In recent years, we have seen software and information system testing evolving into new dimensions. Most importantly, we see a gradual shift from manual testing to automated testing, primarily because of the wide-ranging benefits the later brings. In comparison with manual testing practices, automation testing brings improved test coverage as well as quality, thereby allowing for the speedy delivery of the software into the market. Having said that, there are some automation testing trends that all test automation engineers, consultants, and relevant people need to be aware of.
Here are the top 5 automation testing trends that you need to know
1. SECURITY TESTING
Security testing mainly focuses on uncovering vulnerabilities of a system. It enables identifying whether the data and resources of a system are protected from every possible intrusion so that they continue to function as intended. Security is considered an important issue in the current times since in the previous year we saw security hit a low point with 2nd, 3rd, and 7th biggest breaches of all time, measured by the no. of people that were affected, according to SD Times.
Reference: SD Times
Also, as companies try to deliver faster and quicker cycles of software with quality, vulnerabilities can be introduced. Determining any flaws in the security mechanism of an information system or software is critical and a heavy focus on security is placed by companies now. In 2020, one of the major automation testing trends is, hence, going to be security testing. A significant emphasis on data security, application security, and security across the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is now a fast-growing trend. So if you’re not dealing with security yet, you may expose your information system or application to vulnerabilities.
2. AI AUTOMATION IN TESTING
Artificial intelligence (AI) in software testing is also now a major trend. AI in some shape or form became the talk of the town and AI capabilities in testing were explored to a great extent in the previous year. With AI automation in testing now accepted far and wide, this year we will see various AI tools in the testing arena. While previously the use of AI capabilities was focused on regression analysis and physical analysis, and planning the test execution in a better manner, in 2020, the usage of AI also includes testing information systems. Artificial Intelligence can carry out real-time risk assessments, find the issues that are required to be addressed, prioritize those issues, and it can provide an approach for testing that is not just predictable but also fit for the purpose.
The World Quality Report 2019-2020 survey from Capgemini revealed that various organizations are gradually adopting AI-based tools and processes because of the smartness, effectiveness, and efficiency they bring to testing. The report also suggested that most of the organizations expected the adoption of AI testing and processes to increase in the current year, and the trend will increase across all businesses.
Reference: World Quality Report 2019-2020
3. API TESTING
Another major trend that will be witnessed in 2020 is API Testing. In the testing community, API testing is becoming a subject of discussion and conversation and central to software development. It involves testing application programming interfaces (APIs) directly and as a part of integration testing in order to determine if they meet expectations regarding reliability, functionality, security, and performance. API automation testing is now recommended at various stages of the product development, but in its primitive stages and till the product stabilizes, it is getting more and more recognition. Once the logic is designed, tests can be built for validating the correctness in data and responses with API testing.
API testing offers a number of advantages including the ability to run tests faster and finding bugs in less time so that they can be fixed immediately.
4. CODELESS AUTOMATION SOLUTIONS
Automation testing is a necessity and traditionally it involved writing separate execution software scripts for each test case and action, and then it was executed using a separate software setup for running, monitoring, and logging the test cases. For projects that were larger or projects that were to be released fast, creating an environment of test and coming up with test scripts was a time-consuming task. As a result, a lot of resources and time was lost and there was no significant advantage of automation testing that is aimed at reducing testing time and resources. The solution to this problem was found in the form of codeless testing and it is gradually becoming a trend, and in 2020, it will definitely be a trend to look for.
Codeless testing is primarily about creating automation tests without writing a single piece of code. The approach has been evolving steadily with technology innovation, with the focus mainly on reducing the process of coding and making it more user-friendly. The aim is to make the process easy enough to save the amount of time spent on testing while requiring almost no efforts related to coding. Various tools can be found currently in the market for the purpose, of which most of them simply provide the testers with an abstraction layer that is more user-friendly and has a good graphical interface. This makes the testing process easier and manageable. Currently, codeless testing is a tool that automation testers make use of for fast-tracking their jobs, but as the tools become smart enough, the need for test script coding will be completely eliminated.
5. SMART TEST EXECUTION
Testing is time-consuming, while it may also require heavy scripting and high execution cost. The trend, hence, in 2020, will be to look for smart test execution so that high-quality software can be delivered faster. With smart test execution, testing and CI cycles can be cut significantly as the developer checks the code and identifies the exact subset of tests that need to be run for covering a particular check-in or for each given build. Therefore, instead of running tests of all the things, we will see a trend of running only a few targeted tests. In this manner, companies will be able to save money, resources and time since there is a smaller test set that is more targeted towards what is precisely to be checked in the code. If the tests do not bring the required results, there is already established a direct correlation between that check-in and those tests, and hence, it can help in speeding things up.
Lately, a number of tools have been introduced for smart test execution, which includes SeaLights, a really amazing solution for smart test execution.
Furthermore, Selenic also provides an option for smart test creation.
More and more options are getting added to facilitate smart test execution, and in 2020, we are definitely going to see more work in this area, making it a major trend to look for.
Conclusion
These are Testpoint’s top 5 predictions regarding automation testing trends based on the recent major developments and emphasis in the testing community. It is important to keep an eye on these areas since they are under a lot of discussions and being a part of the community, it is important to keep yourself abreast with the latest developments and trends.