What are main features of TestComplete?

Many of the software applications are being written as web–based applications that can be run in a browser. The measure of effectiveness with which these applications are tested varies from organization to organization. 

- Test complete automated testing tool offers the answer to this demand. 

- For tests such as regression tests, responsiveness can be generated only through automated testing tools as such. 

- Automated testing is the way to provide many benefits including repeat-ability and speed of the test execution. 

- Test automation is known to induce long term efficiency in a software system or application.

- Developers also get a rapid feedback and can carry out unlimited iterations of the tests.

- Reporting gets customized and finding defects that were missed during the manual testing becomes easy.

-  However, automation always does not prove to be advantageous.

Features of TestComplete

Test complete  testing tool comes with certain features which we shall state now:

1. Keyword testing: This tool comes with a keyword–driven test editor that is built– in and consists of many keyword operations corresponding to the appropriate automated testing actions.
2. Test record and play back: This tool records the key actions which are required to play back the test. All the actions other than the required ones are then discarded.
3. Full featured script editor: This is another built – in editor using which the test scripts can be written manually. This editor comes with some special plug – ins that provide further assistance.
4. Script debugging features: This feature lets you stop before every statement that can be executed so that you can keep a track of what is going on and make changes accordingly.
5. Access to properties and methods of the objects: The names of all the visible elements can be read by this tool including internal elements of the following applications:

a)   Delphi

b)   C++builder

c)   .net

d)   WPF

e)   Java

f)    Visual basic etc.

Also this tool enables the access to values through test scripts so that they can be verified and used in the tests.

6. Unicode support: Tool has a Unicode character set support which enables the user to test the applications that are non – ASCII and use characters such as Hebrew, greek, Arabic, katakana and so on.
7. Issue–tracking support: This tool comes with issue tracking templates which can be deployed for the creation as well as modification of the items that reside in issue – tracking systems. The tool currently provides support for the following:

a)   Microsoft visual studio 2010,2008 and 2005 team system

b)   Bugzilla

c)   Automated QA AQdev team

8. Open architecture (COM based): An open API, COM interface forms the basis for the test complete’s engine. This makes this tool independent of the source – language and enables it to read the debugger info. It can use this info during run time via debug info agent of test complete.
9. Test visualizer: This feature of test complete lets you take screen shots of the test recording as well as play back thus allowing you to make comparisons among the actual as well as the expected screens during the run time.
10. Support for plug–ins: This feature allows the third party vendors to connect with test complete via their software systems and applications. 

What is a TestComplete automated testing tool?

The smart bear software has come up with a complete testing solution which aims at providing a platform to the testers on which they can create software tests of high quality. This complete testing solution is popularly known by the name of test complete automated testing tool. This tool allows you to carry out following tasks with the tests:

1. Record the tests
2. Manually script the tests using the keyword operations
3. Automated play back
4. Error logging

Test complete automated testing tool can be used with a number of applications few of which have been mentioned below:

1. Web
2. Windows
3. WPF
4. HTML5
5. Flash
6. Flex
7. Silverlight
8. .NET
9. Java and so on.

- It is used to automate testing such as the functional testing, front-end user interface testing, data base or back end testing and so on. 

- The test complete tool is effectively used for the creation as well as automation of a number of different software test types. 

- The tests can be recorded and playback can be done whenever required. 

- A test being performed manually is recorded and played over and over again in the form of an automated test. 

- The users have the option to modify the recorded tests whenever they want to so as to create new tests and make enhancements to the existing ones by adding use cases to them. 

- The following are the operating systems supported by test complete:

1. Windows 200, XP
2. Server 2003
3. Server 2008
4. Vista
5. Windows 7

- The following are the testing types that can be carried out using the test complete testing tool:

1. GUI or functional testing
2. Regression testing
3. Unit testing
4. Web testing
5. Keyword testing
6. Load testing and functional testing of the web services
7. Distributed testing
8. Manual testing
9. Data driven testing
10. Coverage testing

- It comes with support for the following languages:

1. Jscript
2. VBscript
3. C++ script
4. Delphi script
5. C# script

- The test complete is compatible with both 32 – bit and 64 – bit version of windows applications. 

