The importance of test data management is often underestimated.
It is common knowledge that software testing is an integral part of a software development process. Web site testing, desktop testing or mobile testing can provide reliable and useful results only if test data are properly selected, stored and processed.
It can be done if test data management is paid due attention. Unfortunately, some managers neglect this aspect, planning manual or automated testing.
The reason of such neglect often is that the managers prefer to perform functional testing, usability testing, load testing or any other testing type rather than prepare to it, or they just do not understand the impact of test data on the test results.
In Order to Organize Test Data Management, One Should:
- make sure that work with the test data is considered in the test plan; sufficient time and resources are allocated for this activity;
- track demands to the test data and their status; an activity tracking instrument may be useful for this purpose as the amount of data may be huge;
- consider the main test data characteristics, like amount, variation, sensitivity, relevance, complexity.
Well managed test data can considerably reduce time to market of the software product and cost of the project.