Utomated: Oftware Esting

An AUTOMATED TESTING INSTITUTE Publication - www.automatedtestinginstitute.
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oftware esting MAGAZINE
December 2010 $8.95
TechnicaL
vsvs
Non- Technical
Skills in Test Automation
Automation
Supercharged
Mod-out Your
Automation To Make
It More Effective
Showing Up On
Management’s
Radar
6 Inevitable Questions
You Must Be Prepared
To Answer
Hot Tutorial: Passing Parameters From Quality Center to QTP

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December 2010, Volume 2, Issue 5
Contents
Cover Story
Technical Vs Non-Technical Skills 16
There is a general perception that testers must be or become technical, i.e. programmers, if they are to become
involved in automation. This is not necessarily the case, however. Read this article to learn more about the role of
the testers and test automators in test automation. By Dorothy Graham
Features
Automation Supercharged 24
Just like many automobile enthusiasts “mod-out” their muscle cars, you have the option to mod-out your automation for a
higher degree of technical output. By J.L. Perlin
Showing Up On Management’s Radar 28

When management locks its sights onto your automation efforts, you better be able to respond quickly, or risk getting shot
down. Read this article to learn the 6 questions from management you must be prepared to answer. By Dion Johnson
Columns & Departments

Editorial 4
Flipping the Automation Coin I ‘B’log to U 34
Learn why technical and non-technical skills are both Read featured blog posts from the web.
important to test automation. Hot topics in automation 38
QC/QTP Parameters Are Hot!
Authors and events 6
Why the community loves ATI’s “Passing Parameters
Learn about AST authors and upcoming events.
From Quality Center To QTP” Tutorial
Sweat the technique 8
Custom Report Generation The Automated Software Testing (AST) Magazine is an Automated Testing
Institute (ATI) publication.
Learn how to customize your test management tool to For more information regarding the magazine visit
http://www.astmagazine.automatedtestinginstitute.com
generate custom reports.
December 2010 www.automatedtestinginstitute.com Automated Software Testing Magazine 3
Editorial
Flipping the Automation Coin

by Dion Johnson
What does test automation truly entail?
Is it all just about highly technical work?
Is it simply about scripting? Is it a simple
matter of objects, properties, methods
and syntax? Am I going to ask rhetorical
questions during this entire article? The
answers to these questions are ‘No’.
Our I B’Log to U department includes a
statement from Elisabeth Hendrickson’s
blog in which she poses the following
question:
For years, whenever someone

asked me if I thought testers had
to know how to write code, I’ve
responded: “Of course not.”
Her statement, however, was about

testers doing general testing work. It didn’t
address work specific to test automation.
So, what about, test automation tasks? sentences of the above paragraph then look at the big picture and move the entire
ATI’s forth coming Automation Body you might believe that test automation effort in the right direction. This issue of
of Knowledge Guidebook (http://www. is strictly technical. If you also subscribe the AST magazine is therefore devoted
abok.automatedtestinginstitute.com) to the final sentence, however, then it is to an exploration of technical and non-
includes the following excerpt: probably your belief that it is so much technical skills that together make up
more. The phrase “general support two sides of the same test automation
Software test automation is the use of for and implementation of” is short, coin. In our cover story, Ms. Dorothy
software to test or support the testing of but packs a lot of power. Essentially Graham addresses the relationship
Successful implementation of test automation typically

requires some programming expertise as well as planning and
management expertise.
other software known as an application it means that test automation is not between technical and non-technical
under test (AUT). This includes the all technical, and to assume that it is automation skills in an article entitled,
use of software to dynamically setup would do a major disservice to your “Technical vs. Non-Technical Skills in
test preconditions, produce test data, efforts. Successful implementation Test Automation”. Then focusing more
execute test procedures against the of test automation typically requires attention on the technical side of the
AUT, and dynamically compare actual some programming expertise as well fence, Mr. J.L. Perlin provides a high
results to expected results of a test. Also, as planning and management expertise. energy article entitled, “Automation
this may involve the use of software You must have someone that is able to Supercharged”. In this article Perlin
to dynamically collate test results and understand code cleanup and memory lets us know how we can “mod-out”
produce meaningful test charts, graphs leaks, along with someone that knows our test automation efforts much like
and reports that effectively relay those how to calculate return on investment people do their muscle cars to make them
results to stakeholders. Additionally, and make decisions about what should more efficient and effective. Finally,
it entails general support for and be automated. The point being made Mr. Dion Johnson (that would be me),
implementation of software tools that here is that a test automation effort shifts direction and looks at some non-
integrate with and help to facilitate the should include resources with both a technical concerns in an article entitled,
testing process. microscopic set of skills that are able to “Showing Up On Management’s Radar:
get into the technical weeds, as well as a 6 Inevitable Questions You Must Be
If you subscribe to only the first three macroscopic set of skills that are able to Prepared to Answer”.
4 Automated Software Testing Magazine www.automatedtestinginstitute.com December 2010

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Automation Add the date, time and venue so people will know where to go and when to be there.
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Authors and Events
Who’s In This Issue?

Dorothy Graham has worked in software
testing for over 30 years. Originally from the US,
A
S
utomated
T
oftware esting
her first job was developing testing tools for Bell
Labs in New Jersey. After emigrating to the UK, Managing Editor
she worked as a developer for Ferranti Computer Dion Johnson
Systems in Manchester for 7 years. She developed
Contributing Editor
training courses in software engineering for the
Edward Torrie
National Computing Centre before becoming an independent consultant
specializing in software testing. She founded Grove Consultants in 1988. Director of Marketing and Events
During her 20 years with them, Grove gained a reputation for the high quality Christine Johnson
of their training materials and presentations, and established a world-wide
client base. In 2008 she left Grove to work again as an independent consultant.
A PUBLICATION OF THE AUTOMATED
She is co-author of three books, was Programme Chair for EuroSTAR 2009, TESTING INSTITUTE
was a founding member of the ISEB Software Testing Board, and is a popular
and entertaining speaker at conferences and events world-wide.
J.L. Perlin offers a featured article that provides an

approach for handling modern day technology changes.
Perlin has over 20 years of manual and automated CONTACT US
testing experience and has managed QA teams in both AST Magazine
the public and private sector for organizations including astmagazine@automatedtestinginstitute.com
Lockheed Martin, Social Security Administration ATI Online Reference
(SSA), General Electric, and the Centers for Medicare contact@automatedtestinginstitute.com
& Medicaid Services (CMS). You can email Mr. Perlin at jeffrey_perlin@
yahoo.com
ATI and Partner Events

