7 Things To Consider While Choosing Best Functional Testing Tool
Tags: testing, tooling
Published: 2020-12-31 13:49:34

Choosing the right functional testing tool is important for any testing team as it impacts the overall software testing process. If your selection goes wrong it could be a massive impact on the testing process. When you try to search “functional testing tools”, there will be a long list of tools and might get confused about choosing the best one. Some of them might have great capabilities but they also have limitations that could impact daily flow. So here we came with the considerations that will help you to choose the best functional tool. Before that, let’s see what functional testing is.

#What Is Functional Testing?
It is a type of software testing that validates the software system against functional requirements/specifications. It’s tests are conducted on each feature of the software to determine its behavior by using input combinations simulating normal operating conditions and deliberate errors and anomalies. Functional testing is a type of black-box testing where it checks user interface, APIs, database, security, client/server communication and other functionality of app. 

Know the difference between Unit Testing and Functional Testing at- Unit Testing Vs Functional Testing – Know The Comparison

#Considerations To Choose Best Functional Testing Tool-
**1. Platform Support And Tagging-**
If the test tool is unable to run on all the platforms that the team needs support for(mobile web, iOS native, web, Android native, API, unit and so on) then the team has to cover that risk in a different way. Many platforms have similar use cases: search, login, display product page, tag, checkout and so on. One basic practice for end to end tools is to create a “page object,” with the basic features expressed as functions. Automated checks call those functions. At the runtime page objects are created to make it possible to reuse a path-to-purchase check on each device. Simply, you can rerun the same test against different page objects. Some kind of features exist only on the full-sized web version of product.

Tagging is a way to track which tests run in which browsers. With the help of tagging, it is possible to instruct the tool to “run all tests for the edge browser full size”, or for this, just front-end tests, only back-end tests, only tests that hit a certain API, only profile tests and so on. If tool has various levels of platform support and teams support various platforms, then tool will have to keep track and run the subset that is supported. While speed up the delivery process Tagging tests by feature and return all tests for feature quickly, at the desktop right before a check-in can be a powerful way to reduce risk. 

**2. Programming Language And Development Environment-**
In a case where a tool has a programming language, there are two approaches: write in the same language as production programmers or use powerful high-level language like Ruby.  If the test is written in the same language as production code and runs during the continuous integration (CI), it might fail the commit and get programmers to fix the bug.

The tool can run as a plug-in inside the developer’s integrated development environment (IDE), by minimizing the switching amount. If tool uses a different programming language and runs outside of the IDE, programmers will learn new tool or do the work to support the tool when it reports “failure”.

**3. CI And Version Control-**
Many teams that want to avoid automation delay put the tool run into the CI process. Means, CI system checks the code, performs a build, runs unit tests and creates an actual server and a client, possibly putting the software on a mobile device. Then CI system starts end to end tests running with the functional tool. Tests that runs under CI creates a new requirement. When new branches are created, you have to create a new branch of tests. In this way, many CI pipelines can run at the same time. This means the tool have to run from the command line and generate output that CI system can interpret. At least it should capture the output and transform it into something that CI system can read.

To use the CI system’s dashboards and pie charts, data needs to get out of the tool and into the CI system. When the device runs under CI, the power is in getting it to report failures to the offending programmer. This occurs by tracking and then debug naad “green” the test or fix the code. This can be easy to do if the programmers know and support the language if tests are stored as plain text. When stored in version control, it is hard to tell the differences among files in binary format.

**4. Insightful Report-**
Test reports should help diagnose and analyze defects and root causes, test coverage, test effectiveness and other analysis. So, choose the functional testing tool whose charts and dashboards have a customizable degree of detail concerning the intended audience. These reports are necessary for managers to make informed decisions about the quality of their products.

**5. Bug Area-**
Recognize the areas where rigorous is required and choose the tool that can accommodate all. By using defect tracker, you can get idea. Such research can find various bugs in business logic, database layer or GUI. Depending on that select a tool which facilitates for all issues but focuses on main areas where bugs are mostly spotted.

**6. Setup And Test-Data Management-**
Right tools would involve features to create accounts, clear orders, export an account and associated orders as “known good test data” and then re-import it. This allows tests to start with a known good setup each time and instantly speed up the whole test process. Next area for improvement is the ability to create test servers according to a branch or commit. Teams pursuing CI which want end-to-end checking to run as part of the CI need to create this.

If setup is the largest issue in the test process, or if repeatable checking is not possible without automating setup, then the proper functional test tool might be to automate test setup. 

**7. Go With Paid Tool If Necessary-**
Know more at- [https://solaceinfotech.com/blog/7-things-to-consider-while-choosing-best-functional-testing-tool/]