The dog days of summer, a time when it is so hot that even dogs lie around on the ground or in their dog houses, panting their breaths away. As heat waves stretch across the Northern Hemisphere, everyone is seeking shelter and relief from the sun. Relief comes in many fashions. Although we here are Qyrus do not offer relief from the heat, we do offer relief from those pesky test maintenance issues, which will hopefully tone down the heat and pressure of your releases! Today on Feature Friday, we will talk to Tim and Parth about what a global variable is on Qyrus and how it can help bring relief to your test automation issues.
Tell us more about global variables and its use cases.
Tim: Global Variables are things that store values that are used constantly or consistently across many test scripts. It helps testers maintain these values much easier. And, these values can be synthetically generated to ensure you are not creating a bias in your testing. Lastly, Qyrus allows the user to create multiple profiles. This allows for users to use the same variables but store different values for those variables.
Parth:
Imagine this… what if you are using a single value across dozens of test scripts and that value changes? Think of a URL, for example. Well, if you hard-coded the URL into every test script, you’d have a lot of work on your hands. However, you can put that URL to a global variable and just maintain it in one spot.
Tim:
Let’s be realistic, though, there are testers out there who deal with hundreds of test cases, let alone dozens. And with the ability to synthetically generate data, users can use them to test across large amounts of scenarios. You can synthetically generate names, numbers, emails, UUIDs, and much more.
Parth:
On top of that, the ability to create multiple profiles lets users test across multiple environments, such as a QA, staging, or dev environments. And honestly, the list of use cases can go on and on.
Wow, that’s a lot! They seem to have a wide variety of use cases along with many smaller complementary features that can help bolster testing. With all of those capabilities, we want to know more about how they might impact testing overall.
What is the overall impact on the testing process that is seen from global variable usage?
Parth:
Well, they would impact many things such as test building, execution, reporting, and maintenance. In terms of building, it makes it simpler in that you don’t have to constantly hardcode values into the script. For execution and reporting both, they allow you to test across different environments using the same script. And of course, maintenance is the primary impact.
Tim:
And in all those areas, the usage makes everything more efficient. You get wider test coverage overall, being allowed to synthetically generate data and test across multiple environments. And there’s a large amount of effort reduction.
Global variable is versatile in their usage. As you’ve heard, it can do many things, and have an impact in many areas of testing. Now that we know this, let’s learn more about how different personas might use this feature.
How might using global variables help testers, developers, and business technologists? What value can this feature bring?
Tim:
Well, with regards to testers, they could use this to generate data during runtime for usage in test scripts. They also can test against multiple environments such as a dev or a staging environment. And overall it would provide value in terms of maintenance.
Parth:
And a developer would get a similar value as a tester. For business technologists, it could help with their general understanding of test scripts, overall coverage, and maintenance of test scripts.
Does the same or similar functionality exist without Qyrus, and how do competitors address similar problems?
Tim:
Well, without Qyrus, a tester would have to have a high degree of coding skills and knowledge in order to not only write an automation framework but also implement these global variables. And even then, they would have to be able to synthetically generate data. That’s not a small task by any means.
Parth:
And other competitors of ours have similar functionality, but not the all-around functionality that we provide. Again, we can generate data for usage in runtime, and we have multiple environment profiles that can be created.
So, it’s not something that’s completely new, but it’s something that we here at Qyrus have taken and evolved into something better. We’ve added numerous capabilities and complimentary features that make them something that empowers testing every day.
How do you see this feature impacting day-to-day operations across organizations?
Parth:
Yes, as mentioned before, it really boils down to the maintenance aspect. It allows users to have a single point of maintenance for their values used across multiple scripts. And this obviously would have an impact on their day-to-day.
Tim:
And the fact that we can synthetically generate data means that testers no longer have to use some 3rd party tool to do so or they don’t have to hardcode random values into their tests every run. And the fact that you can use multiple profiles promotes the reusability of test scripts.
Well, hopefully, this Feature Friday has helped to cool your concerns on synthetic test data generation, managing data across environments, and more! Hopefully, this Feature Friday has convinced you to try out our Free Trial! With it being so hot out, we won’t keep you any longer. Enjoy the weekend and stay fresh during these dog days of summer!
All structure came from ideas. Whether it is the small business on the corner, your favorite celebrity social media account, or the donation center of your choosing everything was once run by a single or individual group of people. The same often occurs with application creation and testing. As the idea of an app is fostered, minimal resources are initially allocated to the creation and functionality of said idea or app. After the most viable product is achieved and functionality grows, so does testing complexity, time, and effort. This is why Quality Assurance teams exist. When applications of this scale and size become established within business processes it becomes increasingly tricky yet essential to test and maintain functionality, and therefore businesses allocate teams to doing so. This week’s feature Friday is brought to you by Milton and Adhi who will discuss exactly how Qyrus enables agile teams to improve collaboration within testing and Quality assurance.
Tell us more about How Qyrus enables collaboration and its use cases.
Milton:
Collaboration is embedded through all portions of Qyrus. During the process of test creation, each script can be tagged with custom and multiple simultaneous inputs. This means the tester, the sprint cycle, the release date, and the QA team member in charge can all be noted during script creation to maintain centralized data on the script that each team member can access.
Adhi: Furthermore, when the scripts are executed, the reports are hosted in Qyrus as a centralized reporting location, with value metrics, screenshots, and video evidence. But if these reports needed to be shared or saved separately, Qyrus also offers downloadable reports, PDF reports, and Email reporting capabilities. This allows for the maintenance of integral executions and data while making reports dynamic and readily shareable.
Milton:
Exactly, even when scheduling a test, you have the option to input an email. This allows for status updates and executive summaries that are triggered as desired but send reports and notifications straight to the user’s email. Couple this with the ability to note defects straight to Jira from reports as well, and it is obvious Qyrus enables quality assurance teams to be both agile and collaborative.
What is this feature’s overall impact on the testing process?
