In this digitally enabled world, software systems play a critical role in managing critical business processes. From booking flight tickets to banking systems, libraries, transport systems, manufacturing units, everywhere we see tremendous use of software. Under such a scenario, reliability and robustness of software is critical to ensure business continuity. This is where software testing comes in. When we discuss software testing, a term often comes in – test suite. In this blog, we will discuss what it is and the allied terms that are being used while discussing software testing.
What is a test suite?
Test suites are systematic setup or configuration of test cases to validate the features of a software. One can also termed it as a container containing a wide range of test cases to check the functionality and performance of the software. A test suite consists of
- Test Cases: It is defined as a series of actions that are performed to validate the specific functionality of a software. It includes certain prerequisites, steps, data, and post conditions to check whether the software is operating as intended. Simply put, test cases enable a tester to understand what they need to do and what outcomes are expected.
- Test Scripts: These are sequence of instructions that are operated automatically to execute test cases. Some of the key elements of test script are test case ID, description about the test, and other details like conditions and instructions. They make it easier to reproduce tests, track results, and identify issues.
- Test Data: It is a set of data which is used in software testing. To validate whether an application is capable of handling real-world scenarios, both positive (valid) and negative (invalid) data scenarios are considered while testing.
What are different types of test suites?
- Functional: Here, test suites are used to validate the functionality of the application. An example of this is registration of user on a website. In this, it is validated that user has registered and can log in to the dashboard. Then, (s)he can reset the password also.
- Regression: Whenever a software functionality undergoes a change or new features are rolled out, regression test suites are executed to validate whether existing business processes are functioning perfectly. For instance, Oracle rolls out quarterly updates for its Fusion Cloud application which needs to be tested to check that existing functionalities remain intact.
- Smoke: This type of test suite is used to validate the most critical functionalities of an application after a new build or release. Once the application passes these tests, then only the application is allowed for more in-depth testing.
- Integration: Integration testing is used to test the interfaces of multiple applications when they act as a single unit. So, integration tests suite contains those test cases which are used to validate the functionality of the multiple apps when they are integrated as a single unit.
How to create a test suite?
- The first step in this is to identify the objective of the test suite. As stated above, Oracle Fusion Cloud requires quarterly testing. In this case, the objective of the test suite is to verify the functionality of the critical business processes so that business continuity remains intact.
- The next step is to design the test cases along with other details like input data and expected results. However, it should be noted that test cases should be reusable, and maintainable.
- Now, you need to organize the test cases. For this, it is recommended that you should bring in the test automation
Incorporating test automation has its own benefits such as improved testing speed, adequate coverage, and better transparency. However, these benefits depend on the platform you select. Let’s get deep into this.
- Since test cases need to be designed, bring in a no-code test automation platform. It allows business users to create test cases without requiring programming knowledge.
- The test automation platform should have the ability to heal up the test scripts so that they can be reused again and again.
- The test automation framework should have robust reporting capabilities so that transparency should be maintained, and all stakeholders should be on a single page.