- The extended support and access is provided for the internal object, their properties and methods for the following applications:

1. .NET: this further includes the following: VB.NET, VCL.NET, Jscript.NET, C#, C# builder, .NET, perl, python etc.
2. Java: this is inclusive of SWT, AWT, WFC and swing etc.
3. WPF
4. Sybase power builder
5. Microsoft fox pro
6. Microsoft access
7. Microsoft InfoPath
8. Web browsers such as Netscape navigator, Mozilla Firefox, internet explorer etc.
9. Visual C++
10. Visual basic
11. C++ builder
12. Delphi
13. Adobe flex
14. Adobe flash
15. Microsoft Silverlight
16. Adobe AIR

- The test complete tool for its uninterrupted efficient performance has received several awards few of which we list below:

1. Software development jolt awards by software development magazine
2. Asp.net pro readers’ choice award
3. Delphi information readers’ choice awards
4. ATI automation honors
5. Windows IT pro editors’ best and community choice award

- The test complete automated software testing tool aims at the identification of all the defects existing in a software system or application. 

- It works on a process that exercises and evaluates a software product’s components through a manual automatic means so that it can be verified whether or not the product satisfies the end users’ requirements. 

- The test complete has been judged based up on factors such as: recording efficiency,

capability of script generation,

data driven testing,

test results reports,

execution speed,

re-usability,

playback of the scripts, 

ease to learn and cost.

What is the difference between Purify and traditional debuggers?

The IBM Rational Purify grants power to the developers to deliver a product whose quality, reliability and performance matches with the expectations of the users. The purify plus combines the following and provides 3 benefits:

1. Bug finding capabilities from the rational purify,
2. Performance tuning effects from the rational quantify and
3. Testing rigors from the rational pure coverage.

Together these three things make purify a different debugger that what the traditional debuggers we have. The above mentioned 3 benefits are measured in the terms of the faster development times, less number of errors and better code. 

About IBM Rational Purify

- The purify is actually a memory debugger by nature and is particularly used for the detection of the memory access errors especially in the programs that have been written in languages such as C and C++. 

- This software was originally developed by Reed Hastings, a member developer of the pure software organization. 

- However, Rational Purify exhibits the similar functionality as that of the Valgrind, bounds checker, Insure++.

- A process called dynamic verification using which the errors that occur during the execution can be discovered by a program is supported by the rational purify just like a debugger.

- However, there is another process called the static verification which is just the opposite of the dynamic verification and is also supported by the rational purify. 

- This process works by digging out inconsistencies present in the program logic. 

- Whenever there is a linking between a program and purify, the correct version of the verified code is automatically inserted in to the executable part of the code by either adding it to the object code or by parsing. 

- So, if whenever an error occurs, the location of the error, its memory address and other relevant info will be printed out by the tool. 

- Similarly, whenever a memory leak is detected by the purify it generates a leak report towards the exit of the program.

Difference between Rational Purify and Traditional Debuggers

- The major difference between the rational purify and the traditional debuggers is the ability of detecting the non – fatal errors. 

- The traditional debuggers only show up the sources which can cause the fatal errors such as a de-referencing to a null pointer can cause a program to crash and they are not effective in finding out the non – fatal memory errors. 

However, there are certain things for which the traditional debuggers are more effective than the rational purify for e.g., 

- The debuggers can be used to step line by line through the code and to examine the memory of the program at any particular instance of time. 

- It would not be wrong if we say that these two tools are complementary to each other and can work great for a skilled developer. 

- The purify comes with other functionality which can be used for more general purposes rather than the debuggers which can be used only for the code.

- One thing to be noted about the purify is that it is more effective for the programming languages in which the memory management is left to the program developer. 

- This is the reason why the occurrence of the memory leaks is reduced in the programs written in languages such as java, visual basic and lisp etc. 

- It is not like these languages will never have memory leaks, they do have which occur because of the objects being referred to unnecessarily (this prevents the re – allocation of the memory.). 

- IBM has provided solution for these kind of errors also in the form of its another product called the rational application developer.

- Errors such as the following are covered by the purify:

1. Array bounds
2. Access to un-allocated memory
3. Freeing the memory that is un-allocated
4. Memory leaks and so on. 

What is IBM Rational Purify?

Rational Purify is another dynamic tool from IBM which is meant for carrying out the analysis of the software systems and applications and to provide help to the software developers in producing a code that is more reliable. 