Adhi: Making testing teams more collaborative simplifies the testing process and leads to higher-quality application releases. With business analysts, developers, and testers on the same page, businesses can clearly establish and define application requirements, build and organize test scripts accordingly, and automate massive portions of their quality assurance and testing requirements.
Milton:
And with this transparency comes efficiency. Monitoring success, mitigating roadblocks, and producing high-quality applications, fast, require not only an agile methodology but also effective collaboration among all team members. Being able to keep all data centralized on Qyrus, while also making reports and execution data readily available through email, pdf, and downloadable reporting options, Qyrus enables clients with the best of both worlds giving teams maximum flexibility.
How might the collaborative nature of Qyrus help testers, developers, and business technologists? What value can this feature bring?
Milton:
We often see business technologists utilize this feature to take a step into testing. Because Qyrus is a low code no code solution that offers video and screenshot recordings of the test scripts, business analysts can follow the entire functionality and execution of the use case and test script while watching their application execute actions on video. Coupled with the collaborative nature of Qyrus, these users no longer need an instance or even to log into Qyrus but rather can digest these reports through email, PDF, or downloaded and maintained versions of test executions.
Adhi:
Testers also love Qyrus’s collaborative nature. Testers are often the most hands-on with the Qyrus solution but often struggle to relay testing information back to development and business-centric teams. We now see testers not only schedule executions on Qyrus but also their required outputs. That means every time a suite is scheduled so are the reports which will automatically be emailed out to all desired parties by the tester. Furthermore, any defects are logged straight from the Qyrus report to Jira or any other third-party defect management application allowing testers to send bugs and failed execution reports straight to the developer’s JIRA board with included screenshots, video, and execution evidence.
Milton:
Developers also use this functionality to ensure application coverage. Being built on a team-to-project structure, any members that are part of the team and project on Qyrus have access to all scripts, executions, and reports. This allows developers to access given projects and ensure the suite is covering the desired application functionality properly, that the sprints and regression tests are organized and built properly, and that executions are scheduled with reports populating required locations. Because nobody knows more about an application than its developer, Qyrus enables developers and testers to work as a unit, in tandem, to ensure functionality while maintaining the highest levels of test case coverage.
Does the same or similar functionality exist without Qyrus, and how do competitors address similar problems?
Adhi:
It may be the case that certain features are mirrored and certain functionalities exist outside of Qyrus to offer some collaborative solutions. What Makes Qyrus unique is not that there are collaborative capabilities, but that the platform itself was built to ensure the highest levels of collaboration. Utilizing collaborative features and capabilities across every aspect of testing allows Qyrus to not only offer collaboration but utilize collaboration to optimize the entire quality assurance lifecycle. Taking a team of individually intelligent developers and testers and coordinating to promote the highest efficiency and quality.
Milton:
Exactly, it is not as though Qyrus invented collaboration, but as a solution, Qyrus makes it that much easier for business technologists, developers, testers, heads of QA, and CTOs among others to impact the testing and quality assurance process. The more actively involved participants throughout the QA process the better, and Qyrus ensures all team members the ability to impact and monitor quality assurance effectively.
How do you see the collaborative nature of Qyrus impacting day-to-day operations across organizations?
Milton:
The collaborative nature of Qyrus is something we see utilized throughout organizations on a daily level. Whether it is the tagging mechanisms implemented every time a script is created, scheduling executions and automatic email triggers upon completion, or quick report-sharing options, Qyrus’ collaborative features are a highlight for users throughout daily testing tasks.
Adhi:
Exactly. It is not so much that the feature is something that is sought out and used every day, but more so a silent requirement. When collaborative features are being used properly, it is almost as if they are not even noticed. When clients are building scripts, throwing tags on them becomes second nature. Making sure everyone is on the email list when setting up a scheduled execution. These are not glamorous features but still provide immense impact, altering day-to-day actions to enhance and optimize the entire testing and quality assurance process.
Applications are taking over the business landscape. From client-facing applications that require a perfect user interface and an optimized user journey to internal applications that require efficiency and functionality to maintain business processes, testing, and quality assurance have never been more demanding. As businesses funnel resources into developing teams and research automation, note that one of the most important aspects to consider is collaboration. Having teams that can scale up and scale down as required, with a platform that centers around an organization and easy share options for executions and reports, Qyrus enables efficient and quality testing by promoting collaborative capabilities for agile test teams. That concludes this week’s Feature Friday, join us next week as we continue to discuss unique Qyrus features that optimize the quality assurance lifecycle.
Nobody likes doing the same things over and over again. That’s why some of the best inventions and innovations focus on making repeatable tasks simpler. Something like a dishwasher, whose prominence comes from the daily requirement of washing dishes. Another perfect example is a door buzzer. If you’ve ever lived in Chicago or most other cities, you are able to buzz people into apartment buildings to mitigate having to continually walk up and down stairs to invite guests in. This week’s Feature Friday explores a feature that is able to mitigate repeatable testing tasks, make maintenance easier, and enhance the overall testing and quality assurance process. This week, Suraj and Jorell will be discussing Qyrus’ execute test case action type, which allows users to execute a test script within a single test step. This allows for repeatable steps to be created into their own scripts and executed as a step within all required scripts.
Tell us more about the Execute Test Case feature offered by Qyrus, Its use cases, and its impact on testing and QA processes.
Suraj: The concept is actually fairly simple: anytime you have a set of steps that are repeatable throughout a test script, build those steps into a script and use the execute test case action type. This way, anytime those steps change, you can simply change and save one script, which will be reflected across all locations and implementations. It beats going through and changing every single script individually.
Jorell: Exactly the execute test case action type can be very handy. The example we often see is login scripts. You often need to login to test actions across an application, this way simply create one login script and input it as a step across all other scripts. Now step one of your given scripts will be “execute login” and the remainder of the script can continue accordingly.
Does the same or similar functionality exist without Qyrus, and how do competitors address similar problems?
Jorell: Without Qyrus we often saw developers storing versions of their reusable scripts on hand. These versions would then have updates per tweak and change to the code which quickly become libraries that became difficult to manage and maintain.
