The test data is referred to as a piece of information that is used for carrying out static and transactional testing processes. The static data consists of information such as names, currencies and countries making up the non-sensitive data. Whereas the data that contains SSN, medical history or even credit card details are sensitive. While testing, the testing teams require the correct combination of the transaction data sets and static data.
TDM in Software testing refers to a function used to create, manage and drive fulfilling test data to application teams. It allows the provision of the right quantity and quality of data in the correct format and proper environment. The process helps to ensure that the quality and quality of the data maintain referential integrity. It is necessary to ensure that the preliminary information is optimised and satisfies the testing needs covering the total functionalities.
The data can be accoutred through synthetic data creation or production extraction and masking or using lookup tables by sourcing. The Test Data Management process can be implemented through the various outlined processes, proprietary software, manual and automated web application testing services. There are also various well-developed TDM tools available in the market that can be used for its implementation.
The TDM strategy in Software testing is created based on the data requirement of the project. The formation of the strategies can be in any of the following ways:
- Constructing SQL queries for the extraction of data from database tables
- Creating flat files based on:
- Mapping rules
- Desensitizing and modifying the production of the various data or files
- Using an intelligent combination method
The Significance Of Data Test Management In Software Testing
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Recently Test Data Management has started gaining immense importance in the Software testing industry. One of the most significant reasons behind its rise is the financial loss due to defective production. Proper testing allows detecting the defects and cutting off the financial losses.
Unlike the past few years, testing is not limited to a few rows of data or a few sample data. Nowadays, financial and banking institutes depend on unique combinations and powerful data sets. It also includes negative testing and offers huge coverage for the test data.
TDM offers a form of testing using structured engineering techniques to offer solutions to varied business scenarios.
The larger financial institutes also rely on TDM to adhere to government laws, as non-compliance leads to high penalties. They also use TDM for data masking of the most sensitive data and also for synthetic data creation.
Test Data Management In Performance Testing
Some of the major issues faced in performance testing are the requirement of large volume coverage and the data preparation time. Some of the other issues are caused due to the limited environment availability and the limitation in the execution time.
Using TDM for performance testing can help to offer the required tools and techniques to offer productive solutions for bulk data. TDM helps to offer a quicker refresh cycle and high-quality data provisioning that helps meet high demands.
The test data for performance testing, which is a part of Software testing, is characterized by the following:
Bulky Data
There is a need for multiple data parallely in large numbers to suffice for the workload model. In this testing, several users conduct tests simultaneously and thus require large volumes of data.
Fast Test Data Consumption
The test data consumption is high since multiple users use the provisional data simultaneously. Thus the load on the application is high, and the exhaustion rate of the data is also high.
Short Window For Data Provisioning Cycle
Since the data consumption is very high, the data must be restored before beginning the new cycle. So the TDS system must extract the data within a short window to avoid the unavailability of data.
Workload Distribution
The performance testing doesn’t work on a single type of data. So it is necessary to build a system for using multiple data types with a corresponding percentage of each occurrence. So there is a requirement for a model that can handle the high complexity of data creation.
Automation Testing
Automation software testing, which is another part of Software testing, faces challenges associated with data creation. The main issues are faced due to the inability to create data quickly from the front-end and the limited access to dynamic data. The implementation of a well-defined TDM strategy can help to support multiple dynamic data iterations. This can be done in a short frame of time by extracting or replenishing the data using the TDM tools.
Test Data For Automation Testing
Automated Test Data Creation
The automation data is created through UI or by creating, editing data operations. The methods are extremely time-consuming and require professionals with domain knowledge.
Fast Consumption Of Test Data
Just like Performance testing, automation testing also consumes data quickly. So it is necessary to accommodate fast data creation in a small time frame.
Wide Coverage
It requires data testing for all the different automated scenarios. Even though the data requirement is restricted by the regression test pack, it covers a large scale of data.
EndNote
TDM in Software testing is a strategy that helps create and manage data and helps to deliver immediate benefits for the testing projects.
