What Is Large-Scale Test Automation?
On a small software product, it may be possible for a single tester to write and run automated tests from his desk and report results via email or by manually updating a web page or spreadsheet. Testers are also likely responsible for entering bugs for any issues discovered by the tests, and verifying that resolved bugs are fixed. For a system to be capable of handling thousands of tests or more distributed across hundreds of machines, the system must, at every stepâfrom the moment test authoring is complete to the point where results are availableâbe completely automatic. Manual support for automated testing can take a significant amount of testing time away from the test team. Before we discuss implementation and architecture details of such a system, it will be helpful to discuss the workflow and the life of tests in an automation system.
The Basics of a Test Automation System
Even the bare necessities of a beautiful automation system enable efficiencies from end to end, but automation systems come in all shapes, sizes, and ranges of splendor. For all test teams that use automated tests, some basic steps are common. Figure 8-1 shows a basic automation test workflow.
Figure 8-1. Automated test life cycle workflow
Somewhere at or near the beginning of testing, a tester will write one or more automated tests. Testers may create test suites
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