Suraj: Exactly, and beyond another library that needs maintenance the implementation of these blocks requires copying, implementing, and executing code. Qyrus provides a codeless solution where users can build and save scripts and attach them in as individual steps. All are housed and maintained by Qyrus, promoting ease of maintenance and overall test building efficiency.
What is the overall impact on the testing process when using Qyrus’ Execute test case feature?
Suraj: That’s a simple one, there is an overall increase in test-building speed. We often see clients use a base test case that can be anywhere from five to fifty steps long, acting as the stump of a tree, which, upon conclusion, allows for branches of tests to be created.
Jorell: Exactly and anytime there is a change to the base script, you can save that change across every branch in which it has been used or implemented. This form of reusability saves a multitude of man considering the resource requirement of having to go back and make the same change across all required test scripts. But beyond practicality, this feature also allows for best practices within test building.
How might the Execute Test Case feature help testers, developers, and business technologists? What value can this feature bring
Jorell: We often see testers using the feature to implement best practices and make testing more efficient. Going back and optimizing test cases to use this feature allows testers to simplify test case maintenance in the long run. Using embedded scripts allows for maximum reusability and ease of maintenance ultimately increasing the speed of testing.
Suraj: Similarly, developers also get greater insights on testing practices and can tailor suites against feature releases. If a specific feature is being developed, the base script can be simply navigating to that feature. By embedding that single script, developers can build tests for every facet of the desired feature creating a comprehensive, feature specific, test suite that can be executed throughout development and after release. This not only enables a shift left but promotes high quality application development.
Jorell: Also with simple drag and drop functionality, behind an already codeless and easy to use user interface, the feature requires minimal technical knowledge also enabling business technologists. Not only in the step building process, but even in reports and analytics compartmentalizing scripts allows for better organization and readability. Business technologists can easily take a foothold in the quality assurance process utilizing this feature, especially, within the Qyrus user interface.
How do you see the Execute Test Case feature impacting day-to-day operations across organization?
Suraj: Actually, leaning towards the opposite, this is a feature that mitigates daily requirements and actions. After creating an initial script, such as a login or navigation script, users no longer have to worry about rebuilding that process again across scripts. Furthermore, maintaining that process within a single location with a save across suite option becomes seamless. This not only saves time but more importantly, headache, when you have to go back and make a single change that exists across test scripts.
Jorell: Exactly, get rid of repeatable and unnecessary testing activities, and rather reuse test cases to save time, and maintenance requirements while promoting best practices. This feature not only impacts but enhances the daily testing process.
Having the ability to embed test cases as a test step is a versatile feature. It allows you to maintain lengthy test scripts, organize suites and scripts to certain requirements, and maintain base functionality of tests efficiently. All of these benefits among test building and maintenance enable efficient testing and quality assurance, and ultimately the release of high-quality applications. Don’t forget about next week’s Feature Friday, where we will continue learning more about Qyrus features, which help streamline automation across all application testing requirements.
It can often be a struggle to purchase furniture. Have it shipped to your home or office in a large box with mounds of tape to cut through. Upon opening the box to your frustration, there are multiple layers of packing foam and other constructs. Finally organizing your parts, to your dismay, the manual is not in a known language or in often cases, there may not even be a manual. A rabbit whole many have encountered leading to endless hours looking for online instructions or assembly videos, the same frustrations are true for testing solutions. A solution is only as great as it is usable, and an often overlooked asset is proper documentation. Being able to jump onto a testing solution and see immediate value is essential, and leads us to this week’s Feature Friday, Qyrus’ onboarding materials. Suraj and Joyal will take a deeper dive into all the materials Qyrus provides to help users get immediate usage and return when first encountering the Qyrus platform.
Tell us more about the onboarding materials offered by Qyrus, their use cases, and their impact on testing and QA processes.
Suraj:
Qyrus onboarding materials are hefty but none as important as our documentation page. We often see current and new clients navigating to docs.qyrus.com for any questions about our solutions. With detailed descriptions across all our action types, screenshots of the platform and examples, alongside a range of tutorial videos, the documentation page acts as a one stop shop to learn all Qyrus functionality.
Jorell:
And if this wasn’t enough all new Qyrus users are populated with a range of execution ready test scripts. So instead of starting with a blank slate, users have a range of projects to learn from and execute not only understanding the test building process but details on the Qyrus platform. For users who have recently come into automation, or just don’t know much about the Qyrus solution these resources become integral.
Does the same or similar functionality exist without Qyrus, and how do competitors address similar problems?
Jorell:
As previously mentioned many competitors and general SAAS platforms provide documentation. The difference truly comes in the usage and digestion of that documentation. Reading through fifteen pages of usage and best practices to find a single relevant example to a desired use case is never fun. This is why Qyrus uses screenshots and quick clips to provide direct and digestible access to required information.
Suraj:
Exactly not only is there immense detail and information that is processed and presented the onboarding documents even include courses that clients can go through to master the different testing solutions. Fully developed e-learning courses, including worksheets and answer keys. This amount of detail and information placed behind the documentation and onboarding materials truly differentiates them.
What is the overall impact on the testing process when using Qyrus’ onboarding materials?
Suraj
Great question. We see a drastic impact with providing proper onboarding materials, primarily because it provides a central location for all required documentation and information to successfully use all aspects of Qyrus. Clients find more and more answers learning the documentation with hands-on videos and usage examples, making it even easier.
Jorell:
Exactly, this helps across the testing process but most importantly for new clients who are in the onboarding process. The documentation becomes an integral resource to build knowledge on the platform and all of its testing features and capabilities.
How might these unique onboarding materials help testers, developers, and business technologists? What value can this feature bring?
Suraj:
We see testers using the documentation and onboarding materials continually as a reference document. It not only teaches and provides one-time learning but also best practices and a dictionary for all action types with usage specifics. This level of detail and information across all features and solutions allows testers to learn all the corners and functionalities of the applications while using it, enabling efficient testing and high-quality application development using Qyrus.
