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Testing Web Services in Four Key Dimensions As Web services become a more prominent component of many applications, effective testing of these components is increasingly more important. Dave Mount discusses testing Web services in four different dimensions: functionality,
interoperability, security, and performance. Functionality testing is familiar territory, but the other dimensions may not be. Although interoperability could be assumed, differences in .NET, Java, and XML implementations among
different vendors may cause interoperability failures. Security testing is also important, since Web services can inadvertently expose capabilities and data that should be protected. Finally, Web services are subject to performance
issues due to message handling, interface layers, and potentially large data payloads. Real-time and batch performance characteristics should be tested to simulate the range of possible uses of Web services.
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Dave Mount, J-Soup Software, Inc
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Testing SOA Software: The Headless Dilemma Once we were able to ensure quality with some degree of certainty by testing our applications through their user interfaces. As SOA systems based on Web services proliferate, testing through the GUI isn't going to be sufficient. SOA systems are assembled from components, "headless" chunks of encapsulated business functionality. If we are building the components themselves, we will want to test their functionality and their interfaces. We will want to ensure their proper behavior no matter what application uses them and no matter how unruly it is. If we are building SOA applications from components, we will want to test our applications in their entirety. But remember, our applications may not have GUI interfaces. Join John Michelsen as he shares what you'll need to know to effectively test SOA applications.
- Learn how services-based software changes the game for software testers
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John Michelsen, iTKO, Inc.
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Right Under Your Fingertips: Built-in Windows Tools for Test Automation Launching a test automation effort can be a daunting undertaking. An abundance of testing tools are available-but if you do not have previous automation experience, how can you know if you are investing in the right solution? A safe alternative is to begin with automation tools already included in the Microsoft Windows operating system. You can use these tools to build your own test automation system that produces professional results. Matt Lowrie demonstrates several Windows utilities that can be linked together to create a basic test automation framework. To begin, you'll need a basic knowledge of JScript (Javascript) or VBScript. Windows Script Host can be used
to execute applications and gather and report test results. Learn how to automate tests using Internet Explorer and the Microsoft® Office Suite.
- Learn how to access the Windows file system
- Use XML for documenting test results
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Matt Lowrie, Anark Corporation
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Software Inspections: Key Elements of Success Inspections have over thirty years of history improving software quality and productivity. Numerous studies have shown inspection is the most effective process for discovering defects. Yet today, inspections are not widely used in the software industry. Why are they not more prevalent? Ed Weller knows that successful implementation of inspections requires a thorough understanding of
the process as well as the cultural and organizational roadblocks to implementation. Knowing when to apply inspections, or other defect identification techniques, also requires a cost-benefit analysis. Measuring and improving inspections requires an understanding of inspection process metrics and appropriate corrective actions. Ed discusses the inspection process, measurement, common pitfalls, and how to implement a successful program in your organization.
- Learn what makes inspections different from other types of reviews
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Edward Weller, Software Technology Transition
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Skill Diversity: The Key to Building the Ideal Test Team The dictionary defines "diversity" as "variety"-and that's just what an effective test team needs. It's much easier to hire people just like you-after all, they are easy to understand and manage. But Barry Power has found that teams
consisting of all thinkers, all planners, all doers, all coordinators, or all finishers are not as effective as teams with a diverse composition. Barry has built powerful
teams when combining leading-edge thinkers with nose-to-the-grindstone doers, the steadiness of experience with the enthusiasm of rookies, and the benefits of knowledge with the vision that only new eyes possess. Join Barry as he describes successful teams in fields as diverse as aerospace rockets and medical devices. Learn how you can create more effective teams through diversity.
- Discover the powerful meaning of diversity
- Learn what characteristics to value in teams
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Barry Power, Bayer Corporation
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Testing for Global Customers More and more organizations are creating applications that are used around the globe. These applications must be customized for various national conventions including time, date, number, and currency formats. In addition, these applications must process data from non-English keyboards in languages such as Russian, Japanese, Hindi, and Arabic. Additional complications include string processing, sorting, and sequencing; character conversion; and bi-directional language support for Middle Eastern languages. Bj Rollison shows how an English-language Windows platform can be used to perform globalization testing without testers having knowledge of non-English languages. Bj shows how to select and use non-English character strings as test data. In addition, Bj provides examples of typical bugs found during globalization testing, methods to detect them, and techniques to generate automated tests using foreign character sets.
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Bj Rollison, Microsoft Corporation
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Squeezing Bugs out of Mission-Critical Software with Session-Based Testing Software created in regulated industries such as medical devices must be developed and tested according to agency-imposed process standards. Every requirement must be tested, and every risk must be mitigated. Could defects
still lurk in software wrung out by such an in-depth process? Unfortunately, yes. In fact, software defects are a major cause of medical device recalls each year.
However, by supplementing mandated requirements-based verification with session-based exploratory testing (SBT), the overall quality of mission-critical software can be significantly improved. Based on eight studies, David James
describes how to fit targeted exploratory testing into a regulated process. Specifically, David has found that defect discovery is twenty times less expensive through SBT than through formal verification. Applying SBT early,
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David James, HEI, Inc. Advanced Medical Division
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Tomorrow's Test Lab Today: One-Touch Test Bed Automation Many software organizations are struggling with the complexity of their testing environments especially with the rapidly growing number of production environments. In many cases, the cost of creating those testing environments is prohibitive. Functional testing tools combined with new virtual lab automation (VLA) technology is changing the way test teams deal with this problem. Steve Kishi will demonstrate how VLA software can create myriads of virtual
environments quickly and at far less cost than physical environments. In addition, Steve will discuss how an automated test bed framework can shave months off software development projects, reduce development and test
equipment costs, and dramatically increase the quality of delivered software systems. Learn about this new technology and evaluate whether it is right for your organization.
- Differentiate test beds from test environments
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Steven Kishi, VMware
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STARWEST 2006: All I Need to Know about Testing I Learned from Dr. Seuss Through the stories and parables of Theodor Geisel, we can learn simple, yet remarkably powerful approaches for solving testing problems. In a tour of common issues we encounter in testing-test planning, staff training, communications, test case design, test execution, status reporting, and more, Robert Sabourin explains how you can apply lessons from the great books of Dr. Seuss to testing. Green Eggs and Ham teaches us combinations; Go, Dog,
Goteaches us the value of persistence; Because a Little Bug Went Kachoo teaches us about side effects, chaos, and risk management. Others such as Hop on Pop, Marvin K. Mooney, I Can Read with My Eyes Shut, and Inside Outside
UpSide Down all have important lessons about how to get things done on software projects. Learn some simple truths and take away some heuristic testing aids to become a more productive and effective tester.
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Robert Sabourin, AmiBug.com Inc
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STARWEST 2006: Lightning Talks: A Potpourri of 5-Minute Presentations Lightning Talks are nine five-minute talks in a fifty-minute time period. Lightning Talks represent a much smaller investment of time than track speaking and offer
the chance to try conference speaking without the heavy commitment. Lightning Talks are an opportunity to present your single biggest bang-for-the buck idea quickly. Use this as an opportunity to give a first time talk or to present a new topic for the first time. Maybe you just want to ask a question, invite people to help you with your project, boast about something you did, or tell a short cautionary story. These things are all interesting and worth talking about, but there might not be enough to say about them to fill up a full track presentation.
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Robert Sabourin, AmiBug.com Inc
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