Tool support in manual testing

"Good software testing is a challenging intellectual process".

Manual testing means “testing software manually” but that doesn’t mean that there should be no tool support involved in the testing process. Not only in automation process but tool support can be taken in manual testing also.

Generally in the world of test automation tool support in testing means only GUI test runners (to 80 percent of IT industry).Test automation has been viewed saver “just” as a saver in “test execution”. But it is very unfortunate that other tools aren’t popular .

Tool support is available for testing in every stage of the life cycle. Some tools support one activity; others may support more than one activity. However this does not mean to say that all testing activities can be automated or indeed made automatic without manual participation.

These are some of the tools which facilitate a manual tester to do testing more effectively and efficiently.

• Test managers or test management tools


• Test link

Makes test management easy.
It is web based test management and test execution system.

• Test director

automated test management tool.
Manages and automates the entire QA (testing) process on windows operating system.

• QA director

Integrates test management with automated testing to provide framework for managing the entire process from planning to test execution and analysis.

• Data preparation tools ·


• Datafactory from Para soft

Large volumes of data
Realistic data

• Test case generation tool


• Allpairs -->Constructs a reasonably small set of test cases that include all pairing of each value of each of a set of parameters.

• Monitoring tools (helps in authoring installation test cases)
• Static system difference tool
  Inctrl5
• Dynamic monitoring tools

Regmon: real time registry monitoring tool ·

Filemon: real time file monitoring tool

• Test comparators: ·

Diff tool: Comparing the content of two files (two text files or two pdf’s) · Beyond compare: -->Powerful time saving utility for comparing files and folders on windows operating system.

Csv diff tool: (comma separated value) ·

Schema diff: -->Depicts differences between two databases or schemas

• Configuration management tools:Configuration management tool identifies, controls the release and changes, does status accounting and audit the configuration items.
  
  Cvs(concurrent version system)

Vss tool(visual source safe)

Perforce · Pvcs (polytron version control system)

• Bug tracking tools :Report, track and resolve the countless bugs, issues, changes and new feature requests involved in product development. QuickBugs can assist development and maintenance by focusing effort on the tasks required to quickly and efficiently complete the project.
  Bugzilla · Pr tracker (problem report tracker)
• Clear quest
• Mantis: popular web based bug tracking system

• Productivity improvement tool:
• Kleptomania: allows copying windows text from anywhere on the screen using OCR.
• Snagit8: captures an image, article, webpage or error message selected on the screen. A screen capture adds speed and clarity to your daily communication tasks.

• Test harness tool:


• Staf: software testing automation framework to improve the level of reuse and automation in test cases and test environments. The goal of staf is to provide a complete end to end automation solution for testers


• Test execution tools (GUI test runners)
• QTP: Is an automated functional GUI tool that allows the automation of user actions on a web or client based computer application.


• · Watir (Web application testing in ruby): It is a functional testing tool for automating browser based test of web applications. It is ruby library that works with IE on windows. When TE have to log into another system from the local system


• · Vnc(visual network connection)server: log into a system remotely Performance tool


• · Jmeter -->Load testing tool for analyzing and measuring the performance of variety of services with a focus on web applications Useful for a TE
• Norton ghost: Creates full backups of your pc’s content. Restores individual files or hard drive.


• Both make and ant are utility for automatically building large applications
  Make:
  Ant
  
• Static analysis tools or Code scanners


• Jtest


• Junit


• Devparter


• Fxcop
• Dynamic analysis tools or Code coverage tool Emma


• EMMA is a code coverage tool, tells which part of the code is exercised.

The modern definition for test automation could be “any thing that improves productivity “in test engineering process.—ashwinpalaparthi

(IMHO) Test automation should help the testers, not attempt to replace them.

Source:

Ashwinpalaparthi
Google.com
Sticky minds.com