Jorell:
Developers like to understand how the platform can test different aspects of their application. More of high-level thought, developers delve into whether functional and performance testing is available, different browser and device options, and other testing capabilities rather than use cases and action type specifics. As a reference point for different testing options and abilities, developers find confidence in being able to test aspects across their applications.
Suraj:
We often find business analysts using the tutorial course and videos to not only learn Qyrus but also more about testing and specifically automation. As a one-stop shop to understanding exactly how automation testing is implemented across different applications and specifically how to optimize the testing to produce the highest quality applications possible.
How do you see onboarding materials impacting day-to-day operations across organizations?
Suraj:
The documentation and other onboarding materials do help across day-to-day operations. Primarily speaking they are a primary point for direct assistance for all test builders. Everything from step-by-step details, action type information, testing offerings, and general automation can all be learned straight from documentation and onboarding materials.
Joyal:
Beyond that it is a great location to promote best script building and general testing practices. Whether you are versed in automation or entirely new to it, the onboarding materials Qyrus presents help you transition to full usage and get the most value out of Qyrus automation solutions.
The same reason you plan out every step of a camping trip, going through every required material, because actions become significantly more difficult without proper guidance or planning. And considering how integral applications are becoming to business prosperity should your testing solution be any different? This is why Qyrus provides a range of documentation, test scripts, courses and other learning materials. Making onboarding easier for clients allows Qyrus to produce value and begin the automation journey as soon as possible. Saving time and resources on learning and development Qyrus enables steadfast automation across all automation requirements. Join us next week as we continue to discover more Qyrus features that promote the best in test automation.
Consider the way ice cream flavors are all laid out at the local shop, or the clothing presented at the mall perfectly organized with color combination and size, the ability to pick and choose between well-presented options is, at this point, a requirement for clients and customers. And as with any product or service, testing should offer the same. As applications become the backbone of business, application requirements become more dense and functionality more critical for business prosperity. All of this can quickly become a nightmare for testing and quality assurance teams. This week’s Feature Friday interviews Joyal and Suraj who talk about Qyrus test execution capabilities, allowing clients to select browsers & devices, resolutions, and other testing specifics, almost like an ice cream shop for all execution specifics.
Tell us more about the test execution capabilities offered by Qyrus, their use cases, and their impact on testing and QA processes.
Suraj:
Test execution with Qyrus is so simple yet powerful that it becomes notable. Simply put, you can specify a range of requirements, including browser & device, variable environment, and screen resolution, among more advanced customizations, all within a few clicks, placed behind an easy-to-use interface.
Joyal:
As Suraj mentioned power, Qyrus allows for parallel testing, meaning you can execute a test across multiple browsers or devices simultaneously. Furthermore, built into our business process testing feature, end-to-end tests can now be executed, requiring multiple browsers and devices within a single test. And that’s not including the execution customizations.
Does the same or similar functionality exist without Qyrus, and how do competitors address similar problems?
Joyal:
Though the same functionality may exist, the difference is the simplicity of use and, furthermore, the extent to which this functionality is implemented across the platform. To be more specific, Qyrus test execution capabilities can be found for not only web, mobile testing, and API testing, but Qyrus also allows you to stitch together all prior execution requirements in a business process.
Suraj:
Though this could be replicated, you would need access to all required browsers, then all required devices, not to mention the end to end process would have to be executed manually or custom scripts would have to be coded for parallel testing and business process testing, not to mention managing infrastructure.
What is the overall impact on the testing process when using Qyrus’ test execution capabilities?
Suraj:
Consider buying a new suit, you pick out different colors and sizes and then execute when trying them on. Similar to that process, build a single script to cover a range of application functionality and then decide to execute it across different scenarios.
Joyal:
Exactly. Consider it a one-stop shop for all your execution requirements. Maximize test case coverage by testing in parallel across a range of different browsers or devices, firmly establishing application functionality.
How might test execution capabilities help testers, developers, and business technologists? What value can this feature bring?
Joyal:
Developers are often seen testing their applications’ reliability and functionality across browsers and devices as they develop and release new features. This provides much-needed validation during the development process, taking a shift left and enabling the production of higher-quality applications for the first time.
Suraj:
Testers can test applications across multiple customizable environments. That includes data sets, screen resolution and configurations, devices and browsers, and more. Testers have the freedom and ability to efficiently test applications end to end with access to custom configurations within clicks. Expanding coverage and allowing testers the ability to test every corner of their web and mobile applications.
Joyal:
Business analysts are often seen building configurations to match their business insights. That’s to say, if most of their clients use Chrome and Edge browsers to access their applications, a business technologist can run all tests simultaneously across both of those browsers. This enables a proper user experience across the required browsers and devices.
How do you see test execution capabilities impacting day-to-day operations across an organization?
Suraj:
The day-to-day impacts of this feature are definitely prominent, especially when you consider its usage. Upon every execution, users are able to choose from a range of customizable browsers and devices. These varying options, across daily executions, can bring a lot of deviation to testing, creating a range of usage and testing scenarios. This not only increases test case coverage but also maximizes application functionality.
Joyal:
Not to mention Web, Mobile, API, and Business Process tests all have test execution capabilities, meaning this feature is found across all Qyrus testing modules.
Having multiple ice cream and clothing options is nice, but not necessarily a make-or-break. When considering testing and quality assurance, this concept becomes significantly more important. More execution options directly mean more test case coverage and higher quality applications. Consistent knowledge that your application is functioning properly across browsers and devices is essential for application and business integrity. Allowing for a range of execution options is essential for the testing and quality assurance processes. Join us next week as we continue to explore Qyrus features and standards that enable faster testing cycles, and higher-quality application development.
Summer’s half way over, and the dog days are now behind us. Hopefully, this means relief from the hot summer sun and the warm winds that follow behind – also known as perfect football weather (Bear Down!). We here at Qyrus hope to bring relief to the testing world through our unique platform and features that support it! Today on Feature Friday we are going to talk about our API process testing and how it can bring relief to nearly everyone involved in a release from testers to developers. Let’s hear more from our two Qyrus team members joining us today, Tim and Parth.
Tell us more about API process testing using Qyrus and its different use cases.
