The use of this site and the content contained therein is governed by the Terms of Use. When you use this site you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Use and that you accept and will be bound by the terms hereof and such terms as may be modified from time to time.
All text, graphics, audio, design and other works on the site are the copyrighted works of nasscom unless otherwise indicated. All rights reserved.
Content on the site is for personal use only and may be downloaded provided the material is kept intact and there is no violation of the copyrights, trademarks, and other proprietary rights. Any alteration of the material or use of the material contained in the site for any other purpose is a violation of the copyright of nasscom and / or its affiliates or associates or of its third-party information providers. This material cannot be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted or distributed in any way for non-personal use without obtaining the prior permission from nasscom.
The nasscom Members login is for the reference of only registered nasscom Member Companies.
nasscom reserves the right to modify the terms of use of any service without any liability. nasscom reserves the right to take all measures necessary to prevent access to any service or termination of service if the terms of use are not complied with or are contravened or there is any violation of copyright, trademark or other proprietary right.
From time to time nasscom may supplement these terms of use with additional terms pertaining to specific content (additional terms). Such additional terms are hereby incorporated by reference into these Terms of Use.
Disclaimer
The Company information provided on the nasscom web site is as per data collected by companies. nasscom is not liable on the authenticity of such data.
nasscom has exercised due diligence in checking the correctness and authenticity of the information contained in the site, but nasscom or any of its affiliates or associates or employees shall not be in any way responsible for any loss or damage that may arise to any person from any inadvertent error in the information contained in this site. The information from or through this site is provided "as is" and all warranties express or implied of any kind, regarding any matter pertaining to any service or channel, including without limitation the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement are disclaimed. nasscom and its affiliates and associates shall not be liable, at any time, for any failure of performance, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, computer virus, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorised access to, alteration of, or use of information contained on the site. No representations, warranties or guarantees whatsoever are made as to the accuracy, adequacy, reliability, completeness, suitability or applicability of the information to a particular situation.
nasscom or its affiliates or associates or its employees do not provide any judgments or warranty in respect of the authenticity or correctness of the content of other services or sites to which links are provided. A link to another service or site is not an endorsement of any products or services on such site or the site.
The content provided is for information purposes alone and does not substitute for specific advice whether investment, legal, taxation or otherwise. nasscom disclaims all liability for damages caused by use of content on the site.
All responsibility and liability for any damages caused by downloading of any data is disclaimed.
nasscom reserves the right to modify, suspend / cancel, or discontinue any or all sections, or service at any time without notice.
For any grievances under the Information Technology Act 2000, please get in touch with Grievance Officer, Mr. Anirban Mandal at data-query@nasscom.in.
How Keyword-Driven Frameworks are Shaping the Future of Test Automation
Software development companies need to test their software or application before releasing them to end-users. Defect testing is crucial for product success, as it validates an application's performance, functionality and quality. However, manual testing becomes laborious and time-consuming as functionality is added to an application. A switch to Test Automation improves efficiency and saves time.
Old Methodologies Give Rise to New
New software development paradigms have revolutionized the IT industry in the last decade or so. Enterprises have abandoned traditional software development methods and have started adopting new agile methodologies. These new paradigms are more responsive to the changing landscape. A fixture of old, the waterfall model, divides software development into distinct, consecutive phases. These are not well-suited for rapid changes in product requirements, and it is usually associated with a long product delivery time.
The Rise of Agile Methodologies
Agile development has been hailed as a saviour to rescue software development from the problem of slow development issues. In this context, scrum is a framework that emphasizes iterative and incremental software development across cross-functional teams. It addresses the volatility of requirements to enable consistent product delivery in increments. The longer release cycle in the waterfall model keeps testing as a separate phase after implementation. In scrum practices, continuous and iterative testing enables a shorter release cycle.
What is Keyword-Driven Testing?
Keyword-driven testing is a software testing methodology suitable for both automated and manual testing. A set of keywords or action words defines individual test cases/actions. Actions like login, click and enter name are pre-defined in the test code using keywords. These keywords may be used multiple times within the same test to maximize test coverage.
Benefits of Keyword-Based Testing
Keyword-based software testing provides a significant level of abstraction, and it enables both experienced and inexperienced testers to manage their work in a more compatible and versatile fashion. The testers use keywords to identify functionality, which is more accessible to less experienced testers since it uses keywords and does not need complex coding.
How Does Keyword-Driven Testing Work?
In practice, keyword-driven testing involves a sequence of operations recorded in a keyword format. The testers need to drag and drop the relevant keywords to an action to perform testing.
The keywords refer to specific actions defined and used to compose test cases, and these keywords lay the foundation for a test case specification. Testers do not essentially need programming or test tool expertise for keyword-driven testing.
High-level keywords are used to create an abstraction layer for individual actions. Composite keywords that combine several keywords are used to describe associated activities. The modularity of using keywords benefits test case maintainability and test case enhancement. When the actions to perform an operation change, a simple change in the keywords allows quick modification.
A keyword test case comprises one or more keywords and connects keywords with actions with a mutual 1:N relationship between the entities. Test automation is made possible by implementing each keyword into an executable code, which is used within a test automation framework. This framework generates automated test cases based on keyword test cases.
Layers
The testing keywords can be created representing actions at different levels of abstraction. Domain layer keywords are associated with end-user related or functional actions of the applications. The testing keywords are defined at an abstract level, so they become independent of the technology used in the testing code. It may make it easier for domain experts or business-side employees to create test cases.
