The Requirement:

The project focused on delivery of a data warehouse system, which was designed to deliver business critical management information reporting functionality via a Business Objects front-end from a range of source systems.

Elite Testing Consultants were given responsibility for all testing related activities for the project after it had been running for almost a quarter of its total duration. Upon taking control, ETC was greeted with a total lack of consistency among testing streams, no visible test management, incorrect or non-present test requirements and a lack of testing and technical knowledge within the clients permanent staff designated to be a part of the testing team.

Technical Detail of the Project:

• Operating Platform: UNIX (HP: UX)
• Database: Oracle 9i
• BI Application: Business Objects
• ETL Tool: Ab Initio
• Client/Server Based system
• Web based meta-data interface
• Windows NT4
• Windows 2000
• Browser: Internet Explorer
• Sources: IBM Mainframe, IMS, DB2, SQL Server, external data feeds 

Testing Requirements:

• Improve testing quality, as the initial focus on testing had been poor
• Decrease testing time
• Ensure test incidents were found early
• Reduce post deployment defects
• Improve the use of constrained testing environments
• Build a re-usable test delivery process
• Provide training to permanent members of staff to ensure top-level skills

Testing Solution:

• Testing was split into areas based on the source of the data or the functional requirement of the system.
• A risk based testing strategy, with delivery risks analysed to prioritise testing
• Automated regression testing using a framework based upon Mercury’s Quick Test Professional
• Implementation of manual test environment change control procedures
• A clear defect management process to manage test incidents
• A reusable standard test documentation procedure

An Example from the Project:

One aspect of the project was the delivery of a web based EME (Enterprise Meta Environment). This was designed to give business users the ability to view statistical information about the data and “override” data in reports to ensure correctness of data.This was functionally tested using the design specifications in a manual fashion. A regression package was created using Quick Test Professional to ensure that after each code release there was no adverse impact on the EME. As the EME is a business critical tool and potentially affected at each new release, the regression package was vital for the business to ensure a cost effective and time efficient manor of regression testing which could be used well into the future and easily added to.