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Benefits of Functional Test Automation

Functional testing provides validation of the functional processes of your Siebel application. Without test automation, this can be accomplished by having users log on and manually perform the tasks in a business process. Although this can be effective, it can become quite costly.

By using a test automation tool, you can prepare a test script that exercises the functionality of a particular module or performs the tasks in a comprehensive business process. Then you can share and use this script repeatedly. This approach leads to better application configurations and increased user acceptance because it allows you to perform additional software testing with little additional cost. Test automation eliminates the need for multiple human test passes and reduces the risk of human errors in the testing process.

Key Features of Functional Test Tools

Tools for functional test automation, such as QuickTest Pro from Mercury Interactive, provide features (like those listed below) for creating and running functional test scripts:

• Test script recording. Rather than composing a script in a text editor, you start a recorder and perform a series of steps in the application. The test tool records the session in a script, which you can replay later to execute the test.
• Automated test execution. Rather than manually performing the tasks in the test script each time, you start the test using a test tool and let it run on its own.
• Data value parameterization. You can use variables in your test script that pull in data values from an external table during test execution. This avoids the need to hard-code data values into a test script.
• Reusable tests. Tests can be shared among multiple testers, and across multiple cycles of application testing.
• Result tracking. The test tool records important statistics for identifying functional errors.

Not all functional test automation tools have all of these features, and some have more. For more information on available features, refer to the documentation for your testing tool.

Using Siebel Test Automation for Functional Testing

Siebel Test Automation objects support the automation of functional tests on the following types of Siebel applications:

• Standard Web Client
• Mobile Web Client
• Dedicated Web Client

You can use a third-party test automation tool to write, record, and run test scripts on these types of applications. When using a third-party tool, refer to the documentation that accompanies the test tool for information about the specific features and functionality that it provides.

NOTE:  The Siebel Test Automation framework does not provide generalized automation services; it is only supported for test automation.