Dion Johnson has several years of
experience in providing IT services to both February 14, 2011
government and private industry. With a Bachelor Open Source Test Automation
of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, Tools Love-In (OSTATLI)
he has spent much of his professional career as http://agilistry.com/events/ostatli/
a consultant in the areas of quality assurance
September 19-21, 2011
(QA), quality control (QC), software process
improvements, requirements analysis and software test automation. Verify/ATI Conference 2011
www.verifyati.com
As a regular conference speaker and presenter, Dion has delivered
award winning and highly acclaimed presentations at many of the
most prestigious industry conferences, including the StarEast and
StarWest International Conference on Software Testing, Analysis
and Review, and the Quality Assurance Institute Conference. He also
teaches college level classes relative to testing and test automation,
and has several published articles in various IT publications.
For more information, visit http://www.networking.automatedtestinginstitute.com
Sweat the Technique
The ins and OUTS of Test Management Tools

Create Custom Reports in 9 Steps
Despite the title, this article is more about the OUTs, 1. Create template structure
than the Ins; the Output to be more exact. Very often one 2. Connect to test management tool data store
of the serious limiting factors of test management tools is
the format in which data comes out. Test teams and their 3. Open template file
stakeholders get used to managing and seeing data, such as 4. Query header data
test case reports, in a specific way. For example, it’s not
5. Add header data to report
uncommon for testers to manage and maintain test
cases using Microsoft Word templates, but as the test 6. Query dynamic data
bed grows and this approach becomes increasingly 7. Insert rows in the dynamic data report table
unmanageable, project leads often work to introduce
a test management tool. This move towards a test 8. Add dynamic data to report
management tool is often met by resistance for a number of 9. Save and Close template
reasons, and one of those reasons is that the tool
won’t allow them to export the test cases Step 1. Create template structure
in the format they’re used to
This step is the only one
seeing. Sometimes this can
that is not programmatic.
be mitigated by easing
It calls for the creation of a
all pertinent parties into
formatted Word template file
the new way of viewing
(.dot or .dotx). This template
the data. Other times it’s not
file will be accessed and used
that simple. While it may be fine for the
by the custom exporter script
test designer to change the way they manage and
that generates a test case from the
view the data, there may be contractual obligations that
test management tool to MSWord.
force the project team to provide stakeholders (sometimes
The use of a template greatly reduces the amount of code that
government stakeholders) with test case reports in a specific
the custom exporter will require, because instead of building
format. So whether the issues are contractual or cultural, there
the Word report from scratch, the script will simply extract the
is often a need to print out custom Word reports. This can be
desired data from the tool and place it in the predefined template
accomplished in 9 Steps:
Figure 1: Test Case Template

Sweat the Technique
locations. For the purposes of this article,

‘Connect to Test Tool Data Store we will use the template illustrated in
Figure 1. This file will be saved as C:\\
testCaseTemplate.dot.
‘Invoke Word
This template is composed of two
Word tables. It’s important to note the
index and structure (number of rows and
‘Open New Word Document Based on Template columns) of the tables, because we’ll
refer to this information when we begin
scripting. Word table 1 is the Header
Information table and it has 2 columns
and 4 rows.
• Row 1: Test Case Name

• Row 2: Test Case Description
• Row 3: Test Case Prerequisites
• Row 4: Post Conditions
‘Get Header Data The first column of this table is simply
for informational purposes. The second
column will be used for storing the
pertinent test header data.
Word table 2 is the Test Case Steps

‘Identify the Word Tables table and it has 5 columns and two rows.
• Column 1: Step Number
‘Put Header Data in Word Document • Column 2: Step Description

• Column 3: Step Expected Results
• Column 4: Step Actual Results
• Column 5: Step Pass/Fail Status
‘Get Test Step Data The first row of this table is simply for
informational purposes. The second row
is currently blank, but will be filled in
‘Insert A Row in the Test Step Table For Each Test Step Retrieved
based on the data that exists in the test
management tool. The script will also
dynamically add rows to this table based
‘Put Test Step Data in Word Document on the rows of data that exist in the tool.
Step 2.Connect to test management

tool data store
The mechanism for connecting to

the test management tool varies based
on the test management tool you’re
‘Save Word Document
implementing. A customization module
may be available that provides the ability
to write internal scripts that interface
‘Cleanup with the tool and its data via an API.
Other tools might offer only the ability
to connect directly to its data store from
an external script via a connection object
(i.e. ADODB object).
If you’re unsure of how to access your

Figure 2: ‘Generate Test Case’ Exporter Function

to make sure the template file exists prior
to attempting to open it. If the template
file exists, the statement on line 14 creates
a new word document based on that
template and the script moves on.
Step 4. Query header data
Just as the mechanism for connecting

to the data store varies with each test
management tool, so does the mechanism
for obtaining data from the data store. For
the purposes of this article, two stubs –
illustrated in Figure 3 – have been created
to simulate the querying of a data store:
• QueryHeaderData
• QueryTestStepData
Lines 23 through 26 of the

exporter function in Figure 2 use the
QueryHeaderData function to get the data
that will be placed in the report document.
Step 5. Add header data to report
Since we identified the structure

of the template file tables, this step is
pretty simple with a little knowledge
of MS Word’s object model. First, the
script accesses the tables in lines 29 and
30, and stores references to the tables in
variables. Lines 33 through 36 access the
header table by its variable reference in
order to place the header data in the report
document.
Step 6. Query dynamic data
This is essentially the same as Step

