Why is there a need of automation in Oracle Cloud testing?
As companies have started understanding the power of cloud, they’ve started moving from on-premise infrastructures to the cloud. One such highly recommended cloud is Oracle Cloud infrastructure. One of the benefits of moving to Oracle Cloud infrastructure is its commitment for continuous innovation. Oracle rolls out new features and functionalities at every quarter. Although, the principle of continuous innovation in the form of quarterly updates can be very beneficial for innovative enterprises, however, many existing Oracle customers are struggling to keep pace with it.
Oracle quarterly updates mean customers will receive new features, functionalities, and enhancements 4 times a year. However, there is a catch. Each quarterly update requires two rounds of testing – one in test environment and second in production. This means that you need to test Oracle Cloud apps at least 8 times a year. Manually testing Oracle 8 times a year wouldn’t be a viable solution as it may consume too much time and can be very exhaustive as business users need to perform other critical tasks also.
In case, you deploy updates without Oracle Cloud testing, there are chances that it could break your existing business processes, critical integrations or customizations. So, it is always recommended that you should validate critical reports, key workflow approvals, and critical integrations with other applications.
How automation can speed up Oracle Cloud testing?
Manually testing scenarios is time consuming since it requires several clicks, data entry at multiple points and navigation through multiple screens. Automation eliminates repetitive but necessarytasks used in regression testing, enabling QA teams to handle Oracle quarterly updates easily.
However, there is a catch in automating Oracle Cloud apps.
- To automate, you need functional consultants who share manual test scripts that consist of test steps.
- Programmers need to review the test scripts and have to create/ modify test cases.
- Then developers update the test scripts so that major application upgrade/patch can be tested.
Taking these steps into account, you can easily understand that Oracle testing still consumes lot of time. Thus, automation is not fulfilling its purpose i.e. to reduce testing time, cost, and test script maintenance efforts.
To address these challenges, you need to bring in automation supported by
- Natural Language Processing (NLP): Also known as “Zero Code Test Automation”NLP technology allows anyone in the team to create test cases using natural language i.e. English.NLP eliminates the dependency on programmers to write and automate test cases as manual testers, Business Analysts, Functional Consultants, and stakeholders can create test cases in plain English language while Artificial Intelligence based engines autonomously generate scripts by reading Englishtest cases.
- Machine Learning (ML):It eliminates the pain-points associated with test script maintenance. Maintaining test scripts is a great burden in case of Oracle testing as presence of dynamic elements lead to test failures or flaky/brittle tests. ML powered test automation platform automatically identifies changesoccurdue to an element locator (ID), or a screen/flow and autonomously fix them without humanintervention.
How Opkey can help?
Opkey is an industry leading Oracle test automation platform, powered by AI, ML, and NLP. Opkey’s NLP based zero code automation approach allows functional consultants to create test cases in plain English while AI-based engines offer 1-click automation, making test creation a breeze. Opkey’s machine learning algorithms alleviates test script maintenance burden with autonomous self-heal capabilities. Opkey’s AI test automation enhance the test coverage by allowing risk based testing, protecting your business from unnecessary risks. With low learning curve, Opkey can be operated easily by business analysts and functional consultants so that you keep pace with your digital transformation initiatives.
