Conference Presentations

Attacking GUI Test Automation Maintaince Headaches

GUI-centric automation scripting is a major cause of the high costs and failed test automation efforts. These scripts may work fine for one release, but quickly break down when the GUI changes, triggering huge maintenance efforts resulting in ultimate failure. Based on the successes at CISCO, Jeff Feldstein discusses the ways they have mitigated these problems with: back-end testing without the GUI; using appropriate manual testing; simulating browsers with HTTP proxy software; and many more tricks-of-the-trade.

Jeff Feldstein, Cisco Systems Inc
Automated Testability: The Missing Link in Test Automation

Many organizations invest in test automation tools that become "shelfware." One answer is automated testabilityx0151how well an application supports the implementation, execution, and maintenance of automated testing. John Fodeh explains how the quality of an applications automated testability is defined by control; visibility; consistency; reliability; persistence; and documentation. Learn ways to improve automated testability during the early design stages of the application to dramatically increase your test automation success. Plus, find out how to improve automated testability in your current applications.

John Fodeh, B-K Medical
Rapid Automated Test Script Development In A Fast Paced Web Shop

Before you start writing automated test scripts, you need an automation framework that matches your application and environment. Not surprisingly, Web applications at HotJobs, a Yahoo! Company are constantly changing and need a fast, flexible methodology for test automation. Clay Givens illustrates the importance of designing this flexibility into automated tests with an emphasis on modularity for speed. He describes how to design automated tests, run them efficiently, and share test results using both commercial and homegrown open-source testing tools.

Clay Givens, HotJobs, a Yahoo! Company
Automated Testing of Packaged Applications Upgrades

If you are responsible for Oracle Application implementations, you probably understand the complexity and quality challenges of implementing 11.5x upgrades. You may also be struggling with how to best use automated testing for these upgrades. Find out about Mentora Group's experiences tackling these issues and the criteria they have developed for a successful project. Walk away from this session with specific insights for testing Oracle 11i Financials and Manufacturing, as well as general techniques applicable to testing any packaged ERP project.

Dan Downing, Mentora Inc
Configuration Test Automation using Virtual Machines

There are more than 7,000 possible configurations of operating systems, browsers, screen resolutions, and other unique characteristics in today’s computer environments. Learn about a flexible automation framework for functional configuration testing based on an approach developed by Plaxo, Inc. This approach uses multiple virtual operating systems with a pre-installed, commercial automation tool launched on a single Intel-based computer. The results were highly scalable for new configurations under test and allowed the team to test over 30 different configurations on one PC.

Vladimir Belorusets, Plaxo
STARWEST 2003: Surviving The Top Ten Challenges of Software Test Automation

Although test automation has been around for years, many organizations still have difficulty making automated testing a reality. Although organizations see the value in using automated test tools, research shows that most organizations perform more manual testing than automated testing. This presentation examines the big challenges in test automation and describes ways that successful organizations have overcome them. Learn how to apply these lessons in your organization to add value to your testing efforts. Topics include: how to organize your team for test automation; how to find the right tools; how to get and keep management support; creative ways to train people to use test tools; how to manage people's expectations; how to control and maintain automated testware; and how to integrate tool usage into existing test processes.

Randy Rice, Rice Consulting Services Inc
Test Automation with Open Source Tools in an Agile SDLC Process

Test automation, open source tools, and agile methods are three important trends in software development. The instructors present a case study of a project where the project team integrated these three methods to build and deliver a critical application. Using automated testing as a foundation piece of the process the team met the demands of an aggressive schedule while responding to fluctuating requirements. The use of open source tools for test automation reduced the project cost while providing additional flexibility during the project.

Peter Dignan, ProtoTest LLC
Automating J2EE and .NET Tests

With the introduction of the new J2EE (1.4) and .NET platforms, the middleware tier of software applications just became more complex. How do you test an application that uses up to 20 major APIs? Using case study of such an application, Frank Cohen describes how to test functionality, scalability, and performance. In this environment, testers and developers must work together, beginning with automated unit testing and continuing through integration and into system testing. Take away the test agent code, documentation, and installation instructions you’ll need to run the same tests in your own environments under a free, open-source license.

Frank Cohen, PushToTest
Getting More Mileage Out of Your Automation

Don't settle for rerunning the same automated test cases over and over again. Instead, get more mileage out of your automation! Learn how to add real-time variety and randomness to automated tests and make your data-driven test cases even more dynamic. Kelly Whitmill offers hints, guidelines, and tradeoffs for automated verification of test executions and tells you how to do automated verification when you can't know the expected results until runtime. Find out why you don’t need formal models and fancy tools to use test case generation in your projects.

Kelly Whitmill, IBM Corporation
Software Test Automation Fall 2003: Mission Made Possible: A Lightweight Test Automation Experience

This article discusses the UCI test process technique and how to implement it for your team. A sample test plan checklist is also included.

Rex Black, Rex Black Consulting Services, Inc.

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