Figure 3: Stub Functions 4, with the exception of the data actually
being queried. This time, we’re getting
tools data from a script, you can check programmatically open an instance of the dynamic data. The data is considered
the tool’s documentation or find an online Microsoft Word. This instance is tied to the ‘dynamic’ because the number of rows
forum that can provide some guidance. ObjWord variable. When initially opened, will vary from test case to test case. Line
Word is invisible, so to make it visible 39 in Figure 2 calls the QueryTestStepData
For the purposes of this article on the screen, the Visible property is set stub to get the dynamic data from the data
a placeholder function has been to ‘True’. If you don’t want Microsoft to store.
created called ConnectToDataStore. be visible during the export process, but
This function is used on line 3 of the Step 7. Insert rows in the dynamic
instead elect for the processing to occur
data report table
GenerateTestCaseReport function behind the scenes, you can set the property
illustrated in Figure 2. to ‘False’ or don’t set it at all (the default Since a variable number of rows exist
is False). for dynamic data, the template file cannot
Step 3. Open template file
be created with a predefined numbers of
Upon accessing the data store, the next Lines 10 and 11 initialize variables rows in its second table. For this reason,
step is to open a new Word document that store the name and path of the the template file only begins with 2 rows
based on the template file that was created template file. Line 12 is used to instantiate in the second table, which means the
in Step 1. This is illustrated in lines 5 the FileSystemObject object. This object export script is responsible for expanding
through 20 of Figure 2. Line 6 is used to is used in the if block beginning at line 13 this table based on the data extracted from

the data store. Lines 42 and 43 access generated dynamically. For this reason, a
the second table in the report document loop must be set up for entering the data,
C
and insert rows (using the InsertRows as illustrated in lines 46 through 52.
method) in the table based on the data
obtained from the data store. Steps 9. Save and Close template ontribute
C
Steps 8. Add dynamic data to report The final step in the process is to
ontent
close and save the generated report file.
Adding the dynamic data to the report Line 55 uses the saveas method to save
is similar to adding the header data, the file with a desired file name. Lines
T
except for the fact that the table cells in 58 through 60 close Word and do some
oday
which data will be entered have been variable cleanup.
Automation Supercharged
(Continued from page 27)
tools also allow the test engineer to take a for multiple AUT servers to be used to
snapshot of the AUT state and attach it to advance other testing objectives.
Community
a defect report to help the developers in
the debugging process. The functionality Closing Comments Box
provided by the VM management and
test management tool integration can There are many factors to take into
greatly reduce the amount of time account when fine tuning your automation
required for building test environments, effort, including environment, available
and can provide some added value to resources, and the track time that you Announcements &
the development team by enabling the are looking to meet or beat. All of the Blog Posts
test engineer to send more detailed methods mentioned above may not apply
information about a failed test in much to your particular scenario, but you can
less time. take bits and pieces of this information
The use of virtual machines also to fine tune your effort to increase its
reduces testing’s footprint and costs, performance, reliability, agility, speed,
allowing funds previously allocated and horsepower! Automation
Events
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Open Sourcery
Ajar Source
It’s Free...For a Fee
Ah, open source software is great! people (or as you call it teams).
Let’s take a moment to list what we love Now your Pro version has had the
about it: ability to do teaming since at least
version 2.0. I can’t help but think
• It has a large community of that this being a critical function
of a CRM system is intentionally
developers supporting it
left out in order to steer people
• It offers users the ability to to the commercial version of you
customize it product. Am I wrong here?”
• It is free
Many feel duped by commercial open
Wait a minute. The above list needs to be source products, because they are of the
amended: opinion that the “open source” portion of
• It has large community of the software is really not useful without
developers supporting it the features offered in the commercial
• It offers users the ability to extension of the product.
customize it
• It is free Others say commercial open source
producers absolutely have the right to
That’s right, open source software is sell certain portions of their software
not always free. Just in case you were to the public while remaining under the
a lot of debate, regarding whether these umbrella that is open source. Those that
wondering, this is not some thinly veiled
products are really and truly open source. fall on this side of the fence often lean
reference to the costs associated with
open source documentation and expertise It is argued by many that they are not, on the Free Software Definition, which is
or the lack there-of. Open source software and that the companies are merely sometimes linked to open source and open
is literally not always free. Believe it or using the “open source” moniker as a source licenses. This definition reads that:
not, ‘Totally Free’ is not a prerequisite for marketing strategy for software that is
software to be considered open source, and in reality commercial. ZDnet has an “Free software” is a matter of
many companies are taking that loophole article entitled, “Commericial open liberty, not price. To understand
to the bank… literally. Take Redhat for source, a misnomer”, that is all about the concept, you should think of
“Free software” is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the

concept, you should think of “free” as in “free speech,” not as in “free
beer.”
example. Redhat, whose leading product
is Red Hat Enterprise Linux, is an open one man’s disdain for the intersection “free” as in “free speech,” not as in
source company that is expected to reach of commercial and open source (http:// “free beer.” (http://www.gnu.org/
1 Billion dollars in software revenues www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/commercial- philosophy/free-sw.html)
in 2011. A Billion dollars!? How do open-source-a-misnomer/1787). In this As the debate rages on, some are
you make a billion on open source? By article, a disgruntled patron of open appeased by the use of the terms, “free open
making it commercial open source, that’s source products contacts SugarCRM, a source software” (FOSS) and commercial
how. The concept of commercial open commercial open source company, via open source software (COSS), but many
source software (COSS) involves the email and states: are still angered that “open source” is used
release of software that is in part free of at all in a commercial product’s name.
charge and open to the public, but has “I don’t get it. You say that Since they’re only partially open, maybe
SugarCRM is open source
some portions that are only available for however the latest version (3.5) commercial open source tools should be
a fee and are often even closed source. of the open source version still called “ajar source”. Maybe that would
This type of business model has sparked doesn’t have the ability to group quiet the debate.

Migrate your test lab
to the Amazon cloud
TODAY
December 2010 www.capcal.com

www.automatedtestinginstitute.com Automated Software Testing Magazine 13
TechnicaL
vs
Non- Technical
Skills in Test Automation
By DorothyGraham
‘T echnical’ & ‘Non-Technical’ skills

are the Yin & Yang of the test
automation discipline
S
eemingly at odds, both these interconnected skillsets
T
Technical
ec
hnical
are necessary for the successful implementation of
a test automation effort.
n-
No
this article, I d i s c u s s t h e r o l e , of the testers and test automators