Tim:
Basically, API process testing is testing the functionality of APIs together in a chain. So, it takes our API functional testing a step further by allowing us to test these complex business flows and processes that we see happen in real day-to-day scenarios.
Parth:
Yeah, so, essentially it is taking data given in one response from an API test and passing it into another. We can chain requests together including one-to-many scenarios – the best part about these tests is the speed – they execute in seconds!
Tim:
Specifically, if clients want to test if their business flows are receiving and sending correct data, then API process testing is right up their alley. This feature also specifically targets clients that want to test the functionality of their end-to-end customer journeys.
That’s fantastic! We can test the functionality of these API processes, rather than just the individual APIs themselves. The impact on the testing process cannot be understated.
What is API process testing’s overall impact on the testing process?
Parth:
Overall, it impacts the testing process at every level. In terms of test building, we allow you to import functional API tests that were built previously. The user also does not have to have any coding experience because it’s all done from our graphical user interface. For execution and reporting, we allow users to parameterize tests for data-driven testing and provide a graphical tree view in the report of the execution along with all individual API reports.
Tim:
One thing to not forget is that it can also connect to CI pipelines, providing an even larger impact by allowing users to be completely hands-off when it comes to execution and reporting of the tests. And overall, we see this feature providing value in terms of an increase in test coverage and a reduction in effort for test building and maintenance.
Parth:
This means that when a build is triggered – first you can execute all functional API tests, assuming those pass – then you can execute your API process tests. With these two steps automated for each build – you will always know whether your API layer is ready for deployment. This means that during your UAT testing – your testers will mainly be focused on the UI. This prevents late-stage discovery of defects leading to increased rework times and possible delays for releases.
The versatility of this feature is no doubt. It can help in many aspects and in a wide array of areas. What kind of help with this feature bring to different types of users, though?
How might API process testing help testers, developers, and business technologists? What value can this feature bring?
Tim:
For testers, using API process testing makes it easier to build these complex API tests and scenarios through importing of old test scripts. Instead of having to individually execute each functional API test, we can string them together. Testers also get the added benefit of the detailed reporting. Developers would see less usage out of this but could be seen using this to almost like unit test their API processes.
Parth:
And for business technologists, you might not see much usage, either. But, because of the graphical nature of these tests, business technologists might find it easier to understand these complex API processes and scenarios. The graphical nature of the reporting works to this end, as well.
It’s been interesting to hear about the different angles that API process testing has on the testing process. But, surely this isn’t something brand new out of the gates? It’s been possible to test API processes in the past…
Does the same or similar functionality exist without Qyrus, and how do competitors address similar problems?
Parth:
Outside of Qyrus, you’d find yourself having trouble with finding something that can chain APIs together like Qyrus – especially in a low-code framework! Lots of other similar API testing tools just have the functionality aspect covered, but not the process.
Tim:
And on top of that, most things that do allow for some kind of process testing requires the user to have some coding knowledge. With Qyrus, everything is no-code. We can make these tests without coding, and we can chain them together without coding. All it takes is some basic knowledge.
How do you see this feature impacting day-to-day operations across organizations?
Parth:
By making test building easier by taking coding out of the equation, we often see a large time savings margin. Test building and day-to-day maintenance becomes easier, and reporting makes everything better, as well.
Tim:
We also allow for data-driven testing in API process testing. You can parameterize tests to turn your one chained test into one that can cover dozens if not hundreds of test scenarios – from happy paths scenarios to the most obscure exceptions/negative path test cases. And reusability is there, too, by allowing users to import previously built tests.
It’s true, the benefits of API process testing cannot be denied. The fact that you can parameterize these tests, and connect them to your CI pipeline? What else can we expect?!
Are there any future updates or developments that we might look forward to for API process testing?
Tim:
There are always things that we can improve on. And, although API process testing is a complete feature, we can see future improvements on the roadmap.
Parth:
That honestly goes for everything. If it’s not the feature itself, it’s the user experience behind the feature that can be improved upon. One thing that we’ve thought of doing is allowing for our global variables to be updated after a test execution, allowing those values to become dynamic in a sense.
And that about wraps it up! API process testing is an integral pillar in Qyrus’ API testing , and we see wide usage of it across many of our users. It brings relief where it’s needed most. Speaking of relief, we hope it’s not too hot wherever you are and that you stay cool for the rest of the summer. Join us next week here to hear more about our fabulous features here on Feature Friday!
Summer has finally officially started! Although in some places, it certainly felt like it started some weeks ago, the Summer Solstice is finally here! Every day is now shorter from this point onwards, but that doesn’t mean that your outlook on test management should grow darker with the days. Qyrus has a fantastic test management solution and we have Punit Gupta, a Qyrus team member, here to discuss it in more detail with you! So, although the days are darkening, hopefully your outlook on test management will grow brighter! Without further delay, let’s jump in.
From a high level, provide a summary of Test Repository.
It’s is a very huge aspect of the entire test building experience of a user. In this feature the tests are stored in the repository and then can be reused across the different test suites either in Test Lab or Sprint.
The tests that are built in the repository are stored within the modules to which they relate. The tests that are created within the repository can then be imported into the test suites within the Test Lab or Sprint section.
The most interesting part about this feature is that the tests that are imported into the test suites can be updated/edited from the repository across all the test suites where the scripts have been imported to. This also works in reverse. This helps increase the maintainability and the reusability aspects of building and maintaining the tests.
Another key feature of the repository is that the user has the option to save multiple different revisions of the script that the user is editing. They also have the ability to restore the tests to any of their previous versions that the user had earlier saved.
Describe in short what kind of use cases it specifically targets.
This feature specifically targets the maintainability and the reusability aspects of the tests that are built by the user. To explain this use case, let’s consider an example: suppose a user has built a login test and this is being used across multiple different test suites that are a part of the same Test Lab or Sprint cycle. If there is a change in the login flow where an additional step is added in the test, the locator changes, or the entire script needs to be changed, these changes can be updated across all the places where the script is being used. And again, this works in reverse, where the user can push changes back to the Test Repository. Finally, if a user wants to save the changed script without updating the old one, they can do that, also.
