Data-Driven Testing

A few years ago, I undertook a project to make automating printer drivers easier for QA. The idea was to use INI files to define the tests so that people who don't know how to develop can automate new tests. I wound up using a set of INI files to define applications, driver UIs, and test cases.

I didn't realize it at the time, but I was essentially making a data-driven test. Test cases were added simply by editing a simple file. It even went beyond the traditional data-driven test setup by supporting black box monkey testing, default values for most functions (such as falling back to CTRL + O to bring up the open dialog in an application), and remote monitoring and control of the test through the network.

Data-driven testing makes life easier for QA as well as the automation developer. Instead of having to add lines of code, anybody could just edit a file to add test cases. It's much more complicated to create data-driven automation, and it isn't appropriate for every test plan, but when it does work, it works well.