Automation Tools

LoadRunner 9.0

The verdict is in… LoadRunner 9.0 is a bust. Based on Mercury’s track record with new releases, it isn’t too surprising that the latest release of LoadRunner is buggy. What is surprising is how many steps backwards the product has gone with very few new features. The discussion board on Mercury support site is filled with accounts of crashes, hangs and failures. The experience at my company was the same: the product is just too unstable to use. I hope it is not an indicator of what to expect now that HP is running the show.
New Features
The new SLA feature is the primary new feature, and it is a great feature that could really help with reporting results. It’s definitely nice to look at the report and get a quick green/red indicator of whether the transaction met the performance SLAs. SLAs can be set in the Controller before executing the scenario, or they can be configured afterwards in the Analysis application. User reports in the discussion group indicate that there could be problems if you configure in the Controller and then try to change them in the Analysis.
Another new feature in the Controller is the scheduler, which allows for more flexibility in designing tests (ramping up load at different rates, different times, etc.). It could be useful in modeling workload over the course of a day, with cyclical load peaks.
Installation
As long as you aren’t upgrading from a previous version of LoadRunner, you should be okay, but if you are upgrading, prepare yourself for several hours of hunting down and deleting keys in the Registry Editor. Seriously. There is even a Knowledge Base article describing that this is necessary.
Vugen
Crashes often. Hangs during recording. Slower than previous releases.
Controller
Crashes often.
Analysis
Analysis crashes every time you try to launch it from the Controller. No more can you run a test, then click the Analyze button and have Analysis start up and start processing the results. Now, you have to start the Analysis application from the start menu, then open the result file from the File menu. This behavior has been duplicated not only at my company, but others have reported the same problem, and apparently it’s a known issue according to a poster on LR discussion group. Nice work HP.
Conclusion
Don’t bother. Wait for the next Service Pack and let others be the guinea pigs to see if all of the problems get fixed. For such a mature product, it really is surprising that this newest release is so bad.

QTP DESCRIPTION:

ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/hpcp/epgs/HP0-M16_EPG.pdf

Are you new to HP Quick Test Pro 9.2 (QTP)? Say yes and you are at the right place, at the right time. This article is for newbie’s who want to start their carrier with QTP or have just started with QTP. The article will give you a brief overview of various features of QTP, and since it is for newbie’s we won’t be going into too much details of every feature.
What is QTP 9.2?
HP Quick Test Pro 9.2 is a functional automation and regression testing tool
QTP provides record and playback of events
Uses VBScript as the scripting Language
Provides keyword view and expert view to view test cases.
Latest versions of QTP is 9.5 (launched in mid Jan 2008)
Previous version of QTP: 6.5, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 9.0, 9.1
QTP was previously owned by Mercury Interactive®
Installing QTP 9.2
You can download a 14 day Trial version from below link
QTP 9.5 14 day Evaluation
With introduction of QTP 9.5, Trial version of QTP 9.2 is not available. QTP 9.5 does not have any huge enhancement and hence most of the features discussed in this article will still hold
Launching QTP

When you launch QTP for the first time, Add-in manager window is displayed
What is Add-in?
QTP requires Add-in for recognizing object of a specific environment
By default QTP 9.2 comes with 3 Add-ins: Web, ActiveX and VB
Some of the Add-ins available for QTP 9.2 are
Terminal Emulator (TE)
.NET
Java
SAP
Siebel
Stingray
VisualAge
Web Services

WINRUNNER:

http://support.openview.hp.com/pdf/wr_customer_letter.pdf

WinRunner, Mercury Interactive’s enterprise functional testing tool. It is used to quickly create and run sophisticated automated tests on your application. Winrunner helps you automate the testing process, from test development to execution. You create adaptable and reusable test scripts that challenge the functionality of your application. Prior to a software release, you can run these tests in a single overnight run- enabling you to detect and ensure superior software quality.