The IBM rational purify comes with unique capabilities:

1. Memory leak detection: This capability is related to the identification of the memory blocks to which there are no valid pointers.
2. Memory debugging: This capability is related to pin – pointing memory errors which are quite hard to be discovered such as the following:

a)   Points in code where the memory is freed improperly,

b)   Buffer over flow

c)   Access to uninitialized memory and so on.

3. Performance profiling: This capability is involved with highlighting the bottle necks of the program performance and improving the application understanding via some graphical representations of the calls to the functions.
4. Code coverage: This capability involves the identification of the code with the line – level precision that is untested.

- Platforms such as the AIX, solaris, windows, Linux and so on support the IBM rational purify. 

- The code that is developed with the help of the IBM rational purify is not only reliable but also faster. 

- This analysis tool is very well supported by the windows application development environment. 

- It has been observed that the windows applications which have been developed using the rational purify have stood to be quite reliable throughout. - There is no need to provide rational purify with a direct access to the source code.

- This makes it capable to be used with the libraries belonging to the third–parties. 

- Languages such as the .NET, visual C++ etc are supported by the rational purify. 

- The IBM rational purify is known to integrate well with the Microsoft visual studio. 

- Almost all the software systems belonging to the windows family are supported by the IBM rational purify. 

- The corruption in the memory is identified and the debugging time is reduced significantly. 

- The reliability pertaining to the execution of the software is also reduced. 

- Also, the software systems and applications now make a better utilization of the memory. 

- The IBM rational purify comes with the binary instrumentation technology in which the code is instrumented at the level of the object or the byte level. 

- Here, re–linking or the re–compilation of the software system or application is not required for the analyzation of the code. 

- Further, the third–part libraries are also analyzed. 

- With the help of the IDE integration feature, the rational purify can integrate very well with the Microsoft visual studio thus cutting down on the need of switching between different tools having different types of user interfaces. 

- It therefore develops a more productive and cohesive development environment and experience. 

- It helps in the testing as well as the analyzation of the code as it is produced by the programmer. 

- A comprehensive support is provided to most of the programming languages. - The ‘selective instrumentation’ feature of the rational purify enables a user to limit the analyzation of the software to a subset consisting of the modules which together comprise the whole application. 

- This helps greatly in the reduction of the run-time and instrumentation overhead.  

- The reporting to the modules concerned also gets limited. 

- The rational purify can be run from the command line also since it comes with a command line interface. 

- Automated testing frame works are among the rest that are supported by the software system or application. 

- In a way the software developers are empowered in delivering the product with the quality that is expected by the users.

What is IBM Rational Performance Tester?

What is a Rational Performance Tester?

- The Rational Performance Tester was developed by IBM to make the performance testing automated so that quality software could be delivered to the end users. 

- The performance tester is a great way to accelerate the performance of a software system or application without degrading its quality and this is what that matters the most. 

- This is a performance testing tool that has been developed exclusively for the identification of the cause as well as the presence of the software performance bottlenecks. 

- Using this tool, the testers can validate the scalability factor of most of the server and web based applications. 

- Further, it can be very well used for the creation of the tests in a code free style i.e., the need of programming knowledge is eliminated. 

- The test editor of this tool is quite rich in features and using it one can both the detailed and high level view of the performance tests. 

- The test data variation is automated here which means that the custom java code can be inserted possibly for making the test customization more flexible. 

- With the rational performance tester the emulation of the user populations which are quite diverse in nature is possible. 

- Also, it provides you options for flexible modeling at the same reducing the processor and memory foot print.

- If any error is found, it is reported in the real time so that the performance problem can be recognized immediately. 

- The report is presented in the form of HTML web pages in the application window itself. 

- This tool collects server resource data and integrates it with the real time performance data from the application. 

- You can even perform load testing against a number of applications such as:

1. HTTP
2. SAP
3. Sieble
4. SIP
5. TCP socket
6. Citrix and so on.

- It works well on all the windows platforms plus Linux and z/OS. 

- The performance tests can be quickly executed. 

- You can determine what impact the load is having on your software system and application.

- The below mentioned are the basic features of the rational performance tester:

1. Code free testing
2. Root cause analysis tool: It helps you to dig out the root cause and diagnose it.
3. Real time reporting
4. Test data: It reduces the headache of generating the test data by providing you options for generating it from the scripts and data pools etc.

