In any automation certain errors might happen due to environmental issues. Such issues are very hard to debug as there may not be a trace available to handle such errors.

In this blog i will be introducing few environmental problems with appropriate solution available in QEngine,

1. Browser Cache:
   While loading a requested page browser may load the page from the browser cache instead of requesting it from the server. This may cause any functionality breakage, due to which the test cases may result in failure. 
   
   In the above case, if the requested page is got from the server, the above failure mat not have happened. 
   
   Solution:
   In QEngine there is a setting available to clear cache before starting the playback.
   To configure the above setting goto, Suite->Settings->Replay Settings and enable the checkbox for Clear browser cache before starting the playback.
   
   With the above settings we can minimize the error occurring due to browser cache.
   
   
2. Cookies:
   Cookies are the state identifiers sent with the request to the server from the browser. Browsers will store the cookies of the previous visit to use it next time when the server is requested. If there is any cookie of the expired server session present in the browser, then it will cause the wrong page to load in the browser. This may cause any functionality error, thus the test case will result in failure.
   
   In the above case, if the cookies were not present for the server domain, then these problem may not happen.
   
   Solution:
   In QEngine there is a setting available to clear cookies for the configured domain from the browser.
   To configure the above setting goto,Suite->Settings->Replay Settings and enable the checkbox for Clear browser cookies for and configure the server domain name in the textbox.
   
   With the above setting the we can minimize the error occuring due to cookies.
   
   

In this post, answers for the questions such as what is data driven testing?, how that is important to test automation and how to get that data need to test? are discussed.

What is data driven testing?

How this is important to test automation?

Using this method, testers can create highly maintainable test scripts. Additional data can be added to the data source(excel,database) with out modifying the test script.

How to get the needed data?

Using the black-box testing techniques such as Boundary value analysis, Equivalent partitioning and Error Guessing. You may read about these. However, lets see that.

Equivalent partitioning

To test the software with inputs from correct and incorrect data. For example, if you're testing a filed that will accept only positive integers. Positive integer, negative integer and alphabet inputs consists of three portions of data we need to test. With the equivalent partitioning method, one data from each portion is enough. 

Boundary value analysis

In this, data in the boundary of the partition is take. Testing a field which accepts data from 10 to 20 will be tested with 9, 10, 19, 20, 21.

Error Guessing

This method relies on testers knowledge about the product,intuition and past experience.

Now, using these methods, the data is generated. However, we need to answer another question before starting this. Is the necessary to test the product with all these data? Is the possible to reduce the number of combinations needed?

Pairwise testing the answer for that question. Before trying that out, you can take look at Cem Kaner's Impossibility of complete testing. With that background work, you can prepre the data for the minimum set of possibilities needed test. Take a look at this website more info on pairwise testing. You may interested to check James Bach's All Pairs test case generation tool too.