Contents:
Features
Lab Exercises
CheckPoints
Synchronization Point
GUI Spy
Merge
TSL Scripts

TESTDIRECTOR:

TestDirector, the industry’s first global test management solution, helps organizations deploy high-quality applications more quickly and effectively. Its four modules Requirements, Test Plan, Test Lab, and Defects are seamlessly integrated, allowing for a smooth information flow between various testing stages. The completely Web-enabled TestDirector supports high levels of communication and collaboration among distributed testing teams, driving a more effective, efficient global application-testing process.

Contents:
Features
Benefits

Software testing certifications

CTM REQUIREMENTS:

Two requirements must be satisfied before the CTM certification can be granted. These are:
Formal Education Requirement
Job Experience Requirement
Upon satisfying these two requirements, a candidate shall submit an application to the IIST Chairperson for the certification to be granted. Application forms can be downloaded by clicking the following link: download CTM certification application. The application must be accompanied by payment of the $120 non-refundable graduation fee. This fee covers the cost associated with record-keeping, grading exams, and certification plaque.

Formal Education Requirement:
Course of Study: The total number of training days required is 10 days. All training must be completed in no more than 3 years. Credit for any training will expire 3 years after its completion.
A CTM Candidate must complete at least one day of training in each of the seven areas of the CTM Body of Knowledge. In addition, a CTM candidate must complete 3 days of “elective” training covering any testing or quality topics as fit within the candidate's job responsibilities and interest.
CTM Training: Candidates may select any of the courses offered by IIST that are marked as (CTM) offered at the International Test Managers Weeks or any of the one-day tutorials offered in conjunction with PSQT that are marked as (CTM). However, the course of study must cover all seven areas below.
Written Exam: CTM candidates are required to complete a written exam for each course and pass with a level of performance no less than 80%. For courses conducted by IIST, a candidate is allowed to retake the exam for a second time without having to attend the course again. There will be a charge of $100 for any re-take exams administered. If 80% performance is not achieved on a second attempt, the candidate must retake the course or another course. Please contact sean at sean@iist.org, if you would like to set up a retake exam.
Transfer Credit: A CTM candidate may transfer work performed outside the CTM program for credit towards the CTM certification under any of the following conditions:
A CTM candidate who has been awarded the Certified Software Test Professional (CSTP) designation may receive a credit for THREE days as elective training towards the CTM certification.
A CTM candidate who has been awarded the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification may receive a credit for TWO days as elective training towards the CTM certification.
A CTM candidate may receive credit for courses attended by providers other than IIST for a maximum of TWO days as elective training towards the CTM certification. Candidates must submit evidence of successful completion from a recognized training institution along with detailed course material for evaluation and a certificate of completion. Materials must be accompanied by a fee of $25.00 for each course to be evaluated.
Transfer credit is subject to the following rules:
A CTM candidate is allowed to transfer credit only based on one of the three conditions listed above.
The maximum number of training days transferable is three days
Transfer credit can be used only to satisfy elective training and may not be used to satisfy any Body of Knowledge area.

Job Experience Requirement:
In order for the CTM certification to be granted, a candidate must have a total of at least three years working in test projects, including 1 year in a lead or management position in areas relevant to testing. This requirement must be completed by the time CTM is granted. This requirement shall be met by means of a letter of support describing the candidate's specific role and responsibilities over a period of three years or more. The letter must be authored and signed by:
1. The candidate's current or former supervisor/manager 2. The candidate's client or customer (if self-employed) 3. A co-worker with a CTM or now working in a management role.
Multiple sources may be submitted to cover the three year period. Any variation from this requirement must be reviewed and approved by the IIST Chairperson.

CSTP CERTIFICATION REQURIMENT:

Two requirements must be satisfied before the CSTP certification can be granted. These are:
Formal Education Requirement
Job Experience Requirement
Upon satisfying these two requirements, a candidate shall submit an application to the IIST Chairperson for the certification to be granted. Application forms can be obtained by calling the IIST office. The application must be accompanied by payment of the $120 non-refundable graduation fee. This fee covers the cost associated with record-keeping, grading exams, and certification plaque.