In in test automation. Technical skills are needed by test automators, but testers who do
not have technical skills should not thereby be prohibited from writing and running automated tests.
TestAutomationSkills one of a ‘tester’, and that any manual Is test automation a technical
tester can pick up and learn how to use task?
Existing Perception an automated testing tool. Although the The answer to this question depends
skills [of a tester] … are still needed to on what you include as part of “test
The automation of test execution implement AST, a complement of skills automation”. If you view it as the direct
is a popular application of computer similar to the broad range of skill sets use of a test execution tool, i.e. writing,
technology to itself. There are a number needed to develop the software product editing and running scripts written in
of books about test automation. Many itself is needed.” (Dustin, E., Garrett, the tool’s scripting language, then it is
of them do not appear to mention skills T. and Gauf, B. 2009. Implementing a technical task, and programming (i.e.
needed (or it was not obvious if they Automated Software Testing. Addison scripting) skills are needed.
did). There is a general perception that Wesley/Pearson Education, Boston, MA.
testers must be or become technical, p 225) Another technical aspect of test
i.e. programmers, if they are to become automation is the design of the testware
involved in automation, although there are A paper by Mosaic mentions architecture – the structure and relationship
a few exceptions that mention a distinction three roles: “Manual Test Engineer”, of all of the items of testware that comprise
between testers and automators. “Automation Test Engineer” and “Lead the artifacts required for automated tests
Automator” ([author unknown] 2002. to successfully run. The design of the
Linda Hayes in her useful booklet
Staffing your test automation team. testware architecture is a critical aspect
on automation says: “… developing
Mosaic Inc, Chicago IL. http://www. for successful test automation, and the
test scripts is essentially a form of
mosaicinc.com/mosaicinc/successful_ skills needed for this include technical
programming; for this role, a more
test.htm). In this model, the design of expertise, as well as knowledge of how
technical background is needed.”
tests (i.e. the tester’s role) is done by both the tests are to be used. The person who
(Hayes, L. G. 1995. Automated Testing
test engineers; the automation work (i.e. designs the testware architecture may be
Handbook. Software Testing Institute,
test automator’s role) is done by the lead called a test automator, test architect, or
Dallas, TX.) She distinguishes between
lead automator.
“Test Developers” i.e. testers, and “Script automator and automation test engineer.
Developers”, which is part of the role of a The key distinction is who designs the
test automator. tests, which in my view is best done by Constructing automated tests
Dustin et al says: “When people think the tester, but collaborating with the is not entirely a technical
of AST [Automated Software Testing], test automator for tests that are to be process
they often think the skill set required is automated. The construction of the automation

scripting language. One tester decided he
K ey
didn’t want to become technical, so he
concentrated on manual testing, but the
others all became good test automators.
T erminology
There were two interesting side-effects of
the testers’ newly acquired skill set. First,
they had a lot more sympathy for the
developers, as they now understood first-
hand the frustrations of trying to get the
• Test automation: the computer-assisted running of soft- computer to do what you wanted it to do.
ware tests, i.e. the automation of test execution. Second, they found that the developers
treated them with a bit more respect, as
• Test automator: A person who builds and maintains the they now also had some development
testware associated with automated tests. skills. This led to a better relationship
between the developers and testers.
• Tester: A person who identifies test conditions, designs Another example where it worked
test cases and verifies test results. A tester may also very well to have all of the testers become
build and execute tests and compare test results. automators is described in a chapter by
Lisa Crispin in our forthcoming book
• Testware: The artifacts required to plan, design and ex- (Crispin, L. Zero to 100% Regression
ecute tests, such as documentation, scripts, inputs, ex- Test Automation in one year: an Agile
Approach to Automation 2010. In
pected outcomes, set-up and clean-up procedures, files, Graham, D. and Fewster, M. Experiences
databases, environments, and any additional software of Test Automation. [Publisher not yet
or utilities used in testing. determined]). An agile team of 9 to
12 people were all involved in doing
manual regression testing, so were highly
motivated to automate 20% of their work,
architecture, and the scripts and other determined, but this is a task that is done and everyone became involved in the
testware that will be used to run automated by a tester; the implementation of the test automation.
tests is a technical task, but automated is what is done by the automator.
testing is not just the structure of the
architecture and scripts. A separate team of test
TestersToAutomators? automators?
The whole purpose of test automation
is to make it possible to run tests with I have seen other organizations where
minimal human involvement in test Testers become automators? a separate team is set up to automate tests,
execution (and comparison). leaving the testers free to concentrate on
I have seen it work well to have a designing tests and running manual tests.
There is a need for testers to be able team of manual testers embarking on an As the automation team gets going, they
to use automated tests, both to write tests automation project, where all (or nearly automate tests nominated by the testers,
to be run automatically, and to run those all) of the testers effectively become freeing the testers from having to do
tests and view the results. The tests that programmers, i.e. test programmers, those tests manually. The automation
are to be automated could be technical
team provides
tests, such as
a service to the
those written
by developers The content of the test needs to be testers, designing
the testware
as part of
Te s t - D r i v e ndetermined, but this is a task that is done by architecture and
structure of the
Development or
unit or integration a tester; the implementation of the test tests, and assisting
where needed
testing,
system
but
and is what is done by the automator when problems are
encountered with
acceptance tests
the automated
can also be automated, and the testers who or scripters. At a former colleague’s tests. For example, if an automated test
write those tests are not always technical company, five out of the team of six fails, it could be because of a software
(i.e. software developers). testers went on the tool vendor’s training fault (in which case the tester would
The content of the test needs to be course and became familiar with the tool’s have found a bug), but it could fail for a