How is Qyrus’ test management different from how competitors have addressed test management?
Maintenance and reusability are key aspects of any test building experience and every competitor out there tries to solve this problem in their own respective ways. One way that our competitors typically address this problem is by making some aspect of their test like defining locators based on Page Object Model or defining a small block of steps as reusable by allowing the user to have them in one place and reusing them across other scripts.
Our approach to solving this problem is very unique when compared to the above-mentioned approach. While we have the same capabilities available on our platform in one form or another, the Test Repository makes the maintenance and reusability very easy and efficient as the users are not restricted to do the maintenance of their scripts in the repository alone but they have the options to edit/update the same in the imported suites and push back any updates to the repository and across other suites. This gives users more flexibility, adding to it is the ability to create multiple restore points of their script, allowing the user to make changes to the script and update them without having to worry about making mistakes as it can be restored at any point.
Test Repository was made with keeping testers and how they work in mind. It’s meant to enable testers to manage their tests in a better fashion. And, it doesn’t require any extra effort on the user’s end to set up or use. It’s an inherent part of the test building and testing process. The testers just create their test either manually or using our recorder and then add these tests as the part of the suites that these tests correspond to.
How does Test Repository make testing easier and faster?
Some of the concerns that testing teams have with respect to automation are building reusable components in their tests and the maintenance of these tests when things change. Qyrus addresses these key pain points of the testers with Test Repository, inherently making test management easier.
One of the most time-consuming tasks is maintenance of an automation script and making sure these changes are done and updated across all the other places as well. By using this specific feature in Qyrus, the testers will now only have to do the maintenance in the repository and push the changes to all the other places it is being used, making this cumbersome task easier and much faster.
In what way does it promote reusability, if at all?
This feature can be best leveraged and is designed in a way that makes the testers build the tests in a much more reusable structure. The tests are built in the repository under different modules and allows the tester to design the tests in a much more reusable fashion, as these tests can be imported to multiple suites, multiple times.
Is there anything new we can expect to see out of Test Repository moving forward?
Speaking of the roadmap for this specific feature, this feature in itself has gone through multiple iterations to address different aspects of the test building experience. Having said that, the potential improvements that we are looking at is for it to be combined with the test data management, test orchestration, and test script management in its whole.
Well, what do you think? Test management never sounded so easy! Test Repository is built to enable the user to better manage their tests from one area to another. On top of that it gives the users the peace of mind that their tests are in multiple places and reusable across the entire platform. Well, let’s not keep you any longer. It’s summer, as we’ve said, and time to have some fun in the sun! We’ll catch you on next week’s Feature Friday.
Over the years, time and time again, we have seen old, archaic work processes fall due to our progression in technology. Over time, everything has become more streamlined. Everything in one shape or form is faster or more efficient; whether it be in how the thing is made or processed to how it helps consumers. Software testing has been no exception to this rule, either. Over the years, we have seen software testing go from manual testing processes to automated, and now we are seeing a boom in codeless automation. Joining us today to talk more about the subject of codeless testing and how we do it on Qyrus are Steve and Brett from our Chicago team.
Tell us more about action types and what is offered by Qyrus. Also, mention their potential use cases.
Steve: First things first, actions in Qyrus are things that can be performed within a test script. This can be a thing such as mouse events where you would click on an element on a page, or input events where you set a text field on a page. Using actions, we build steps to our test scripts in Qyrus.
Brett: Steve already mentioned a few of the different action types we offer… mouse events and input events. But we offer so many more, including conditionals, alert handlers, browser window actions, and verifications, which lead to our dynamic data handling. Whether team members are new to automation or experts, these action types are simple to use, and comprehensive, allowing for a range of testing activities.
Steve: Under conditionals, you can have an if condition nested inside your test script. For example, if when the test script starts, you are already logged into the application, you can tell the script to first log yourself out before proceeding with the rest of the script. We can even do things like embedding test scripts within other test scripts using our action type, “execute the test case.”
What is the overall impact Qyrus has on the testing process through going codeless and using these abstracted action types?
Brett: I mean, honestly, the main impact is within the test-building process. Again, since we are essentially taking coding out of the equation, we can enable faster test building. There is a virtually nonexistent learning curve when transitioning to Qyrus, and with every release, we seek to simplify testing even further. Building out steps becomes as simple as filling out a form, as Qyrus displays all required fields per action type to be filled.
Steve: Yeah, overall, we see a large amount of time and effort saved when it comes to test building. You don’t need to know how to code at all in order to use our test-building system.
If you would like to learn more about how Qyrus is simplifying test building, you can read more about our web and mobile recorder tools that help enable testers to quickly and efficiently build out test scripts. Qyrus is all about scale, as well, and you can learn more about how we can then parameterize these tests to further scale our test coverage as well.
How might how Qyrus is changing test building help testers, developers, and business technologists? What value can it bring?
Brett: Well, again, since we are essentially trying to simplify test building, testers, devs, and business technologists would all find the action of test building more accessible. This especially goes for newer members of the team and newer testers in general.
Steve: Yeah, we’ve seen inexperienced users pick up testing in Qyrus very quickly. This goes for new testers, like Brett mentioned, but even non-technical people. And the wide array of action types pleases our testers at the forefront of automation and innovation, promoting the highest levels of test-building efficiency.
Does the same or similar functionality exist without Qyrus, and how do competitors address similar problems?
Brett: Well, many competitors also use action types like we do here on Qyrus. However, they’re often geared toward testers and more technical users who already have technical knowledge. They use technical terminology, behind a complex user interface requiring a strong technical background or a difficult learning curve,. Whereas Qyrus designed these actions with keywords that would be easily identifiable for any user, and a simple-to-build, form-like user interface recognizable by all backgrounds, not only technical.
Steve: Right, and if you were to not use some competitor platform but rather code this out, you would have to build a framework from the ground up which requires immense overhead and specified engineers and technical resources. And what happens if a key developer of the framework or a large portion of the team happens to leave the organization. The issue with getting new members becomes terrifying. Not with Qyrus.
