What is Keyword driven testing? What are base requirements for keyword driven testing?

Table driven testing, action word testing or key word driven testing, whatever you may call it, it is one and the same thing – a software testing methodology that has been especially designed for automated testing.

However, the approach followed by this testing methodology is quite different and involves dividing the test creation process in to 2 distinct phases namely:

1. Planning phase and the
2. Implementation phase

What is Keyword Driven Testing?

- It has been specially designed for automated testing.

- It does not mean that it cannot be employed for carrying out manual testing. - It can be very well used for manual testing as well. 

- The biggest advantage provided by the automated tests is of re-usability and so all this has eased up the maintenance of the tests that were developed at an abstraction level that was too high. 

- To say in simple words, one or more atomic test steps together form a key word.

- The first phase i.e., the planning phase involves the preparation of the testing tools and test resources. 

- The second phase i.e., the implementation phase depends up on the frame work or tool and thus differs accordingly. 

- Often a frame work is implemented by the automation engineers which has key words like enter and check. 

- This makes it easy for the test designers who do not have any knowledge of programming, to design the test cases based on such key words, that have already been defined by the engineers in planning phase that has already been implemented. 

- Such designed test cases are executed via a driver. 

- The purpose of this driver is to read the key word and execute the corresponding code.

- There are other testing methodologies which put everything right in to the implementation phase instead of performing the test designing and engineering separately.

- In such a case, the test automation is only confined to the test design.

- There are some keywords that are created using the tools which had the necessary code already written for them such as edit and check. 

- This helps in cutting down the extra number of engineers in the process of test automation. 

- This makes the implementation of the keyword a part of the tool. 

Advantages of Key word Driven Testing

There are some advantages of key word driven testing as stated below:

1. Concise test cases.
2. Test cases are readable only by the stake holders.
3. Easily modifiable test cases.
4. Easy reuse of the existing keywords by the new test cases.
5. Keywords can be re used simultaneously across multiple test cases.
6. Independent of programming languages as well as specific tool.
7. Labor gets divided.
8. Less requirement of tool and programming skills.
9. Lower domain skills required for keyword implementation.
10. Layer abstraction.

Disadvantages of Keyword Driven Testing

1.   A longer time is required for marketing when compared to manual testing.

2.   Initially, high learning curve.

Base Requirements of Key word driven Testing

1. Full separation of test development and test automation processes: The separation of these two processes is very much required for test automation since both of them have very different skill requirements. The fundamental idea behind this is that the testers should not be programmers. Testers should have the ability of defining test cases which can be implemented without having to bother about the underlying technology.
2. The scope of the test cases must be clear and differentiated: The test cases must not deviate from their scope.
3. Right level of abstraction must be used for writing the tests: Tests must be written at levels such as lower user interface, higher business level etc.