Low-Code Test Automation: Transforming Enterprise Software Testing
In today’s rapidly changing environment, it is crucial to introduce new applications and create innovative software. However, achieving the highest quality and accuracy requires efficient and effective quality engineering. Unfortunately, traditional approaches present numerous challenges, often resulting in subpar quality that hinders the desired outcomes. Therefore, automation testing has emerged as a proven solution to streamline the software development process. Nevertheless, many test automation tools demand extensive coding knowledge, posing a significant challenge for many companies.
IT companies have introduced low-code automation testing tools to make the procedure more efficient and reduce time-to-market. Consequently, low-code test automation has gained significant popularity in the automation industry. This emerging trend not only overcomes the limitations of the testing phase in software development but also provides the speed and accuracy required for successful business operations. By minimizing the reliance on coding expertise, businesses can now achieve optimal results with minimal effort. Low code automation has revolutionized the software industry, acting as a catalyst for positive change.
What is Low Code Test Automation?
Low code test automation is a software testing approach that necessitates minimal coding. This technology simplifies the design and development of automated tests and assists technical users in reducing the time required for testing by automating repetitive testing tasks and ensuring the precise and accurate execution of all tests.
We know enterprises can address their vulnerability through enterprise software testing, but testing solutions can be as tricky as coding from scratch. Combining a low-code platform with a low-code testing solution presents an excellent opportunity to mitigate risks and leverage the advantages the evolving development landscape offers. However, it’s important to note that using low code doesn’t exempt QA teams from testing responsibilities. Functional and performance testing are still crucial for low-code apps, and having a robust QA process in place for low-code environments is even more critical than for traditional applications.
Low Code Test Automation Optimizes Testing Workload
By leveraging the appropriate suite of low-code tools, organizations can swiftly adapt to their business requirements and foster improvement from the foundational level. Here are a few advantages provided by low-code testing tools:
Enhanced Speed
A significant portion of the work is already completed by leveraging low code, empowering developers to create their own tests and enabling users to record processes directly without relying on external assistance. The elimination of coding requirements results in a notable speed boost, facilitating the rapid coverage of new features through efficient and diverse testing.
Minimized Obstacles
As customized code necessitates expert evaluation, it often experiences delays as it awaits review in a queue. This accumulation of bottlenecks impedes progress. However, organizations eliminate this step by incorporating testing within the development process using low-code tools. Through continuous and seamless integration of testing into the delivery pipeline via low-code tools, businesses can overcome the testing bottleneck and achieve rapid innovation accompanied by superior quality.
Economically Viable Solutions
Low-code tools empower individuals to independently handle maintenance and testing updates, resulting in cost savings. With self-healing capabilities within the solutions, numerous tests automatically adjust to accommodate updates, thereby substantially reducing maintenance expenses.
Increased Employee Engagement
As hybrid work policies become prevalent and the boundaries between business and development blur, the importance of well-designed, user-friendly, and intuitive tools becomes even more pronounced. Such an experience empowers employees to accomplish tasks without frustration effortlessly, establishing a positive atmosphere and paving the way for long-term success.
Heightened Efficiency
Organizations can achieve optimal testing efficiency by implementing test automation using a low-code test automation framework. The utilization of low-code platforms with their intuitive drag-and-drop development capabilities makes testing more agile and effortless.
Popular Tools Used for Low Code Test Automation
Katalon Studio
This comprehensive platform serves as a one-stop solution for low-code web, API, mobile, and desktop application automation. With a plethora of features specifically tailored to aid testers in creating and executing automation tests, it significantly boosts productivity in the field of software quality assurance. Some noteworthy features of Katalon Studio are:
Keyword-driven Testing: By leveraging Katalon Studio, users can access an extensive collection of built-in keyword libraries, project templates, content-assist utilities, self-healing mechanisms, and parallel testing capabilities. This significantly reduces the testing lifecycle from months to weeks through keyword-driven testing.
Record and Playback: Katalon Studio facilitates a record and playback functionality, enabling users to record their interactions with websites or applications and generate automated test scripts accordingly.
Object Repository: With Katalon Studio’s object repository, users can conveniently store and manage elements of web and mobile applications, ensuring easy reuse of these elements in automated tests.
