justifications exist for the use of automated testing in quality control?

Visit SDET vs. Tester: What's the Difference? for more information on the distinction between an automation testing engineer and a tester as well as information on typical automation testing salaries. What is the distinction?

Advantages of Automated Testing

Both testers and developers can gain a lot from automation.

Developers

When we discuss automated tests for developers, we mean unit testing, component testing, and integration testing.

Although developing unit tests-driven development has become popular among most developers who work on modern software development, this is not necessarily the case for ancient systems.

Some programmers are apprehensive about changing an existing piece of code because they don't want to accidentally break something.

However, if given the option, it is always safer to have testing conducted before making any adjustments. You can introduce faults when you modify code, but if you test your code first, you're more likely to identify any flaws you might have included with your modification.

Consequently, serving as a safety net is one of the primary advantages of any automated test. You can be somewhat confident that you have not broken anything if you run tests on each new build of your application before checking in your code.

Testers

A human tester will use an existing test case technique and run it step-by-step against a web application or API during regression testing or smoke testing. Since this is a manual, time-consuming process that must be done by hand.

Therefore, many businesses attempt to take their human regression tests and turn them into automated test cases in an effort to save time. The test stages are then carried out automatically without human input by an automated test tool.

This emphasises two more advantages of test automation: 1. It gives testers more time to devote to high-value testing tasks that cannot be automated, such as exploratory testing. Additionally, it prevents skipped steps that could happen while running a test manually.

We require automation testing because of how quickly we are developing applications. Automation is more crucial than ever as more businesses adopt Agile and DevOps practises.

Tests must execute rapidly and consistently for procedures like continuous integration and delivery. You won't be able to develop software quickly if there are many manual verifications.

I'd even add that we couldn't succeed without automation in the contemporary development environment.

It's crucial to provide developers with immediate feedback so that when they check in code, they are informed as quickly as possible that the modification they checked in broke something, even though the major reason teams want to create automation is to save the firm both time and money.

According to the theory, an automation script will help the business save time and money. However, it appears that many people overlook the time and resources needed to maintain automated test suites.

Other advantages of automated testing include:

·         Verify updated software versions.

·         Allowing testers to concentrate on more exploratory testing

·         Scripts that are automated are easier to repeat.

·         Population of data

·         Precision in benchmarking

·         Less human error-related false failure

·         Improved test coverage

·         Reusability

·         more rapid software release

·         Get your developer immediate feedback on any problematic checked-in software.

·         reduces time

·         the capacity to use programming skills

·         Run as a backup for each new version of your application.

 

So, are there any drawbacks to automating processes?

What actually happened?

Automation of Tests Has Drawbacks

Since computer languages are needed to create automated testing, automation entails a substantial development effort.

In actuality, you are creating a piece of software to test another piece of software. The same rules apply to developing and automating programming. Just as you would for any other software development project, follow the same procedures and best practises.

Like the majority of other software development initiatives, automation testing is challenging and complex. Additionally, it exhibits many of the same problems as other applications. Therefore, the same best practises for software development also apply to automation.

Testing by automation is a development activity

Since programming languages are typically used to create automated suites, automation entails a substantial development effort.

To test another piece of software, you are creating a piece of software.

Like the majority of other software development initiatives, automation testing is challenging and complex. Additionally, it exhibits many of the same problems as other applications. It's crucial to treat your automated code the same way you would your development code.

If you want to be successful, you must adhere to the same procedures and best practises that you would use for any other software development project.

Your automation project will fail if you choose to disregard our advise.

Additional Automated Testing Issues

Other mistakes in automation testing include:

·         Setting improbable objectives

·         The notion that automation will uncover more fresh flaws

·         A sense of illusory security

·         Underestimating the time required to maintain the automation of your web application

·         Large end-to-end test generation ought to be avoided. Scripts should be atomic so that you can identify the root cause of failure.

·         Limiting oneself to UI automation testing

·         Not having a lab for controlled testing

·         Ignoring test results

·         Not having a plan for testing data

·         Avoiding reuse of automation code

·         Not automating their code, developers

·         Not synchronising properly in your testing

·         creating an automated test that is unreadable

·         Developing automated tests that are useless

·         Test data is hard coded.