- It comes with a recording frame work which supports the recording of the tests consisting of a SOCKS or HTTP proxy, and service tests along with the socket recorder. 

- You have the privilege of making selections among the Firefox profiles that already exist. 

- Furthermore, it comes with a protocol traffic graph which gives a real time display of the amount of data that has been recorded. 

- There is a test annotation tool bar consisting of support for all the protocols and screen capture annotations. 

- With rational performance tester, it is possible to copy and paste the page elements in the HTTP tests. 

- The data correlation tools can be customized and written using the rules editor. 

- The automatic data correlation can be disabled either fully or partially. 

- All the references in a test can be viewed through a global view. 

- Now a wider variety of conditions can be implemented using the content verification points. 

- The fractional percentages are supported by the user groups. 

- Actions to be taken and messages to be logged can be specified for a particular condition in the case of error handling. 

- Reports can be made more presentable with the help of the custom verification points. 

- Java virtual machines can be used for collecting the resource monitoring data. 

Explain IBM Rational Automation Framework?

What is Rational Automation Framework?

- Rational automation frame work is a tool developed by IBM using which control can be gained over the middle-ware environments.
- It is also used for the automation of the deployment tasks and complex administration.
- This automation frame work is highly customizable.
- Using it, one can obtain automated build – outs.
- Using it, one can even deploy a number of applications and manage the configuration of the application.
- It has been recorded that with the use of rational automation frame work, you can cut down the operational costs by huge margins and production can be improved.
- This automation frame work can be extended.
- The rational automation frame work provides a rich automation support for the following:
1. Web sphere middleware
2. JBoss application server
3. Web logic application server

Features of Rational Automation Framework

The following are features of the rational automation frame work:
1. Increases the productivity while reducing the staffing needs of the routine tasks. The routine tasks included are:
a) Automation of the manual operations
b) Error prone tasks
c) Freeing up the admin resources which are scarce.
All these tasks help in focusing up on strategic projects.

2. It helps in the improvement of application’s quality, consistency and speed. All these three factors are used to deliver applications that are business critical with the help of process which possesses the following three qualities namely accuracy, consistency and repetition.

3. It helps in the reduction of the cost of compliance, IT governance and disaster recovery. It improves the following 3 things without causing any overheads:
a) Governance
b) Disaster recovery planning and
c) Automated documentation for compliance

4. It automates the below mentioned things:
a) Environment build – outs
b) Configuration management
c) Application deployment tasks
For the following portfolio:
a) Web sphere foundation
b) Web sphere BPM suite
c) Web sphere portal

5. It is a great means for extending the automation benefits as well as qualities of services to the following:
a) Web sphere connectivity (web sphere message broker and MQ)
b) Red hat JBoss application server
c) Oracle web logic application server
This it does via the MidVision extensions to IBM RAF.

6. Helps in facilitating team – based administration with the help of a robust automation engine with improved reliability and performance.

7. Makes sure that the virtual patterns are efficiently managed with rapid provisioning with web sphere cloud burst appliance.

8. Enhances the control and workflow management in data center environments by integrating it with LDAP directories, source control tools, and rational asset manager.

This product comes with extensions that assist in the management of the additional middle-ware environments such as WMB, MQ, Jboss and web logic etc. These environments are managed with the same QoS and automation platform. The web sphere cloud burst appliance of the rational application developer helps in speeding up the virtualization environments with hyper-visor images.

We shall now state some of the features and their benefits:
1. It is a data driven and centralized automation frame work: it helps in ensuring that the appropriate data is being associated with the appropriate application and in the right environment every time.
2. It has got a rich user interface. The middle-ware configuration data can be designed, edited and managed using this frame work. New configurations can be added to a cell.
3. It is also an environment generation wizard that can also be used for specifying the criteria for a particular environment.
4. This product comes with self – documentation feature which ensures that the appropriate deployment information is captured and artifacts are properly managed.
5. Agent less technology
6. Customizable
7. Deployment artifacts are separated from the deployment process.

What is Rational Synergy Tool?

A task based configuration management tool was released by IBM called the Rational Synergy Tool. 

What does Rational Synergy Tool do?