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community in order to deliver up-to-date and relevant content. That’s why
we’ve made it even easier for you to contribute content directly to the ATI
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As a registered user you can submit content directly to the site, providing you with
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Community
Comments Box >> Community Comments Box - This comments box, available on the home page of
the site, provides an opportunity for users to post micro comments in real time.
>> Announcements & Blog Posts - If you have interesting tool announcements, or
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Announcements & Online Reference today. At ATI, you have a community of individuals that would love
Blog Posts to hear what you have to say. Your site profile will include a list of your submitted
articles.
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technical reason such as a problem with to the software being tested should be automators to make it easy for the testers
the environment, a missing testware item confined to only one testware artifact (or a to kick off a set of tests, for example
(i.e. a bug in the automated testware), or minimum number if this is not practical). by providing options in a user-friend
a problem with the tool itself. The tester, This layer gives good maintainability interface to the automation.
not being technical, will need technical to the automated test regime. The testers also need to receive and
assistance to identify the source of the understand the results of the automated
problem. tests, and the way in which this information
Tester Layer
So we have the situation where test is communicated to them is also designed
automation does require technical skills, If all of the testers are technical, by the test automator.
but we have testers who do not have those such as developers who are doing Test-
This separation of the tester from the
skills – can this really work? Yes it can, Driven Design or unit testing, then this
automation is needed for the automation
but it needs two key separations or layers layer is not as critical. The Tester layer of
to grow within an organization and to give
of abstraction. abstraction is needed when system testers
long-lasting benefits and wide-spread
or user acceptance testers want to use test
acceptance.
automation, but do not want to become
AutomationSuccessNeeds technical.
LayersOfAbstration SummaryAndConclusion
In order to achieve this, the non-
Technical Layer technical testers must be able to both write
tests (that can then be run automatically) Test automation does need technical
Technical aspects are very important and also to run tests, i.e. to “kick off” a set skill – for those who are closest to the tool
for test automation. A good testware of automated tests. itself.
architecture will implement good software
If the testware architecture uses a The skills of the tester and the skills
of the test automator may be found in the
The skills of the tester and the skills same person, but it may work better to
have different people performing the two
of the test automator may be found in the roles.
The test automator’s role is critical in
same person, but it may work better establishing a modular and well-structured
testware architecture, separating the tool
to have different people performing the from the testware, and providing a tester-
friendly interface to the testware for non-
two roles. technical testers.
Non-technical people can be good
keyword-driven approach, the testers testers; testers should be able to use test
development practices for the testware,
can write tests using keywords that are automation without needing to have
separating the tool itself and the direct
related to the business knowledge or technical skills. Getting to this point,
scripting of the tool from the software or
domain knowledge that they are familiar however, does require good technical
scriptware that calls and uses the lower
with. Yes, they do have to follow the support.
level scripts. Modularity and reuse are
key factors in minimizing maintenance of correct syntax for the keywords, but tools
automated testware. If something changes enable this to be relatively easy to do, for
in the software, the testware will need to example by providing a drop-down list of Wait! There’s More!
reflect that change. With lower levels of valid keywords and checking the syntax
scripting (a recorded test or linear script of parameters entered to the keywords.
This article is adapted from a white
being the lowest), a small change to a The keywords are implemented (i.e. paper written for the Conference of the
screen can result in making “magnetic programmed) by test automators, using Association of Software Testing (CAST)
trash” of the automated tests (Kaner, C., the scripting language of the tool, or using 2010 held from August 2 - 4.
Falk, J. and Nguyen, H. Q. 1993. Testing any other programming language that
Computer Software. Van Nostrand they know and is appropriate. The testers Also, for more information on technical
Reinhold, NY.). are not involved in the implementation and non-technical test automation skills,
of the keywords, but they are able to use visit the Automation Body of Knowledge
If possible, the testware should be (ABOK) portion of the ATI Online
designed so that it can cope with changes them to write tests.
Reference Site:
in the software under test without needing The testers also need to be able to
any changes to the testware. If this is select a set of tests to be run automatically. http://www.abok.automatedtestinginstitute.com
not possible, the effects of any change This can be implemented by the test

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Automation
Superch
By J.L. Perlin
Just like many auto enthusiasts “mod-

out” their muscle cars – you also
have the option to invest some time
and effort to get much more out of
your “auto”mation investment as
compared to the vanilla production
model which was designed for your
average driver, but doesn’t satisfy the
needs of all auto enthusiasts.

B
y implementing the
harged
techniques discussed in
this article you will be
able to reduce the amount of
time required to perform standard
automation tasks, expand the availability
of various testing resources, increase
environmental agility, and fine tune your
research and evaluation efforts. Some of the
methods that allow you to supercharge your
automation effort not only increase performance
for the testing team, but for other project teams, as well.
Do You Have Enough Horsepower?
It is important to consider the hardware that

your testing tools are installed on to ensure that you
are using the right engine for the job at hand. For
example, you wouldn’t want to enter a high speed
race with a low-output 2.0 liter engine. You’d want
to use the most powerful engine that your budget
will allow for. The same goes for the equipment
that you will be using for automated test design,
execution, and management. You want to ensure
that you have speedy processors with plenty of
memory to run on.
It is best practice to look at the minimum

hardware requirements for each tool you are using
(or plan on using) and exceed these minimum
requirements by as much as your budget will
allow. While minimum requirements are what
you will need to get the tools running, they are not
necessarily what you will need to make these tools
perform at an optimal level. Faster processors will
allow your tests to run much more quickly than if
they were to be executed using the processor speed
specified as a minimum requirement.

Undiagnosed memory leaks are a common
culprit when it comes to test execution speed
degradation
Performance Tuning for workstations and monitors, along with be a valuable item for demonstrating to
Speed & Efficiency a Keyboard, Video and Mouse (KVM) developers the exact steps that produce
switch – hardware device that allows a user an error (as well as illustrating the
Increasing the speed in which your to control multiple computers from a single error itself, but the process of recording
testing environment resources deploy keyboard, video monitor and mouse – on this information causes the tool to do
and execute is one way that you can which to work during test development more processing, thereby slowing test
supercharge your “auto”mation. and analysis. Typically, while automated execution.
test are being executed on an automation Along with indirectly changing the
Multiple Workstations engineer’s workstation is unavailable speed of execution, some tools allow you
An effective mechanism for for use in any other capacity; therefore, to choose a run mode that directly changes
drastically reducing the amount of time the use of a ‘KVM switch configuration’ the speed in which a test is executed. This
required to execute your automated test will allow the automation engineers to is often used for script debugging because
suites is employing several workstations perform other automation tasks (scripting, it makes it easier to follow the code as it
to run your tests in parallel. Instead of debugging, maintenance, etc.) on one is being executed. The ability to follow
running your test scripts serially on one workstation while executing tests on the the code allows test engineers the ability
workstation (which depending on the size other. In many cases this will also offer to more easily pinpoint the source of a
of your test suite may take many hours, test engineers the ability to analyze test problem in the script. To increase script
days or even weeks) you can break up results during a test run instead of waiting performance it is best practice to ensure
your test suite into segments and execute for automated test execution to complete. that the scripts are running in “Fast” mode
each segment simultaneously on separate For example, an automation engineer during formal test execution. Many tools
workstations. Using two workstations might kick-off a suite of automated tests automatically switch to “Fast” mode when
will cut execution time in half, so you on one workstation, and then click the tests are executed as a part of a larger test
can imagine the time that can potentially KVM switch to move focus to another suite.
be saved through the use of several workstation that is used to analyze the
workstations! These do not need to be results of completed tests while other tests Coding Techniques
dedicated workstations. If the automation in the suite are still running. This allows
Coding techniques can also speed up
tool is installed on machines that are the engineer to get a head start on test
test execution, because some procedural
normally used for manual testing it does results analysis rather than being forced to
coding and runtime data gathering
not preclude them from being used off- wait for the completion of the entire test
techniques are more efficient than others.
hours while the manual test engineers are suite.
not in the office. One notorious culprit when it comes
Tool Settings to slowing down test execution is the
In addition to saving time during test Test execution is often slowed by test hard-coded “Wait” statement. These
execution, time can also be used more automation tool settings. For example, “Wait” statements are holdovers from
efficiently if each automation many test tools allow users control over older automated tool approaches that are
engineer is supplied the scope of test execution runtime intended to allow the AUT to reach a
two or logging. As the level of test execution specific state or complete a process before
more runtime logging increases to capture more the automated test moves on to the next
information, the speed at which the tests statement in the test. This can present
run may severely decrease. For example, many problems during test execution. The
some tools give the user the option of first problem is that the Application Under
recording still images or a movie of a test Test (AUT) may fail to complete the
as its being executed. This “movie” may intended process during the time specified