·         Not utilising the joint automation efforts of the entire team

·         expecting manual testing to be replaced by automation

·         It is challenging to find all the necessary technology to develop an end-to-end automated solution.

Teams frequently assert that automation testing "doesn't work" for the reasons listed above.

Which tests should be automated is another topic I get asked a lot.

 

Which test scenarios ought to be automated?

Don't attempt to automate everything. In actuality, not everything can be automated. Following are some considerations to make while deciding which test cases to automate:

·         tests that follow a set pattern

·         procedures that don't involve people

·         tests that must be run repeatedly

·         Any manual procedure (not necessarily a "testing" procedure) that will save engineers time

·         a test that focuses on your application's financial aspects

·         a test that focuses on the application's risk areas

·         A unit test

·         Tests that must be done on various data sets

·         tests that are challenging to manually test.

·         Concentrate on your application's important pathways

·         tests that must be executed on several releases and browsers

·         Load/stress testing procedures tests

A test is a better candidate for automation testing the more repetitive the execution. But each circumstance is unique.

In the end, you should think about automating any task that saves your team time. Automation can be used to shorten time-consuming tasks throughout the whole development life cycle; they don't just have to be testing-related.

Automation Test Types

Remember to broaden your automation plan beyond functional tests.

Here are some additional places where automation might be advantageous:

·         User encounter

·         Performance

·         Security

·         Component evaluation

·         Testing for accessibility

·         Testing exploratory utilising intelligent AI crawlers

·         Unit testing

·         Test of integration

·         The Environment

Some of you may be wondering at this point, "What is the ROI of test automation?"

ROI for automation testing (What is the Cost of Test Automation)

It can be challenging to calculate the ROI of your automation testing efforts. Here is a typical computation that some people employ to obtain a ballpark figure for their test automation expenditures. This can also assist you in determining whether a test case is even worthwhile for automation as compared to manual testing.

Cost of automation is calculated as the sum of the price of the tools, the work involved in creating an automated test, and the cost of keeping the automated tests up to date.

As a result, automation is a viable option if your cost calculation for it is lower than the cost of running the test manually.

Additionally, ROI increases rapidly when your automated test suite is repeated.

There are some tasks you shouldn't automate since it's crucial that you get a fair return on your test automation effort.

An automation framework is what?

A shared set of tools, rules, and concepts for your tests is known as an automation framework. The need to maintain test scripts is reduced by the use of automation test tool frameworks. I believe the following are common elements and excellent practises for a framework:

·         Set goals for your team and management

·         Create layers of abstraction in your automation framework

·         Use appropriate synchronisation techniques

·         Develop a plan for reeducating and recertifying your framework's users

·         Verification control

·         Before creating your own, look for existing libraries and tools

·         Review all of the automated tests' code.

·         Add reporting and logging features that facilitate debugging

·         Observe naming conventions

·         Every element ought to have its own IDs

·         Steer clear of coordinate-based automation

·         Make reusable techniques

·         Create reusable utility programmes

·         often refactor code

·         Employ page objects

·         Create readable tests. (Your examinations ought to be written in English)

·         Avoid using duplicate code

·         Have a plan for managing test data

·         Manage parallel test execution

·         Encourage mocking and stuttering

·         Your sprint team's definition of done should include automation (DOD)

·         Keep in mind that automation requires cooperation and "whole team" effort

·         Separate your framework and tests

 

Conclusion

An Automation Testing Courses is faster and more clear-cut, without extensive human errors.  However, Test Automation is not necessarily a substitute for Manual Testing. Each of the approaches has its own set of pros and cons. If the software being developed, happens to be too large and complex; QA Automation Course is often the first choice; while there are certain kinds of test cases wherein conducting an Automation Test would be futile. Business Testers, Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) and Software Developers, happen to be the prime users of Test Automation.

If you wish to begin your journey on the path of Automation Testing and strive to be a Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET); enrol now for our SDET Automation course.