10 Best Automation Tools to Integrate Into Your Business

With the network today moving so rapidly, we need to ensure that the software being developed is at prime quality and efficiency. To help with this there are resources to help with analyzing the automation power of the software. 

A few key factors that companies have taken into account when making adjustments include investigating the Continuous Integration (CI), Continuous Deployment (CD), Agile, and DevOps techniques.

The aspiration of automation testing has evolved from being solely focused on lessening the time needed to analyze, to now having the ability to utilize the test subjects.

Test automation has allowed for a prosperous adoption of Agile and DevOps. On the other hand, the World Quality Report shows limited automation from the testing, which has caused extreme hold-ups with future plans in the QA and analysis.

Having the ability to utilize the correct tools when automation testing, makes it exponentially easier to ensure that you are delivering a quality and efficient piece of software. Ensuring that you’re choosing the right tools to automate is integral to the software development process. 

Because of this, many software development companies are having the realization they should be increasing the budget for automation. 

The Top 10 Automation Systems For 2020:

1. Selenium

Selenium is specifically targeted at web application analysis, and it is ranked #1.

Selenium has the ability to analyze several browsers and operating systems consecutively, while also supporting a reasonable amount of programming languages.

Top Features:

• Helps develop expert automation plans

• Starting point for most alternative software testing systems

• Correlated test execution, that reduces the execution time

2. Appium

Appium is the primary open-source automation system – that is mainly used for mobile applications. It utilizes automation features from native, hybrid, and mobile web applications for both iOS and Android.

Top Features:

• Efficiently makes any mobile app from any program language and framework automatic

• Tests original apps that don’t require SDK or reconfiguration

• Motivates iOS, Android and Windows apps into using the WebDriver regulations

3. Katalon Studio

Katalon has the ability to utilize its automation tools on both web and mobile application development environments.

This system has the ability to work in addition to Selenium and Appium, of which simplifies API, web, and mobile automation systems.

Top Features:

• All-around system as it has the ability to operate on Windows, macOS, and Linux

• Several built-in keyword options for developing test subjects

• Minimum programming skill is necessary for this system

4. Cucumber

Cucumber is a Behaviour Driven Development source with an extensive list of users like PayPal and Canon. As well, it supports multiple different languages.

However, Cucumber only supports the web.

Top Features:

• Code information can be displayed on multiple frameworks, much like Selenium

• Practice code is prepared in basic English that is known as Gherkin

• Supports program languages like Ruby, Java, Scala, and Groovy

5. HPE Unified Functional Testing (UFT)

Previously, known as the QuickTest Professional (QTP), it is a multi-platform automation system. The HPE system unifies developers and testers, offering optimal solutions, while maintaining a budget.

HPE has the ability to make Web, Desktop, SAP, Java, Oracle, Mobile, and Visual Basic software automatic.

Top Features:

• Utilizes VBScript as the program language

• Allows for data-driven testing

• Provides access to multiple browser and platform capabilities

6. WorkSoft

Top of the line industry automation system for SAP that utilizes the Agile and DevOps platform.

Created to conquer the more complicated automation issues.

The only code-free automation system across multiple platforms. 

Top Features:

• This system can be launched even if the SAP is being integrated, upgraded, or in maintenance phase

• Can automate SuccessFactors, Concur, Syclo, Ariba Network, and SAP Fiori User Experience (UX)

• Provides an in-house data management system

7. IBM Rational Functional Tester (RFT) 

The commercial grade testing system by IBM. This system is utilized mostly for automatic functional and regression testing.

Much like the others, this tester is supported by multiple development environments and servers like Siebel, Net, SAP, Java, PowerBuilder, Flex, to name a few. 

Top Features:

• Layout feature to assist with visualizing and editing, while using the natural language and screenshots from the applications

• Foundation of 2 software languages; Java and VB.Net

• Utilizes the IBM rational quality manager regularly

8. Telerik Test Studio

Known as one of the best systems for automation, offering you an all in one base to assess your desktop, web, and mobile applications.

Offers multi-browser support with the ability to playback any information that may have been missed. Telerik is equipped for GUI, performance, load, and API testing.

It is also a software automating applications with HTML5, Angular, AJAX, JavaScript, Silverlight, WPF, Ruby, and is compatible with both iOS and Android.

Top Features:

• Understands REAL software coding language; such as C# and VB.Net, as well as both scripting languages

• The ability to plan tests, and execution with robust reporting

9. SoapUI

Commonly known as the smart function, open-source testing system that is designed by Smartbear – the head Gartner Magic Quadrant of Software Automation Testing.

It offers an extensive API Testing structure for Representational State Transfers (REST) and Service-Oriented Architectures (SOAP).

The negative to SoapUI testing is it is not for web or mobile, but it is commonly the system of choice from API and other services.

Top Features:

• Scripts are easily reusable

• Simple as drag and drop structure

• Ability to analyze asynchronously

10. TestComplete

This is one of the most sought-after automation systems for testing desktop, mobile, and web software applications. It has the ability to use multiple different scripting languages such as VBScript, Python, and JavaScript. 

TestComplete has powerful features that allow you to record and replay, when building and running a functional UI test.

