Just Enough Software Test Automation

Utilizing Dynamic Data Input—Keyword Substitution

One of the challenges we have faced in working with data-driven testing and manual testing is having to handle data that has aged to the point that it is no longer usable. A prime example is where date values become out of date. One application on which we worked had a business rule that required, when entering certain transactions, the date entry field to be within 7 days from the current system date. This meant that, whether we were using hard-coded scripts or data from external files, the date values had to be modified on a regular basis to comply with this business rule. It rapidly became evident that we needed another method for handling this type of problem. The solution was to use a data ...