- It enhances the development of the software systems and applications. 

- The development process was enhanced in terms of speed and ease by making actual improvements in the collaboration as well as communication among the team members.

- Rational synergy tool prepares a release management platform which is unified change and configurable. 

- It then brings the distributed and global team on this platform. 

- Thus, it helps in accelerating the build management and release processes which in turn amplifies the efficiency of the limited resources that are used in the development process. 

- It also plays great role in the unification of the distributed development teams. 

- All these factors contribute to the improvement of the performance of WAN or wide area network which is important for distant sites and global workers. 

- This has enabled the team members staying in different parts of the world to come together on work on a central data base that is provided by the rational synergy tool over the WAN. 

- This aids in the reduction of the need of simplification of the complex challenges in the development and replication. 

- The Rational Synergy Tool provides a complete solution to assist the organizations in improving the quality of their distributed development processes. 

- The environment provided by the rational synergy tool includes support for both the distributed as well as the centralized modes. 

- This tool comes with a powerful engine which drives the collaboration development, component based development and software reuse. 

- It assists you in achieving the desired resilience targets and scalability factors by integrating with the IBM rational and other partners. 

- The IBM rational synergy tool helps you with the following tasks:

1. Configuration management of the end to end tasks.
2. Baselines management support
3. Advanced release management support
4. Works as a single repository solution by integrating with the IBM rational change for software configuration and change management.
5. Provides advanced support for parallel variants and development.
6. Reduces the productivity and overhead for the software developers.
7. Supports component based development
8. Provides advanced SCM needs
9. Supports global and distributed development.

- IBM rational synergy tool helps you to gain full control over the maintenance activities, document development and software. 

- No matter what size is your team, the rational synergy tool supports all from small to large development teams. 

- Also, in which environment your team is working i.e., whether in a distributed environment or a heterogeneous environment, it really does not matter for rational synergy, it supports all. 

- The process of maintenance of the multiple versions of the files in an archive is all managed by the rational synergy. 

- There are other tools available such as RCS or PVCS or SCCS which do control file versions but they are void of many benefits such as the following:

1. Rule based configuration update
2. Product reproducible
3. Work flow management and so on.

- There is a lot of difference between the version control tools and rational synergy. 

- But the users who have experience with these version control tools should not find it much difficult to make transition to rational synergy. 

- The rational synergy comes with 2 types of interfaces namely:

1. Synergy classic: This interface comes with CM capabilities which are important for admins.
2. Rational synergy: This interface has been developed exclusively for the users who are build managers and developers.

- The rational synergy’s command line interface is applicable for both the UNIX and windows platforms. 

- Rational synergy as a configuration management tool provides a unique and easy way for the creation of a baseline. 

Give an overview of IBM Rational Application Developer?

The Rational Application Developer was developed by IBM to provide a complete solution for the development of the applications which are otherwise are difficult to be built. It creates an integrated environment for you to work in. The work bench platform can be further extended to meet your specific requirements. 

The Rational Application Developer by default supports two SCM systems (software configuration management systems) namely:

1. SCM adapter plug–in: This is included for the CVS systems (concurrent version system). This is so because the eclipse only supports the open source SCM system which is none other than the CVS.
2. Rational clear case SCM adapter plug–in: This is automatically installed by the rational application developer. However the clear case client needs to be installed separately.

Before using either of the above mentioned adapters, you should enable the appropriate one. 

About Rational Application Developer

- Rational application developer is a great tool for the development of web application since its work bench offers you a number of tools that you might require for developing your applications. 

- The application may range from web sites to static web pages to complex web applications which make use of JSP files or java servlets.

- A web project consists of all these resources, web resources and deployment descriptors.

- Rational application developer can also be used for the development of portal as well as portlet applications. 

- The tools provided by the rational application developer run well on web sphere portal. 

- Rational application developer has it all that is required for the development of portal – views, wizards and specialized editors. 

- All these ease the creation of the portal sites. 

- Java development tools of the rational application developer assist you in building and running the java programs that have been optimized. 

- Tools consist of a UML diagram editor and a visual editor as well. 

- The client, data tiers and servers can be segregated using the J2EE specifications for the enterprise applications. 

- It has also got some relation data base tools using which the work regarding the data access applications can be defined. 

