What are the main attributes of test automation?

Test automation is nowadays counted among the best software development aids that we have today. It is a great testing aid that seeks to resolve the drudgery of the testers. Test automation has become so common nowadays that every one of us knows quite a lot about it.

What does Test Automation do?

- Test automation actually controls the execution of the test cases by using an automated process. 

- Also, the comparison of the actual and the predicted outcome takes place in the same and "take it easy" manner.  

- One thing that should be noted is that only those manual processes can be automated which have deployed a formalized testing process. 

- In the test automation process, the user actions are recorded and the checkpoints are introduced in to the testing script so that playing it back from a particular point is made easy when you have to perform regression tests. 

- The manual tests that passed can be automated and is mostly used in the testing methodologies like:

1. Data driven testing
2. Regression testing
3. Performance testing and so on.

Attributes of Test Automation

By attributes, we mean the characteristics of the test automation process. It has got quite a lot of positive attributes. So let us what all attributes we can state for test automation:

1. Repeatability:

Automation supports repeated execution of a test case several times again and again. When you need to execute the same test case again and again the test automation comes as a big win for you.

2. Programmability: 

The test cases can be programmed to be executed on a number of different machines whereas the manual tests have to be executed in a sequential way one after the other.

3. Reliability: 

You can rely on test automation for repeat-ability and accuracy.

4. Impact

5. Criticality

6. Maintainability: 

The maintenance is just that you have to update the test automation suites for every new release of the software system or application.

7. Flexibility: 

With test automation it becomes quite easy for you to run automated tests that frequently change according to the regressions at particular time intervals and also the tests can be run in mainstream scenarios.

8. Efficiency: 

The ratio of total cost to the required effort need is reasonable.

9. Portability: 

The automated tests can be executed in different environments unlike manual test cases.

10.Robustness: 

The automated tests are quite effective for the software systems or applications that are quite unstable or change rapidly.

11. Usability: 

The automated tests can be used to a large extent by different types of users.

12. Speed

13. Accuracy

14. Relentlessness: 

The automated test generator as well as the process never gets tired generating and running test cases.

There are some tests like exploratory testing and usability which cannot be automated because of their free style. Testers involved in a testing team support diverse software systems and applications that are quite unrelated to each other. 

- If the projects that demands implementation of a unique testing strategy, then the testers involved in the whole will appear more to be a hindrance rather than being a help. 

- The testers will require tie to get adjusted to the new environment which unfortunately they cannot get and thus lowering the level of their productivity. 

- We cannot waste time on re- engineering the development frame works but we can surely harness test automation power for every new application that we need to develop. 

- The application can be continuously improved since the test automation has got so many positive attributes that can surely benefit the whole testing process. 

What are different aspects of bucket testing?

WHAT IS MEANT BY BUCKET TESTING?

1. Bucket testing is often known by many other names like split testing and A/ B testing.
2. Bucket testing is often considered to be a market testing methodology.
3. The bucket testing methodology is used to compare a variety of baseline control samples with the single variables test samples.
4. This is done for improving the responding rates of the whole mechanisms.
5. Bucket testing is a direct mail strategy which is classic in nature.
6. Bucket testing has been employed in the interactive space to make use of features like landing pages, emails and banner ads etc.
7. Improvements can be made by testing the elements such as following:
- Layouts
- Colors
- Images and
- Text
8. One cannot expect the other elements to show the same improvement.
9. By observing the outcomes of the tests one can analyze that which elements are effective at making great improvements.
10.They are easy to identify.
11.The tester has to provide different samples of the test and controls in order to check out that which single variable is responsible for the improvement.
12.In order to make the test more effective, it has to be distributed to a sufficient audience such that any meaningful difference can be pointed out between the features and the controls.
13.Bucket testing is completely different from the multi- variate testing.
14.The multi- variate testing employs the statistical modeling using which many variables can be tested in the samples.

Today there are several companies that make use of this bucket testing like:
- Zynga
- Netflix
- Google
- Microsoft
- BBC
- Amazon. Com and
- eBay
and many other companies are using this bucket testing to make effective marketing decisions and this method is gaining popularity.