in the Wait statement. The automated test code, making it easier to manage and Increase Agility
then tries to execute the step following increase performance. When available it
the “Wait” statement, and fails, because may be good practice to make use of this
the AUT is not ready for this step to be A virtual machine is an efficient,
built-in functionality.
executed. Or conversely, the application isolated duplicate of a real machine that
Speaking of memory, undiagnosed supports the implementation of multiple
may have completed its action in much
less time than allocated in the “Wait” memory leaks are a common culprit complete configurations (including
statement, forcing the script to wait longer when it comes to test execution speed operating systems, AUT versions, etc.) on
than is necessary before moving on to degradation. Some automated testing one single box. For example, you can have
the next step. These unnecessary pauses tools (and in many cases the AUTs a virtual server available in your testing
can add up to a considerable amount of themselves) have undetected memory lab that has several different installations
wasted time when executing many tests. leaks. As each test opens, executes, and of the AUT, each being a different version
When possible, it is best to use alternative closes the effect of the memory leak(s) and/or configuration (operating system,
methods to have the test script sync with compounds – eventually slowing test database, etc.)
the AUT. One solution is to identify an execution to a crawl, or in many cases This allows your team to quickly
The use of virtual machines also reduces

testing’s footprint and costs
object whose state will change when the crashing the automated testing tool or the bring the desired version of the AUT
application is ready for the next step to AUT. Many test engineers insert code online for testing, rather than having
execute. For example, you may have a into their automation frameworks that to maintain a different server for each
test step that requires a button to become closes and reopens the testing tool and version/configuration – or worse, having
enabled before the step can execute AUT at regularly scheduled intervals, but to build the AUT from scratch each time.
successfully. Replacing a standard “Wait” depending of the amount of time required In very little time the test environment
statement with code that instead monitors to open and close these applications this systems administrator can deploy shared
a specific property of an object (in this may not be a feasible approach. For multi-tier application environments.
case, the “Enabled” property) and doesn’t example, some frameworks close and Using the same concept, the
move forward until that property reaches reopen the AUT after each test – but only workstation that the test engineer uses
a certain value (“Enabled” = True) helps close and reopen the automated testing can be set up as a virtual machine that has
to drastically increase the speed with tool itself after the completion of every 10 several different testing platforms ready
which your tests can be executed. tests. and available for use. For example, a
Code and Memory Cleanup Another factor in test execution tester may need to access the AUT from
speed may be the makeup of the testing a client that is running several different
Another potential impact on test environment. For example, testing combinations of operating systems and
execution speed to keep an eye on is resources that are located on your local web browsers. These client configurations
the creation and disposal of objects and workstation will most likely load more can be set up before testing begins. Since
variables. Objects and variables are often quickly than resources that have to be the workstation is operating as a virtual
created and used by scripts, but are ignored pulled from other locations, such as a machine, the tester now has the ability
after they are used. If these objects and shared file server. When designing your to quickly and easily load any of the
variables are not disposed of after the test automation environment this must be one required platform configurations on the
that uses them completes execution they of the first things taken into consideration. client machine.
will continue to use valuable resources In many cases the ability to share testing
thus inevitably slowing test execution. It Some automated test management
resources (tests, data, etc.) across multipletools are able to integrate with the
is best practice to ensure that all objects testing tool installations via a centralized
instantiated during test execution as well VM functionality by providing test
repository may result in a negative impact engineers the ability to control the AUT
as any variables declared and utilized, be on test performance. But the decrease in
disposed of at the conclusion of the test. configuration directly from the QA tool.
speed may be worth the trade off of being For example, a test set can be built that
Some testing tools provide utilities able to share/reuse valuable resources automatically accesses a particular VM
that can be used to “clean up” the script across several workstations. AUT configuration when executed. Some
(Continued on page 11)
By Dion Johnson
Showing Up n
Management’s
Radar
6 Inevitable Questions You Must Be Prepared
To Answer
“Often, test automation begins as just a
notion”
I t may be a simple notion by a testing team is soaring, but it is flying under the radar because
the initial notion was never really developed into a
resource that either got a hold of a commercial plan for how exactly test automation would help the
test tool that the company shelved, or perhaps project. The sheer activity of scripting is enough to
downloaded an open source automated test tool. provide a feeling of progress, and so it continues,
Maybe it is a notion by upper-level management that with no questions asked. This low pressure work
began a contract environment can
year with an ...the initial notion was never really developed be enjoyable,
ample budget and often useful
that they are all into a plan for how exactly test automation for a fledgling
too eager to burn automated
on massive tool
would help the project. testing initiative,
license purchases, but don’t be
service contracts and training. However acted upon and lulled into thinking this is how it will remain forever.
by whom ever it is acted upon, this notion is typically Eventually the project budget will begin to wear thin,
the same in all cases; it is a vague conception of test or the development and testing efforts will begin to
automation benefiting the testing efforts of the project. experience increased pressures, and alas management’s
So this notion is typically brought to bear through radar will pick up on the test automation effort. When
tool acquisition and proof-of-concept scripting. The this happens, if you’re not prepared, your automation
6 Inevitable Questions
1. What is the development level of effort?
2. What is the maintenance level of effort on the existing scripts?
3. What is the return on investment by functional area?
4. How much time is saved on execution?
5. What types of reports are available?
6. Can you transition the running of some tests to a developer or administrator?
Table 1: 6 Questions You Must Be Prepared to Answer
proof-of-concept scripting, like an airplane on a effort will get shot out of the sky.
runway, results in the automation effort taking off into In order to remain airborne once you appear on
the friendly skies of the project with increased script management’s radar, there are 6 questions that you
development and maybe even the hiring of addition must be ready to provide answers to.
resources to support that effort. The automated testing

