Why should I automate?

With automated testing, as with many highly directional dugimi IT - disciplines, involves a lot of misconceptions. In order to avoid inefficient use of automation, should circumvent its weaknesses and maximize the benefits. Next, we will list and give a little description for the basic nuances of automation and will answer the main question of this paper - when automation is used takings.

The advantages of automated testing:

·         Repeatability - all written tests will be performed always uniform, ie, excluding the "human factor". The tester did not miss the test for negligence and did not mess up the results.

·         Fast execution - automated scripts do not need to consult the instructions and documentation, it is highly time-saving performance.

·         Lower support costs - when the automatic scripts already written for their support and analysis of results is required, usually less time than to hold the same amount of manual testing.

·         Reports - automatically sent and saved reports on test results.

·         Execution without intervention - during test execution testers can do some useful things, or tests may be performed during off-hours (this method is preferable as the load on the local network at night reduced).

Disadvantages of automated testing (they are also quite a few):

·         Repeatability - all written tests always be carried out uniformly. This is both a disadvantage because the tester, testing the performance manually, can draw attention to some details and, after several additional operations to find the defect. The script can not do.

·         Support costs - despite the fact that in the case of automated tests are less than the cost of manual testing of the same functional - they are still there. The more frequent application changes, so they are higher.

·         The high cost of development - development of automated tests is a complex process, because application development is in fact that tests other application. In complex automated tests also have frameworks, utilities, libraries and so on. Naturally, all this should be tested and debugged, but it takes time.

·         The cost of a tool for automation - in case if you use licensed software, the cost may be high enough. Freely available tools generally are more conservative and less functional usability.

·         Omitting minor bugs - automatic script could miss small errors in the test which he had not been programmed. This may be inaccuracies in the positioning of windows, the error in the captions that are not checked, the errors of controls and forms not listed in the interaction during the script execution.

In order to decide whether to automate the application to answer the question "is outweighed by the benefits in this case?" - At least for some of the functionality of our application. If you can not find these parts, or weaknesses in your case is unacceptable - from the automation is to abstain.

When deciding it is worth remembering that the alternative - a manual testing, which has its drawbacks.

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