It has proven to be a good methodology for maximizing the profits. Other than this, the following companies are also making use of the bucket testing tools:
- Omniture test
- Omniture target
- Google web site optimizer
- Personyze

TYPES OF BUCKET TESTING

With improving technology many types of bucket testing have been developed and are mentioned below:
1. Multi- variate Testing
this testing is a designed experiment and has been developed whenever isolation of effects is required from two or more than two factors is required.

2. Multi- variant Testing
This type of testing is similar to the multi- variate testing.

3. A/ B/ N Testing
This type of bucket testing involves more than two options or cells denoted by ‘N’.

4. A/ B/.. Z Testing
This type of testing is same as the A/ B/ N testing as described above.

5. A/ B/ A Testing
- This type of bucket testing involves only two variables but in repetition.
- One of the options or cells is repeated.

USES AND ADVANTAGES OF BUCKET TESTING

- Bucket testing is being largely used by the web sites which cater to more traffic.
- It is employed for evaluating any feature of a web site usually exposing it to a small part of the total audience.
- Then the effects on the audience are measured.
- Earlier bucket testing was used as the uniform independent sampling of the whole audience.
- This sampling was considered to be enough for producing an audience that can be used to generate a statistical data corresponding to the whole audience.
- Bucket testing holds good for social networking sites also like for example, testing a new feature that will affect only the user and his/ her friends.
- This type of testing involves much of the complex processes.
- In such a case uniform sampling method is not going to work.
- The sample should be constructed as per the structure of the user’s account.
- This is in a way helps in overcoming the challenges of the combination problems.

What do we mean by automated test data generation?

First let us clear up what is meant by Test automation? Test automation can be defined as the use of software system, program or application to carry out the following tasks:

- control the process of execution of tests
- to compare the actual outcomes with the predicted outcomes
- to set up the preconditions for test cases
- to keep test control and
- to implement the function of reporting tests.

WHY TEST AUTOMATION IS USED?
Test automation as the term itself suggests involves automation of a manual testing process which is already in progress.

- It is used for automating manual testing processes which use a formal approach for testing.

- Although manual testing also holds good for finding defects in a software program or application, it is a very laborious and time consuming testing process and also it is not so effective in finding certain kinds of defects.

- To overcome these drawbacks of manual testing, automated Testing is employed.

- It involves a process of writing a computer program or software to carry out testing that would otherwise requires to be done manually.

- Once the tests have been automated, they can be run, easily, quickly and repeatedly.

- All these plus points make the automated testing a very cost effective method for software applications.

- Even minor bugs or discrepancies can cause the program to break or crash over the lifetime of the application.

Two general approaches to test automation have been discovered so far:

- Code driven testing
Elements like classes, public interfaces, libraries and modules are tested under code driven testing with a assorted data arguments in order to validate the results for their correctness.

- Graphical user interface testing
As the name suggests this testing approach creates user interface events such as mouse clicks, key strokes etc. the changes that occur in the user interface are observed and that observable behavior is validated for its correctness.

TOOLS FOR TEST AUTOMATION
Unlike tools required for manual testing, test automation tools are quite expensive, and are usually employed or used in combination with the tools of manual testing.

- Nevertheless, the tools can be cost-effective in the longer term if used repeatedly in regression testing.

WAYS TO GENERATE DATA
Now coming to the automated test data generation, there are several ways for generating data and test cases.

- One of the ways to generate test cases automatically is model- based testing and it generates test cases through use of a model of the system.

- Data is the most important thing needed to execute any test.

- Generating data again and again for repeating tests becomes a time consuming task.

- You need to design the test data again and again to execute your test cases.

- You need to design the test data at the current instant if you are running tests in an exploratory manner.

- Generating test data on your own takes a lot of your valuable time.

- Automated tests need a large amount of distinct test data.

- Another alternative can be copying and pasting data for running tests if the production data is available.

- However, this does not prove to be a very good approach.

- But, nowadays several tools have been developed which can be used for automated test data generation.

So the good thing is that you need not waste your precious time generating test data by hand. These tools help you by creating large quantities of test data based on the conditions and constraints specified by you.

Automated test data generation has got the below mentioned benefits:
- Fast data generation
- Accurate data
- Uses built in algorithms
- Creates both valid and invalid test data
- Data is exportable