Be sure to base maintenance estimates on historical
Question 1 data (how much time you’ve spent maintaining so
far when a new build comes in), but also be sure to
What is the development level of effort? stress the fact that automation maintenance is a factor
of build/application stability, and is therefore subject
Before management will allow you to continue to drastic fluctuations in both the positive or negative
developing new automated tests, they’ll want to know directions.
how much effort is involved. This is important for
making a determination of whether or not continued
script development is worth the effort, and it’s Question 3
important for being able to track progress. You don’t
want to be in a position where you have to quickly
begin pulling numbers out of thin air, so even if What is the return on investment by
management doesn’t initially care about this, you
functional area?
should begin collecting metrics and developing your
own algorithm. A good place to start is by using a Return On Investment (ROI) is probably the top
commonly accepted industry standard for automation concern on the minds of management. It may be
development calculations. This standard indicates that difficult or rather impossible to calculate the ROI in
it takes anywhere from 3 to 10 times longer to automate terms of dollars saved, particularly if you aren’t privy
a test than it does to execute it once manually. The 3 to to the salaries paid to resources on the team. What you
10 range is normally determined by the stability of the can do, however is calculate the ROI in terms of man-
environment, structure of the automation framework, hours, and present this information to management.
and complexity of the application under test. You may This will allow management the ability to convert
find in your particular environment that you have the man-hours to dollar figures. Be sure to calculate
to adjust this factor to make it higher or lower. I’ve the current ROI based on the automation work that
worked in an environment where the instability the has already been completed, along with setting up
builds forced us to use a factor of 20. It’s important an algorithm that will allow you to plug in planned
to recognize that the automation development level of future script development and execution numbers
effort calculation needs information about manual test and calculate the resulting future ROI. In addition,
execution. it is important to calculate the ROI not just of the
automation effort as a whole, but also by functional
area. This will be used to set automation priorities. If
Question 2 one functional area is yielding a high ROI, automation
may be focused in that area, while manual efforts are
more greatly focused on other areas of the application.
What is the maintenance level of effort Conversely, if a functional area is yielding a low ROI,
efforts may be focused on being able to increase the
on the existing scripts?
ROI in those areas.
As new software builds are presented for testing,
scripts need to be modified. This is often a result of
functionality changes, application errors that must be Question 4
more gracefully handled, and changes to AUT objects
and data. Maintenance can often be a significant time
guzzler, so management will want to know how much How much time is saved on execution?
time needs to be budgeted for maintaining existing
automated tests. New script development may be This is also an ROI matter, but it is listed separately
prioritized based on the amount of maintenance from the question above, because that ROI question
involved on existing scripts, and maybe even halted. often factors automation script development into the

When operating under the radar, it’s easy to
fall into the trap of quickly developing scripts
that require a special touch for execution
equation. Sometimes, however, automation script

development is not of concern. For example, if you’ve Question 6
been under the radar developing scripts, that time is
in the past and is often considered inconsequential. Can you transition the running of some
In addition, projects are notorious for having slow
tests to a developer or administrator?
periods and high pressure periods of activity. Script
development might take place during slow periods, When operating under the radar, it’s easy to fall into
while script execution takes place during high the trap of quickly developing scripts that require a
pressure periods of activity; therefore, management special touch for execution; meaning, it is easily
may mainly be concerned with time saved on script executed and analyzed by you, but not intuitive
execution because it speaks to the ability to alleviate enough to allow someone else to execute and assess
pressure during periods of high activity. For this what’s going on. If management is going to continue
reason, it’s important to be able to point out how to allow you to develop new scripts, however, they
much time is saved in script execution. This should may want to transfer some of the script execution
also factor in estimates for results analysis, because duties directly to software developers that might
the execution results will ultimately not be reported more quickly benefit from being able to execute the
until the analysis is completed. This metric need not scripts themselves following code changes. Or, they
include analysis that would be done whether executed may want to transfer some of the script execution
manually or via automation. The analysis should to system admininstrators that might want to check
mainly factor in the time it takes to determine whether the system stability on a regular basis or after patch
issues are due to script failures or application failures. installs. Therefore, the scripts should be developed in
a way that facilitates this, and a simple user’s guide
should be created that can be used by those that are
Question 5 new to executing the scripts.
What types of reports are available? Conclusion
Reporting is very important for low level functional

analysis as well as high-level analysis of a functional While there is often good reason for staying under the
area as a whole. For this reason, it’s important to radar as long as possible, it is important to operate
convey the existence of the two different types of with the assumption that you are fully visible. This
reports. can be accomplished by making sure you are prepared
A high-level report that can be used to glean overall to answer these six questions at a moment’s notice.
application behavior, and a low-level log that can be If not, you run the risk of popping up on the radar
used for gaining details about each individual test and directly in the crosshairs of a management team that
each check within a test. is ready to shoot first and ask questions later.

I ‘B’Log To U
Latest From the B

Automation blogs are one of the greatest sources
to-date test automation information, so the Autom
Testing Institute has decided to keep you up-to-d
some of the latest blog posts from around the we
interesting posts, and keep an eye out, because y
your post will be spotlighted.
Blog Name: Gabor Szabo Blog Blog Name: Test Obsessed
Post Date: December 2, 2010 Post Date: October 20, 2010
Post Title: The Problem with Open Source is that
Post Title: Do Testers Have to Write Code?
you can’t blame it on Microsoft
Author: Elisabeth Hendrickson
Author: Gabor Szabo
In the propriatery world if you For years, whenever someone asked

encounter some issue and contact the me if I thought testers had to know how
vendor. A polite tier-1 support person will
to write code, I’ve responded: “Of course
tell you the issue is logged and will be
dealt with. Your part is done. You can keep not.” The way I see it, test automation is
blaming them of not having a solution inherently a programming activity. Anyone
yet. In the open source world they will tell
tasked with automating tests should know
you to upgrade. They can easily do that
as in most cases it does not cost you how to program. But not all
any money to get the latest version and testers are doing test automation.
install it. So your work is not
over yet. This is frustrating.
Read More at: Read More at:

http://szabgab.com/blog/2010/12/the-problem-with-open-sourcei-is- http://testobsessed.com/2010/10/20/testers-code/
that-you-cant-blame-it-on-microsoft.html