How do you see building tests like this impacting day-to-day operations across organizations?
Brett: So, I think we’re almost sounding like broken records, but the whole codeless building is really revolutionary when it comes to test building. We’ve built tests using Selenium and it definitely takes longer to set up and code out than it does using Qyrus. And that’s not even including the infrastructure and other pain points that are mitigated along the way
Steve: And, since all of the actions are put into simplified terms, you know what does what without having to constantly refer to documentation. It was always a pain having the documentation up in another tab or on a second screen and having to reference over. We aim to keep users going and keep the test building flowing.
And with that, we wrap up this week’s Feature Friday. We hope you learned a few things about Qyrus and how it can help enable faster and more efficient test building by leveraging our codeless test building. Action types are at the core of our codeless test building. As technology progresses, testing becomes ever more important and making sure quality assurance is held at a high standard can be achieved using Qyrus.
RPA Definition
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is using technology and AI to mimic back-office human tasks. Through robotic software, RPA is able to perform repetitive tasks to help streamline business activities. RPA emulates human processes and can complete tasks like fill out forms, copy data, put data into new fields, etc. These features can have a range of applications within many different industries that deal with repetitive tasks.
RPA can either be end-to-end automation without human interaction at any step, or it can act as a helper and automate steps that don’t need human intervention. Manual processes like entering repetitive data or code are common places for inefficiency and human error, so utilizing RPA can help reduce errors and make testing more efficient. Why waste human labor on repetitive tasks, when a robot can do it for you?
RPA Example: Banking
In the rise of mobile banking, Robotic Process Automation Technology plays a key part in ensuring that banking features are working as efficiently as possible. Customer experiences are typically a critical part for success in many financial institutions. Users want to access their banking information and use banking features without dealing with setbacks and problems. Financial Institutions are often known for specific regulatory requirements, lengthy manual processes, and setbacks which result in poor customer service and lengthy service times.
RPA can help simplify banking activities and help enhance the overall efficiency for both the user and the business. The customer experience is crucial for any business, so it’s important to put proper RPA technologies in place to enhance accessibly and reduce any problems in relation to customer service.
Many industries, including banking, are adopting RPA tools to automate repetitive, time-consuming tasks, which is allowing many industries to enhance efficiency while reducing overall costs and time. RPA also has applications for other industries like: Manufacturing, Medical, Government, Education, Retail, etc. RPA can help simplify many aspects of business, no matter what industry or department.
What Features Can Help Improve RPA?
Qyrus offers a range of features and AI automation tools that help streamline testing capabilities. Testing is an area of business that is typically time consuming and repetitive, which is the perfect place to utilize RPA. Manual testing takes a lot of resources which can cause delays in the release of new products or processes. Some Qyrus features that utilize RPA include:
Healer: An advanced AI tool that users can enable before they execute their test scripts. It helps prevent test flakiness and brittleness. Through the use of Healer, testers can say goodbye to the days of scratching their head wondering why their working tests break. If Healer detects a failing test it attempts to remedy the cause and provide the user with feedback as to what went wrong during execution.
Rover: An autonomous exploratory testing solution using machine learning that is capable of generating tests without any human interaction. Rover can generate test steps, check for crashes, and even ensure reliability of apps.
Hawkeye: A tool that creates a difference map of Rover explorations for two different versions of an application. Easily comprehend added, changed, or removed screens and transitions across two versions of an application. Testers and developers no longer have try and remember how a process used to function.
Component Testing: Test business processes across different platforms (web, mobile, API) and applications (internal, external, CRM, finance, etc.) by reusing tests built in other Qyrus Test solutions. Using the component testing feature, testers can create complex and comprehensive tests that cover a wide range of cases and scenarios, all managed from one spot.
Qyrus is an ever-evolving and ever-expanding platform that seeks to continue to push the limits and boundaries of its current testing capabilities. Many more features and solutions exist on the Qyrus platform that lend a hand to RPA and automation as a whole.
Benefits of Robotic Process Automation
These are just a few of the automation and AI features that can help improve RPA. Robotic Process Automation is a stepping stone towards digital transformation. Manual processes, without the help of automation, are typically areas where inefficiency and human error occur.
By utilizing RPA, businesses can improve their capabilities and enhance efficiency so that time is not wasted in the testing phase. Instead, with the freed-up time and resources business can focus on creativity and other important business tasks that actually require human intelligence and decision making. Adopting RPA into everyday business tasks has many other benefits that include:
Increased Productivity: By automating tedious tasks, Testers can focus on more important business matters because automation can do it quicker and more accurately than humans can.
Consistency: Through automation, repetitive tasks can be performed consistently every time so businesses can reduce the errors that are typically found in manual testing.
Reduce Costs: Repeating manual tasks are much more time consuming compared to when they are automated. When a robot is doing these tasks quicker, it gives more time back to employees that can be more productive and creative in other important areas.
Produce Products Quicker: Tests scripts can be created at an accelerated rate with more accuracy. This means that products or services can be tested quicker and can be released to market much quicker compared to manual testing.
Reduce Risks: Automation and AI can identify, fix, and change errors without the intervention of a human. Repetitive tasks are typically where errors occur, so when RPA is involved, the errors are reduced and more quality tests are being created at an accelerated rate.
Conclusion
Robotic Process Automation has many benefits and when integrated correctly can greatly enhance overall business efficiency while reducing time and money. RPA is very accessible and has applications for every industry, even the smallest of business. Starting to automate early and utilizing RPA throughout the business process will set them apart from the businesses that ignore automation. RPA is the stepping stone to digital transformation and will greatly help all businesses in the long run.
Chicago knows this time of year. The temperature begins to pinball, foreshadowing the long-awaited summer. Regardless of fandom, team, or even interest in the sport, there is a buzz felt in the air as the collective whispers grow to bedlam, “Take me out to the ball game!”
