ISTQB Test Automation Engineering Glossary

About this topic

Source: ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level Test Automation Engineering (CTAL-TAE)

Test automation at Advanced Level is about architecture, not tools. These terms come from the Test Automation Engineering syllabus and describe how to build an automation solution that survives contact with a changing system under test. Foundation Level chapter 6 deliberately stops well short of this.

The generic test automation architecture separates concerns into layers so that change in one does not cascade through the rest. The test generation layer supports designing test cases; the test definition layer holds test cases and test data independently of any tool; the test execution layer runs them and logs results; and the test adaptation layer connects the solution to the system under test through interfaces and test hooks. When automation becomes unmaintainable, it is usually because these layers were never separated.

Scripting approaches represent a progression in maintainability. Linear scripting records and replays a sequence — quick to produce and expensive to maintain. Structured scripting introduces control structures and shared functions. Data-driven testing separates test data from the script so one script serves many cases. Keyword-driven testing goes further, expressing tests as keywords that non-programmers can author, with the implementation hidden beneath.

A test automation solution is the realisation of the architecture for a specific context, comprising the framework, the tooling, and the supporting infrastructure. Service virtualization stands in for components that are unavailable, costly, or unsafe to invoke, allowing a test to proceed without the real dependency.

If you are preparing for CTFL, this material is out of scope. Foundation Level asks only that you know what categories of tool exist and what the benefits and risks of automation are.

What this topic covers

• Generic test automation architecture
• Adaptation, definition and execution layers
• Linear and structured scripting
• Data-driven and keyword-driven testing
• Service virtualization
• Test hooks and interfaces