Blogosphere
s of up-
mated
date with
eb. Read below for some
you never know when
Blog Name: Automated Testing and QA Blog Name: DevelopSense

Post Date: September 5, 2010 Post Date: September 22, 2010
Post Title: Fortunate Test Automation Post Title: Can Exploratory Testing Be Automated?
Author: Peter Kartashov Author: Michael Bolton
In fact, people like and want real Machines can do checking, but they can’t do
cases, they want to hear that you or testing, because they’re missing the ability
whoever else did the same to evaluate. Here, I don’t mean “evaluation”
for some of “Fortune 100” in the sense of performing a calculation
companies. Moreover they want to and setting a bit. I mean evaluation in the
know how, why and for how
sense of making a determination about what
much they had got that. Your
people value; what they might choose or
potential Clients want to
know risks, issues, lessons prefer. In the second way of interpreting the
learnt and benefits of your question, automating exploratory testing is
proposal from other guys who impossible—but using automation as part of
had got the experience. an exploratory process is entirely possible
Read More at: Read More at:

http://at4qa.blogspot.com/ http://www.developsense.com/blog/2010/09/can-exploratory-testing-
be-automated/

Verify/ATI Con
Call for Papers Opening Soon. Visit Conference Site

For More Information
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nference 2011
Save The Date!

September 19 - 21, 2011
Arlington, VA
ifyati.com
Hot Topics in Automation
QC/QTP Parameters Are Hot!

“Passing Parameters From Quality Center To QTP” Tutorial
Hewlett Packard’s Test Director for

Quality Center (also known as just
Quality Center) test management
solution and its QuickTest Professional
(QTP) functional automated test tool
is no stranger to attention. Some
people love these tools, some people
hate them, but few automators
are on the fence with no opinion.
However you feel about them, they
(together with LoadRunner) are the
juggernauts of the test automation
discipline. Thus, this may explain part I liked this video as it includes clarity of con-
of the reason ATI’s tutorial entitled, cept, good presentation, simplest way to pres-
“Passing Parameters From Quality ent to the end users. I would appreciate if more Username
Center to QuickTest Professional” video are available in other topics as well. upasana090
is so popular. Conducted by Dion
Johnson, this tutorial is offered free
to registered members of the ATI
Online Reference site and provides Wow this presentation had much power in it.
instruction on how parameters may any [viewer] can understand it clearly..please post
Username
be passed from Quality Center (QC) shivagc some more on it
to QuickTest Professional (QTP).
Passing parameters is one of the most
important concepts in test automation, This is one of the best video tutorial[s], that
so users of the popular HP test tools makes it so simple to understand, please provide
seem to appreciate the coverage of more video on QC (converting manual test to Username
this topic in an easily understandable automate) and QTP. ashly_2010
manner. This article includes what
some of say about the tutorial.
We thank you all for your feedback.
Since you are all requesting more, ATI Hi, you rocked man. This is one of the best
is scheduling new free tutorials to be Username
presentation[s] i have seen. Keep it up.
Testers5
released in 2011. In addition, be on the
lookout for special live training and
presentations at the Verify/ATI 2011 Bravo!! very nicely [presented]...good work..
Conference scheduled for September cheers! I am doing automation consultancy and
19 through the 22 (http://www. this is one of the area I want them to leverage... Username
verifyati.com). love this rajgarg

http://www.googleautomation.com
Verify/ATI Conference 2011
Save The Date!

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Call for Papers Opening Soon. Visit Conference Site For More Information
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Hot Tutorial: Passing Parameters From Quality Center to QTP

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The Test Automation Conference You’ve Been Waiting For

Showing Up On Management’s Radar 28

Columns & Departments

Flipping the Automation Coin

For years, whenever someone

Her statement, however, was about

Successful implementation of test automation typically

4 Automated Software Testing Magazine www.automatedtestinginstitute.com December 2010

Who’s In This Issue?

J.L. Perlin offers a featured article that provides an

ATI and Partner Events

The ins and OUTS of Test Management Tools

Figure 1: Test Case Template

8 Automated Software Testing Magazine www.automatedtestinginstitute.com December 2010

locations. For the purposes of this article,

• Row 1: Test Case Name

Word table 2 is the Test Case Steps

• Column 1: Step Number

‘Put Header Data in Word Document • Column 2: Step Description

Step 2.Connect to test management

The mechanism for connecting to

If you’re unsure of how to access your

December 2010 www.automatedtestinginstitute.com Automated Software Testing Magazine 9

Step 4. Query header data

Just as the mechanism for connecting

Lines 23 through 26 of the

Step 5. Add header data to report

Since we identified the structure

Step 6. Query dynamic data

This is essentially the same as Step

10 Automated Software Testing Magazine www.automatedtestinginstitute.com December 2010

As a registered user you

Learn more today

December 2010 www.automatedtestinginstitute.com Automated Software Testing Magazine 11

“Free software” is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the

12 Automated Software Testing Magazine www.automatedtestinginstitute.com December 2010

December 2010 www.capcal.com

‘T echnical’ & ‘Non-Technical’ skills

a test automation effort.

this article, I d i s c u s s t h e r o l e , of the testers and test automators

December 2010 www.automatedtestinginstitute.com Automated Software Testing Magazine 17

18 Automated Software Testing Magazine www.automatedtestinginstitute.com December 2010

20 Automated Software Testing Magazine www.automatedtestinginstitute.com December 2010

See The Winners Now!

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Call for Papers Opening Soon. Visit Conference Site

Save The Date!

Just like many auto enthusiasts “mod-

24 Automated Software Testing Magazine www.automatedtestinginstitute.com December 2010

Do You Have Enough Horsepower?

It is important to consider the hardware that

It is best practice to look at the minimum

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26 Automated Software Testing Magazine www.automatedtestinginstitute.com December 2010

The use of virtual machines also reduces

2. What is the maintenance level of effort on the existing scripts?

3. What is the return on investment by functional area?

4. How much time is saved on execution?

5. What types of reports are available?