Let’s ponder for a moment, what makes a ballgame so special? Is it the bright lights that glisten on the freshly trimmed grass, is it the faint aroma of hot dogs and popcorn that tickle the nose, or is it the flood of fans and friendly faces singing in unison during the 7th inning stretch? A baseball game is an accumulation of hundreds of individual pieces, of which the functionality is essential to the heart of the ballgame. This week’s Feature Friday is brought to you by Brett and Linto who will be discussing CI pipeline integrations, which, believe it or not, are more similar to a baseball game than you may think.
Tell us more about the CI pipelines and integrations offered by Qyrus, their use cases, and their impact on testing and QA processes.
Brett: I think a baseball game is the perfect example to think of when considering a pipeline. A baseball game has hundreds of different components like concession stands, the ticket booth, security, restrooms, seating, crowd management, the game itself, and more. A quality baseball game boils down to the optimization of all these processes.
Linto: Consider an online store or a delivery service mobile application. They have to handle customer requests, list their services and products, build a payment structure, etc. Pipelines allow users to build out complex scenarios, often testing multiple services and applications in sequence.
Brett: Think about it this way: prior to pipelines, testing the “ballgame” would require isolating and testing each individual component. Imagine making sure the hot dog stand was functioning properly, then the ticket booth, then the lights one by one. With pipelines, you can automatically trigger all of these pieces to be tested in sequence from a centralized location. Instead of testing all these processes individually, build different user journeys throughout the ballpark that encompass and test many of these processes.
What is the overall impact on the testing process when integrating a CI pipeline with Qyrus?
Brett: This feature largely impacts the testing process. Conceptually, any development, ranging from feature updates to entire application releases, can be integrated into pipelines during development. Then, anytime code is pushed, these pipelines can trigger these scripts to execute. This provides robust reports of comprehensive application functionality upon all releases.
Linto: Offering out-of-the-box pipeline integration with Azure DevOps, Bitrise, Concourse, Jenkins, and Team City, we have integrations with industry-leading CI/CD tools. Furthermore, as a cloud-based solution, creating custom integrations is easily achievable and has been implemented for past clients.
Brett: We see this as a powerful feature that promotes functionality and quality assurance upon the development and deployment of code. Comprehensive testing that is reusable and can be automatically triggered to verify application functionality immediately upon code enhancements and alterations can optimize the testing and QA lifecycle.
This is starting to make sense. Thinking of the ballgame as one big application, these pipeline integrations allow you to test entire “games” at a time, rather than having to isolate and test individual portions of the game. Connecting automated testing to your CI pipeline is a powerful feature in terms of usage and coverage, so we had to ask about similar features within the market.
Does the same or similar functionality exist without Qyrus, and how do competitors address similar problems?
Linto: Testing solutions often offer integrations with common pipelines. That is not a unique feature. But, the silver lining usually sits within the functionality of these integrations. Qyrus enables test suites to be allocated as build steps within pipelines. Upon execution, Qyrus provides robust visual reporting and actual data feedback.
Brett: That’s correct. As many integrations allow you to run and provide a general pass/fail indicator, Qyrus goes the extra mile to offer step-by-step data, screenshots, and general test metrics, all located within comprehensive testing pipelines.
We’ve established the relevance of this feature and some unique qualities in relation to competition and similar industry tools, but testing and QA teams have multiple personas and skill sets that need addressing.
How might CI Pipelines help testers, developers, and business technologists? What value can they bring?
Brett: Testers find this feature useful because they integrate Qyrus scripts into build steps within pipelines. With robust pipelines testing user journeys and edge cases, Qyrus’ test building and infrastructure enhance the testing process and produce reports straight into already built pipelines. This mitigates the requirement of any migration, re-building, or custom requirements. Simply create these build steps and have on-demand, robust test execution and reporting at your fingertips.
Linto: Developers see the direct and indirect benefits of this feature. As developers build and release new application features, they can simultaneously test these features, import, and integrate these scripts into pipelines. This not only promotes a shift left in the quality assurance lifecycle but also mitigates the need to rebuild tests on a separate platform. Build out tests and pipelines once and have the ability to execute upon command.
Brett: Even if developers are isolated from the testing and QA lifecycle and don’t directly work with the feature, they can find confidence in the fact that upon commit of new applications, updates, and features, the pipeline’s scripts are automatically triggered for comprehensive functionality and UI testing.
Linto: Business technologists also find value in the visual aspects of this feature. Being able to follow different pipelines and journeys with clear pass/fail indicators and screenshots for each step allows business analysts to fully understand application functionality and easily navigate business requirements, release cycles, and other required business processes.
A very interesting use case across different personas, this feature is valuable across QA and testing teams.
How do you see CI pipelines impacting day-to-day operations across organizations?
Linto: Simple test building, comprehensive execution and coverage options, and robust reporting, all quickly integrated into existing pipelines, mitigating any excess resource requirements. I think this feature speaks for itself.
Brett: And with integrations across Web, Mobile, and API testing, the feature becomes more relevant as testing demands increase. Considering clients with hundreds of tests, prior to pipelines and easy integrations, each script would have to be executed manually or scheduled on our platform. Doing this, every execution can add up to extensive resources and time.
That concludes this week’s Feature Friday with Brett and Linto about CI pipeline integrations offered within the Qyrus testing platform. After going through the purpose of pipelines, the relevance of integrations, and how Qyrus integrations are both unique and impactful within the testing and QA lifecycle, we can conclude that applications are not far off from baseball games. Utilizing Qyrus’ CI pipeline integrations can optimize the experience of all users—or, in this case, make a ballgame into a memory.
Jerin Mathew
Manager
Jerin Mathew M M is a seasoned professional currently serving as a Content Manager at Qyrus. He possesses over 10 years of experience in content writing and editing, primarily within the international business and technology sectors. Prior to his current role, he worked as a Content Manager at Tookitaki Technologies, leading corporate and marketing communications. His background includes significant tenures as a Senior Copy Editor at The Economic Times and a Correspondent for the International Business Times UK. Jerin is skilled in digital marketing trends, SEO management, and crafting analytical, research-backed content.
