Software testing is a complex process. It is more difficult for specialists to perform manual testing when complexity of software systems increases. One should decide how to increase the quality of work and reduce time and money resources.
For software testing company automation can become a long-term investment. Sooner or later a quality-oriented company will start searching for a good specialist in automated testing. He/she should have a common view on the project, be able to use his/her working time efficiently, allocate resources and be focused on details.
Automation is not always necessary. One should always be guided by the principle of benefit. Using automated testing wisely can significantly reduce the time for testing performance. Besides that automation can help to avoid situations when software tester loses his touch simply because of fatigue.
The Main Types of Automated Testing Aids
Test data generator. It’s a special program that helps to optimize the process of generating test data for specific features of the tested application. Generator can create the data which is necessary for using of tested product. However, for effective work one should be able to use data generator in a proper way. Sometimes studying of the data generator takes so much time that it is wiser to create test data manually.
System for recording and tracking defects. For this purpose testers and developers can use bug tracking systems. With the help of this instrument tester can report bugs and customer has an opportunity to follow the process of debugging.
System for test coverage analysis. Number of tested modules depends on the level of test coverage. Test coverage helps to evaluate the quality of automated testing. The higher level of test coverage is, the more tests will be chosen for checking the testing requirements or code. One should take into account the fact that this system can leave some code areas unchecked.
System for detecting run-time errors. Tools of this system help to detect errors that occur during the execution of the program. Run-time error is one of the most difficult for developer. Such errors can occur due to the different reasons. Most often the error occurs because of incorrect input data. System tools help to determine what errors can occur when working with the tested program and determine the possibility of fixing these errors.
System for testing the user interface. This instrument possesses properties of recording and reproduction. It allows evaluating the usability of the tested product.
All the aids mentioned above help developers and testers to analyze a large amount of programs, but one should not forget that all the aids of automated testing are only tools that are not able to write a test plan for you. They can only do what you set them to do.