Software Test Automation: Effective Use of Test Execution Tools

by Mark Fewster and Dorothy Graham

Book Overview

This book describes how to build and implement an automated testing regime for software development. It presents a detailed account of the principles of automated testing, practical techniques for designing a good automated testing regime, and advice on choosing and applying off-the-shelf testing tools to specific needs. This sound and practical introduction to automated testing comes from two authors well known for their seminars, consultancy...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0201331403
• ISBN13: 9780201331400
• Release Date: June 1999
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
• Length: 592 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Why Some Things Work and Most Don't

I've written code that shipped in 1 to 2 million units. I also did an academic post-doc in computer science at a good university. Testing is not just underappreciated in the academic community it is widely misunderstood. Academicians are fascinated by questions like how do you create a program to test your programs. By comparison the automation of human designed tests is not academically worthy. But this is most of what separates commercial grade code from research code. It is what creates 99% of the economic value of testing. And done well it elevates the status of testing from clerical work to top-tier design work. This book explains why this is true. Armed with that insight, a skilled technologist will be able to work through the rest of the details. Nevertheless, the book offers quite a few recipes. None of which can be implemented without a skilled technologist capable of working without a recipe, but all of which enhance the value of the book. Really a rare gem.

A deep, practical treatment

I bought this book because I was new to software quality assurance, yet placed in charge of an automated testing effort. This book clearly encapsulates years of experience -- you can almost feel the pain the authors must have experienced as they learned these lessons the hard way! I have already avoided making a number of mistakes.The authors organized the material effectively and wrote it in a way that promotes skimming and scanning. By reading the first few sentences of a section, you will know whether you are interested in the section. If you're not interested, skip to the next section. The authors even occasionally tell you what sections you can skip should that material not apply to your situation.These skimming and scanning aids are important because the text itself is frequently unexciting and cumbersome. There's not much to do about the former -- nuts and bolts are hard to make exciting. I hope, however, that the authors will consider a good edit for more vigorous writing should they update this book for a second edition.

This is simply the Very Best Book. Period.

Anyone who claims to be a Principle or Senior Software QA Engineer, or a QA Automation Engineer, but has never read or used this book should be convicted of professional malpractice. Absolutely the best current reference book on why and how to analyze, architect, design and construct verification and validation vehicles that dramatically improve the probability of software defect detection - both manually and through later automation. Said vehicles can be easily audited and inspected to improve positive and negative software behavior coverage and equivalence classes. But most important, this great book describes how intelligently devised manual vehicles can be used to automatically drive future software builds and release regression assessments (to achieve automated regression testing).Describes everything that the software test tool vendors refuse to tell buyers, but what every software QA professional must know (in spite of the vendors).This book is simply a breath of fresh air. It is a virtual bible to positive and negative software behavior verification and validation. My only displeasure is that the authors choose to continue to use obsolete terminology: specifically testing. Software testing is not what this book is about. This book is about how to create and achieve highly effective software behavior verification and validation. Software QA professionals must clearly move way beyond ad hoc testing, because the need today is far greater than ancient testing paradigms. The need is for intelligently designed, architected, constructed frameworks that enable software behavior and performance verification and validation, whether performed manually, automatically, or through agents such as monkeys and oracles.

Very practical book with great "real-life" stories

Very practical book, where both parts are very valuable - 1st part offers insight into what automated testing is and what it's not managaing expectations perfectly; 2nd part provides with real-life examples of attampets to automate testing - and it's not only success stories but rather real-life examples. Great reading for test lead/development lead/project manager who thinks about automating testing.

A Gem Of A Book!

Great delineation on how to utilize test execution tools. Their explaination is great. The bottom line is " that it is a gem of a book. I would recommend it highly to all level of SQA professionals!"