Formal Education Requirement:
Candidates must complete a course of study consisting of at least one day in each of seven areas of the Body of knowledge listed below. A minimum of 10 days of education is required to complete the education requirement. The formal education requirement of the certification was designed to provide some flexibility for candidates in designing their own courses of study.
Candidates may select any of the courses offered by IIST that are marked as (CSTP) or any of the one-day tutorials offered in conjunction with PSQT that are marked as (CSTP). However, the course of study must cover all seven areas below. IIST will publish, for each course or tutorial, which areas it covers.
Candidates are required to attend a written exam for each course and pass with a level of performance no less than 80%. At this time, there is only one second chance to re-take the exam. There will be a charge of $100 for any re-take exams administered. Please contact sean@iist.org to set up a re-take exam.
Non-IIST delivered courses may be considered for a maximum of two days towards the certification upon approval of IIST’s chairperson. Candidates must submit evidence of successful completion from a recognized training institution along with detailed course material for evaluation. The fee for this evaluation is $25 per course.
Candidates holding the QAI CSTE or ISTQB certifications may apply to receive TWO days credit toward the CSTP certification and which satisfy the CSTP Body of Knowledge Areas 1 and 2. A CSTP candidate may receive credit for only one of the two certifications. To receive this credit, a CSTP candidate must submit a proof of the award along with the CSTP Certification Application.
The time limit on completing all ten days of training is 5 years.
A certificate of completion of each course will be granted only after attending the course and passing a written exam at the end of the course with a level of performance no less than 80%.

Job Experience Requirement:

To satisfy this requirement, a candidate must demonstrate that he or she has been working in a software test related job for at least one year and have had the opportunity to apply the formal training to their job. This requirement shall be met by means of a letter of support signed by the candidate's supervisor describing the candidate's specific role and responsibilities over a period of one year or more

History Status of ISTQB Syllabi:

1 December 2004, International Software Testing Qualifications Board

At the 2nd level, there are currently two schemes and two syllabi
ASQF (also known as iSQI) Advanced level[i]
ISEB Practitioner Level[ii]
Both are recognised by ISTQB as professional qualifications for testers as they have gained a respect over many years in the testing community.
There is currently no ISTQB agreed 2nd level or advanced level international syllabus.
ISTQB intends that these two 2nd level schemes will be integrated into a future single unified 2nd level "ISTQB Advanced Level" qualification which should supersede both existing schemes.
All existing certificates from either of these schemes will remain valid and recognized.
It is planned to have an international qualification also on 3rd level (Expert Level).
Clarification of the status report
This refers to the updated version of the current Foundation Level syllabus. The amount of changes towards the first version is about 10 per cent. All certificates issued under the current and all previous syllabi will of course remain fully valid. The new Foundation Level syllbus is in its final phase and will soon be released.
The current second-level ISTQB syllabus is the ASQF syllabus as developed by the German Testing Board. From the minutes of the ISTQB board meeting on 2003-09-17:
"Decision about Syllabus: The board unanimously decides that the current versions of the ASQF syllabi become the first versions of the ISTQB syllabi and that those syllabi are to be used as ISTQB syllabi as long as new syllabi are agreed by ISTQB." Therefore, trainings and certifications under this syllabus are already offered all around the world under the title "ISTQB Certified".
After completion of the consolidated syllabus, which will include content from both, ASQF and ISEB, syllabi, all currently issued ISEB Practitioner certificates will remain fully valid and all ASQF und older ISTQB certificates will remain fully valid.
This means that the current ISTQB Advanced Level syllabus (see no. 2, excerpt from minutes) has not undergone the procedure of development by a working party is not the result of the work of ISTQB itself. At the moment, there is a working party at ISTQB level that develops the next, first commonly developed, version of the Advanced Level. Until then, the current Advanced Level syllabus remains in effect. All accreditations and certifications certainly will remain valid when the new Advanced Level syllabus will be presented.
The Advanced Level working party of the ISTQB is currently working on integrating the existing syllabi into the new one.
This means that all ISEB and ASQF certificates will remain valid and recognized by the different certification bodies.
There is an ISTQB working party active that develops a 3rd step of the certification program, the "Expert Level".
[i] developed by German Testing Board and exams run by ASQF/iSQI and SAQ
[ii] developed by UK Board and exams run by ISEB
Last updated: 2007-10-26