Defining keywords on multiple layers makes it easier to manage hierarchical keywords. High-level domain layer keywords can be composed of several low-level keywords.
What is an Automated Keyword-Driven Testing Framework?
An automated keyword-driven software testing framework helps organize activities related to the design and implementation of testing. It includes concepts, documents and tools that facilitate test automation.
The keyword-driven editor can be a spreadsheet, stand-alone, or test management tool. The decomposer transforms high-level composite keywords into a sequence of low-level ones. In contrast, the data sequencer is used in data-driven testing to provide parameters in keyword test cases. The tool-bridge functions as the connection between the keywords and the test execution environment. This bridge receives keywords from the data sequencer, and it then calls the appropriate keyword execution code. The test execution environment and execution engine perform the actions associated with the keywords.
The keyword library functions as a repository for keyword definitions. It stores the name and description. If the keyword is composite, it lists the keywords the composite keyword is derived from. The data element represents the external storage of test data and can be a spreadsheet, a database or a test management tool. Finally, the script library helps store keyword execution code for each keyword that performs its actions.
Reduce Programmer Involvement & Cost with No-Code/Low-Code
A critical benefit of keyword-driven frameworks is that test automation does not rely on programmers. Test engineers traditionally develop test automation scripts in Javascript, Python and other languages. This means that most testers can now handle a good portion of test automation without programming knowledge. However, a programmer may need to be involved in a subset of test cases. This is often for setting up new keywords, which are then used by the testers.
The most significant benefit approach of reduced programmer involvement means reduced costs as programmers are usually expensive.
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Most enterprises have complex applications. No test automation framework can cover every scenario. The advantage of developing custom frameworks is that they will be tailored to specific product requirements. KDT automation frameworks can help enterprises build their own comprehensive test automation frameworks.
Behaviour-Driven Testing and Keyword-Driven Testing
Behaviour-driven testing (BDT) focuses on the system's behaviour rather than functionality. It helps define what to test and consider acceptance criteria or "done".
In BDT, the starting point is the story. It defines what behaviour and functionality the system must-have. The stories result from conversations between project stakeholders, business analysts, testers and developers. This methodology provides more traceability and visibility. In contrast, KDT is a way of achieving the BDT approach in testing. KDT frameworks can define the behaviour of a system using keywords. The open-source Robot Framework supports keyword abstractions, making it an excellent platform to implement this approach.
Benefits of Keyword-Driven Testing
Maximum Code Reuse – Allows one script to manage the entire implementation process with high reusability while saving time.
Data-Driven – Keyword test automation frameworks extend data-driven testing, allowing test scripts to read test data from any data source rather than hard-coding.
Extendability – New operations or modifications to the system can be made quickly. Enterprises can extend and customize these frameworks to their needs and build their own tailor-made KDT Automation Framework.
Easy – Creating keyword-driven tests is much easier and faster. Even an inexperienced tester can implement a test.
No-code/Low-code - Test engineers can automate tests independently with no need for specialized programming skills, which translates into cost savings in terms of programmer time.
Empower Testing Teams with Keyword-Driven Testing Frameworks
A keyword-driven testing framework can reduce the maintenance work for agile teams. Keyword reusability and test inputs through a framework editor shift the work from maintaining test cases to keywords.
Keyword-driven testing frameworks use a modular approach to composing test cases with the use of keywords, and this makes them suitable for automation using test automation tools.
That the contents of third-party articles/blogs published here on the website, and the interpretation of all information in the article/blogs such as data, maps, numbers, opinions etc. displayed in the article/blogs and views or the opinions expressed within the content are solely of the author's; and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of NASSCOM or its affiliates in any manner. NASSCOM does not take any liability w.r.t. content in any manner and will not be liable in any manner whatsoever for any kind of liability arising out of any act, error or omission. The contents of third-party article/blogs published, are provided solely as convenience; and the presence of these articles/blogs should not, under any circumstances, be considered as an endorsement of the contents by NASSCOM in any manner; and if you chose to access these articles/blogs , you do so at your own risk.
Inspirisys has been achieving excellence in empowering enterprises toward digital transformation with the help of contemporary technologies for more than 25 years. The company is part of CAC Holdings Corporation—a Japanese company with a proven track record in providing top-quality solutions and services across several industries, including BFSI, telecom, and government/PSUs. Inspirisys' portfolio of services and solutions includes infrastructure management, enterprise security & risk services, cloud, IoT, and product engineering & development.
Authored by: Sandeep Raje, Associate Vice President of Delivery - Xoriant
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns and sustainability have become crucial to the success of contemporary businesses. In today’s eco-conscious landscape,…
Reflecting on my journey as an LGBTQIA+ ally. A path from ignorance, fear and bias to one of authentic acceptance, compassion, advocacy, it’s been a long one.
A journey of learning and unlearning.
A journey of letting go of preconceived…
Automobiles had humble beginnings, yet they have become an essential part of our daily life. Whether you drive to work, drop your kids off at school, or embark on a long-planned road trip, the car has become an inseparable element of our…
In the high-pressure world of corporate leadership, few executives face a more complex challenge than the CFO. They are the custodians of financial health, the architects of sustainable growth strategies, and the voice of reason amidst a constant…
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, the ability to innovate is critical for maintaining competitive advantage. However, many organizations are hindered by outdated legacy systems that stifle innovation and agility. Open innovation, a…
In the modern financial landscape, data is often described as the new oil, driving insights, decisions, and competitive advantages. However, financial firms face significant challenges in managing vast amounts of data generated from diverse…