Top Features:

• Reusable scripts

• Easily developed and automatic test scripts without having to create code

• Step-by-step visual record and playback features

 Choosing the Best One for Your Business

Ultimately, any software you get won’t ever be completely bug free, especially when working with Automation features and test systems. However, with the systems above, we have the ability to minimize the number of bugs and issues. 

Having such a large selection of Automation solution tools to choose from can be useful, since it allows you to choose what’s right for your business.

However, sometimes it can feel overwhelming. Feel free to contact us for more information or tips on choosing the right one!

5 Ways to Ease Your Life with Automation

Do you have lots to organize, but not sure how to do it? SharePoint Workflows is a great solution. They will make your life significantly easier getting jobs done at prime efficiency, as well as making your manual tasks automatic.

Now you must be thinking…what are SharePoint Workflows?

Consider SharePoint workflows as an organizational system that’s integrated into the main SharePoint system. This is where jobs and approvals can be retrieved and kept on track as they are being completed.

The workflows make both these tasks as effortless as possible, while also offering consistent completion to tasks on the various platforms. 

Here are the Top 5 Most Frequently Chosen SharePoint Workflows:

1. Approval Workflows

• Most favoured workflow to work with within SharePoint – this workflow enables the user to begin the chain as soon as just one document is uploaded to the system.

• It starts when your sales team releases a project plan to their clients. However, before it goes to the clients, it must be approved, and with the approval workflows / process, it makes that effortless.

• Example: sales associate prepares the plan, then it gets transferred to the team for revision, next it is sent to the director for final review and approval

• This system works, because it is automatically able to manage where all the documents are and what status they are in, rather than manually

2. Status Workflows

• This workflow allows you to track the status of each document as they are uploaded to SharePoint

• When looking at the example from the approval workflows, you can use status workflows to track when the document has been sent to the team or the director for approval

• With the status workflows, they will mark the document after each stage of the approval workflows. After it is uploaded to SharePoint it is marked as “Draft” and after the additional stage it is marked respectively

3. Notification Workflows

• When a document has entered the SharePoint network, it will send off a message to specific members on the job of the workplace, which will then instruct them to complete a task

• Example: when the sales manager uploads the sales reports, with notification workflows enabled, it will force a message to the sales director saying that the sales report has been uploaded and is being reviewed

4. Automation Workflows

• This workflow enables you to make certain tasks automatic within the SharePoint network

• This typically works with the other workflows previously mentioned

5. Custom Workflows

• The Custom workflow gives you the ability to utilize features of the other 4, all integrated into one system

• With using SharePoint, it creates infinite options for organization and efficiency, especially when automation is added to the process

If you’re interested in learning more about setting up one of these automation workflows, reach out to us today for more information.

Data Quality Management: Best Practices and Processes

Data is important, but the quality of the data collected is more important. With the data collected, you can make business decisions, which is why it’s important to pay attention to your data quality. You should measure the quality of your data based on consistency, accuracy, completeness, timeliness, uniqueness, and so on. Here we will discuss the best practices and stages of data quality management.

Best practices of data quality management

Data quality management is a process that involves rational step-by-step execution. These steps normalize the data management practices which are used to incorporate data quality techniques into the business.

The best practices include:

• Prioritize data quality

Low data quality can cause a lot of issues. The first step is to ensure that your employees understand. Then, you create an enterprise-wide data strategy. Thirdly, design user roles with clear privileges and liabilities. Fourthly, establish a data quality management process and finally, have a dashboard to monitor the status quo. Incorporating all of this into your business process will help prioritize data quality management.

• Data entry automation

Manual data entry is one of the root causes of poor data quality. Human errors are sometimes inevitable, but automating data entry processes can help reduce it. Implementing data entry automation will help increase data quality.

• Preclude duplicates

As you should know, prevention is better than resolution. Precluding duplicates is a better option for improving data quality. Implementing duplicate detection rules and regular cleaning will help identify similar entries that already exist in the database. Then, you can ban creating another one or merge the entries.

Data quality management process

Data quality management revolves around certifying that the data is relevant, reliant, and accurate. It is a process aimed at accomplishing and preserving high data quality. Its main stages involve:

1. Gather data and establish data quality rules

After collecting and analyzing data, tables need to be created in database design. Then you scrutinize what data will be held in each table and what fields will be integrated into each table. In a situation whereby there are massive amounts of data in existence, you have to determine what is relevant to keep and what will be withheld in each table of the database.

2. Assess the quality of data

The business/technical rules that have been created and defined should be checked. The development of quality rules is essential for the success of the data quality management process. You should enforce these rules to make sure they will find and stop compromised data from corrupting the whole set.

3. Resolve data quality issues

At this stage, data quality rules should be reviewed again. The review process will help determine if the rules need to be modified or updated, and it will help resolve data quality issues. Once the data quality issue is resolved, vital business processes and functions should proceed more efficiently and accurately.

4. Monitor and control data

Data quality management is a continuous process that involves regular review of data quality rules. Monitoring and controlling data is very important in this time of constant change within the business environment.

Data quality can be ensured by engaging in effective data management tools. You have to consider a quality management solution that closely aligns with your unique business objectives. Data quality management involves many aspects and most often requires professional assistance. At ISU Corp we are always ready to help, contact us today!