SOA Testing with Open Source Test Tools

PushToTest helps organizations with large scale Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) applications achieve high performance and functional service delivery. But, it does not happen at the end of SOA application development. Success with SOA at Best Buy requires an Agile approach to software development and testing, on-site coaching, test management, and great SOA oriented test tools.

Distributing the work of performance testing through an Agile epoc, story, and sprints reduces the testing effort overall and informs the organization's business managers on the service's performance. The biggest problem I see is keeping the testing transparent so that anyone - tester, developer, IT Ops, business manager, architect - follows a requirement down to the actual test results.

With the right tools, methodology, and coaching an organization gets the following:

• Process identification and re-engineering for Test Driven Development (TDD)
  
• Installation and configuration of a best-in-class SOA Test Orchestration Platform to enable rapid test development of re-usable test assets for functional testing, load and performance testing and production monitoring
• Integration with the organization's systems, including test management (for example, Rally and HP QC) and service asset management (for example, HP Systinet)
• Construction of the organization's end-to-end tests with a team of PushToTest Global Professional Services, using this system and training of the existing organization's testers, Subject Matter Experts, and Developers to build and operate tests
• On-going technical support

On-Site Coaching Leads To Certification

The key to high quality and reliable SOA service delivery is to practice an always-on management style. That requires on-site coaching. In a typical organization the coaches accomplish the following:

• Test architects and test developers work with the existing Testing Team members. They bring expert knowledge of the test tools. Most important is their knowledge of how to go from concept to test coding/scripting
  
• Technical coaching on test automation to ensure that team members follow defined management processes
  

Cumulatively this effort is referred to as "Certification". When the development team produces quality product as demonstrated by simple functional tests, then the partner QA teams take these projects and employ "best practice" test automation techniques. The resulting automated tests integrate with the requirements system (for example, Rally), the continuous integration system, and the governance systems (for example, HP Systinet.)

Agile, Test Management, and Roles in SOA

Agile software development process normally focuses first on functional testing - smoke tests, regression test, and integration tests. Agile applied to SOA service development deliverables support the overall vision and business model for the new software. At a minimum we should expect:

1. Product Owner defines User Stories
2. Test Developer defines Test Cases
3. Product team translates Test Cases into soapUI, TestMaker Designer, and Java project implementations
4. Test Developer wraps test cases into Test Scenarios and creates an easily accessible test record associated to the test management service
   
5. Any team member follows a User Story down into associated tests. From there they can view past results or execute tests again.
6. As tests execute the test management system creates "Test Execution Records" showing the test results
   

Learn how PushToTest improves your SOA software development life cycle. Click here to learn how.