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.

• Learn the important differences in testing Web services
• Focus your testing efforts on the four key dimensions
• Ensure your Web services quality through effective testing