- You can work with the following:

1. Tables
2. Views
3. Filters
4. SQL
5. DB2
6. UDB routines
7. SQLJ files
8. SQL DDL files
9. DADX files
10. XML files and so on.

- Not only this, a number of enterprise applications can be developed and tested in the specialized environment dedicated to this by the rational application developer. 

- The following tasks can also be carried out:

1. Writing and editing business logic
2. Importing and exporting enterprise applications
3. Maintenance of the source code
4. Generating code using java development tools

- An already existing system can be redesigned to achieve better maintenance of the design. 

- This IBM product also comes with tools to assist you in discovering, transforming, and creating, deploying, building, developing, testing and publishing the web services. 

- Thus, it is a web service development package also. 

- A web service consists of many application functions that are related to each other and can be invoked over the internet. 

- These web services can be mixed and matched by the businesses for carrying out complex transformations involving just required amount of programming. 

- Rational application developer has proved to be quite a great tool in developing the EGL (enterprise generation language) applications. 

- EGL are the languages which help you write code for full functions applications as quickly as possible. 

- It lets you focus up on the business problems rather than its development technology. 

- It can be used for the creation of a text user interface, basic batch, as well as web applications. 

How does an IBM Rational Functional Tester work?

Rational functional tester is an IBM product developed exclusively for carrying out automated functional testing as well as regression testing. Thus, it can also be very well considered to be a regression testing and automated functional testing tool. It provides the testers with the extended abilities for carrying out the following tests:

1.   Automated functional testing

2.   Regression testing

3.   GUI testing and

4.   DDT or data driven testing

- It sounds like a wonderful tool which provides facilities to carry out four types of distinct tests. 

- Also, it would not be wrong if you call it a ‘automated functional regression testing tool’. 

- Using this IBM tool, capturing and creating automated tests becomes so easy since it ensures that the basic purpose of the tests.

- IBM’s rational functional tester becomes a more useful tool if it used by an individual of a software delivery team which continually updates the application or the software system and requires a mean using which it can keep executing a batch of core tests.

- With other tools you have to go through all the actions before you perform them which makes the testing even more difficult. 

- On the other hand if you are IBM rational functional tester, only once you need to capture the tester and then you can have the tool does the play back for you any number of times. 

- In other words, you can say that a whole series of tests can be grouped to form a test suite which can be run whole day and all night long to make sure that the software system or application is free of any regressions. 

- Before you start using the rational functional tester, it is advisable that you first go through the demo of the product and read the data sheet and then go for using it. 

- This tool developed by IBM is fully object oriented and can tester the following applications:

1. Windows applications
2. .NET
3. Java
4. HTML
5. Siebel
6. SAP
7. AJAX
8. Power builder
9. Flex
10. Dojo
11. Visual basic
12. GEF etc.

- In addition to all these things mentioned below can also be tested:

1. Adobe PDF documents
2. Zseries applications
3. Iseries applications
4. Pseries applications

- With rational functional tester, you get a reliability and robustness in the scripts that are recorded using it. 

- These scripts later can be used for play back in order to carry out the validation of the test applications. 

- However, one thing to know about rational functional tester is that it supports only two platforms namely windows and Linux.

- Two integrated development environments are supported by the rational functional tester. 

- Firstly, user actions can be recorded for the creation of the scripts in the simplest form that can be understood easily on the platform of rational software delivery. 

- In order to provide an extra helping hand to the advanced users it comes with the support for two scripting languages as mentioned below:

1. Java language: for functional tester java scripting
2. VB.NET language: for the functional tester VB.NET 2003 as well as 2005.

- The development environment is of the Microsoft visual studio .NET. 

- It comes with an extension for the terminal based applications as mentioned above so as to provide support for the functional testing of the following:

1. zSeries applications such as TN3270E, TN3270 and so on.
2. iSeries applications such as TN5250.
3. pSeries applications such as VT default, VT 420 – 7, VT 100, VT UTF – 8, VT 420 – 8 etc which are all virtual terminals.

- With this extension you can create test scripts for the automation of the test cases of the host applications. 

- It becomes easy for you to test the following:

1. host attributes
2. host field attributes and
3. screen flow

- For testing all these, it makes use of the terminal verification properties and points and synchronization code for the identification of the readiness of the terminal to take input from the user.