Patent ID: 6983216

Claim:
A test automation tool operable to generate and submit a plurality of job control files for verifying operability of a computing environment changed in relation to a first computing environment, comprising: a job submission engine (JSE) operable to receive input regarding first attributes of said changed computing environment which have not changed from the first computing environment and second attributes of said changed computing environment which represent change from the first computing environment; a job control file generator (JCFG) in electronic communication with said JSE, said JCFG being operable to automatically generate job control files (JCFs) for testing of the changed computing environment under a plurality of different test conditions, the plurality of different test conditions being defined by values of said second attributes and sampled values of said first attributes, said JCFG being operable to automatically sample a set of all possible values of said first attributes to obtain said sampled values, said sampled values including substantially fewer values than said set of all possible values, wherein said JSE is further operable to automatically submit said JCFs to be executed by the changed computing environment and to automatically monitor execution of said JCFs by the changed computing environment.