Tosca
This software application offers a comprehensive suite of functionalities encompassing test automation, test management, and continuous testing. Let’s have a closer look at some of its key features:
Risk-based Test Optimization: Tosca adopts a risk-based approach to testing, effectively mitigating the risk associated with software releases while simultaneously reducing the overall number of tests within the automation suite. This enables the prioritization of testing for critical business functionalities.
Test Case Design: With Tosca, users can leverage a user-friendly graphical interface to effortlessly create test cases that can be readily automated, even by individuals with minimal or no programming skills.
Test-Data Management: Tosca encompasses a comprehensive set of tools for managing test cases, test suites, and test runs, along with advanced features for reporting and analytics. This facilitates efficient test-data management and empowers users with valuable insights.
Testifi CAST
CSAT is a comprehensive code analysis and testing tool designed to enhance code quality and minimize technical debt. It offers a wide array of features, and its modular framework seamlessly integrates with any toolchain.
Integrating Testifi’s Task and Test Management transforms existing tools into a comprehensive DevOps platform. With CAST, creating domain-specific languages (DSL) for any application becomes feasible, allowing individuals without programming expertise to conduct automated testing. Let’s explore the key features of Testify CSAT:
Extensive Functionality: CSAT offers a comprehensive package that encompasses desktop, web, mobile, and API testing, eliminating the need for additional tools and reducing the reliance of businesses on multiple solutions.
Static Code Analysis: CAST incorporates static code analysis, enabling it to thoroughly scan the source code and identify potential issues based on predefined rules and guidelines.
Code Quality Analysis: CSAT conducts a thorough analysis of code quality, identifying potential bugs, design flaws, and security vulnerabilities that may contribute to technical debt or impact the overall quality of the code.
Perfecto
Perfecto is a cloud-based testing software designed for web and mobile applications to enhance CI/CD processes and continuous testing to elevate digital experiences. It empowers users to automate advanced test scenarios and access specific browser versions and devices based on individual requirements. Some key features of Perfecto are:
Continuous Testing: Perfecto seamlessly integrates with continuous integration and continuous delivery pipelines, enabling continuous testing. It provides real-time feedback on code changes, facilitating efficient testing throughout the development lifecycle.
Real-device Testing: With Perfecto, users can conduct application testing on real devices rather than relying on simulators or emulators. This approach ensures a more precise representation of real-world usage and enhances the accuracy of testing results.
Cross-platform Testing: Perfecto offers the capability to test web and mobile applications across various devices and operating systems, including Android, iOS, and Windows. This facilitates comprehensive testing across different platforms to ensure optimal application performance and compatibility.
Parasoft
Parasoft is a test automation platform that prioritizes enhancing the dependability and quality of software products. It achieves this through a range of features, including security testing, API testing, and continuous testing. Some notable features of Parasoft are:
Reporting and Analytics: Parasoft provides robust reporting and analytics tools that assist organizations in tracking testing progress, identifying technical glitches, and continuously improving the testing process over time.
Code Analysis: Parasoft offers powerful tools for analyzing code, enabling the detection of potential issues such as security vulnerabilities, bugs, and performance problems.
Unit Testing: Unit Testing ensures that each software component operates as intended. With automated unit tests, the quality of code in the early stages is effectively assured.
The Need of the Hour…
The segment of low-code development platforms has experienced remarkable growth in recent years. As the popularity of low-code development increases, the demand for low-code testing will also rise. Enterprise-grade platforms are at the forefront of this market, constantly innovating and dominating with their low-code capabilities. These platforms effectively bridge the gap by reducing time to market, delivery costs, and the overall cost of ownership.
Speed is one of the key advantages of adopting a low-code approach to application development. Business units can swiftly create application prototypes within hours by utilising a low-code platform. This capability enables IT companies to promptly gather valuable feedback from end-users and make necessary adjustments to meet evolving and critical business needs. This streamlined development process positions IT as an adaptive and responsive business partner capable of creating new applications and implementing processes. Additionally, it harnesses innovations in coding, cloud and hosting infrastructure, scalability, and security requirements to enhance the overall development experience further.
