Adaptive Business Process Test Case Generation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for verifying business process changes in software are expensive, time-consuming, and often require trade-offs between reliability and cost/time, with manual testing being inefficient and record and playback/scripting being complex and costly, lacking flexibility and guaranteeing desired outcomes.

Innovation Solution

A test suite that monitors backend interfaces of business process applications to generate reusable test components and ordering, enabling adaptive testing by reading metadata and interpreting technical application flows, reducing the need for user input and improving upon traditional monitoring techniques.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If manual testing is used to verify business process changes, then testing reliability can be maintained through human judgment, but testing time and cost become excessively high

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetesting reliabilityVSAvoidtesting time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs self-testing by automatically generating test cases from monitored business process executions. The testing system monitors its own business process application, extracts test components, and generates test cases without requiring external manual intervention, thereby maintaining reliability while reducing time consumption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates copies of actual business process executions as test cases. By monitoring and recording real business process flows, the system generates test case copies that can be reused and executed automatically, eliminating the need for manual test case creation while preserving the reliability of human-performed processes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Extent of automation

If record and playback testing is used, then automation level increases reducing manual effort, but system stability requirements become extremely high and flexibility decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautomation levelVSAvoidtesting flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically generates test cases based on monitored business process executions rather than using fixed recorded sequences. Test components are extracted and reorganized according to actual process flows, allowing the testing system to adapt to process changes automatically without requiring extremely stable system conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system segments business processes into reusable test components that can be independently extracted, stored, and recombined. This segmentation allows flexible assembly of test cases from proven process segments, providing both automation and adaptability to different testing scenarios

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Productivity

If scripting tools are used for testing, then specific tests can be automated, but maintenance cost becomes significant and specialist knowledge is required

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetesting productivityVSAvoidmaintenance ease

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically generates and maintains test cases from monitored business process executions without requiring specialist scripting knowledge. The self-service approach extracts test components directly from process flows and generates executable test cases, eliminating the need for maintenance by scripting specialists

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system copies actual business process executions as test cases rather than creating custom scripts. This copying approach automatically captures the current process state and creates corresponding test cases, reducing maintenance costs by eliminating manual script updates when processes change

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

4Extent of automation

If conventional record and playback is used, then testing can be automated, but access to business process content is limited reducing test flexibility

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetesting automationVSAvoidcontent access

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces an intermediary monitoring layer that accesses business process content without disrupting the actual processes. This intermediary captures process executions, extracts test components, and enables flexible test case generation while maintaining full access to business process content for automated testing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS8893089B2Fast business process test case composition

Publication Date: 2014.11.18 SAP SE

AI summary

Methods and apparatuses enable fast business process test case composition. Instead of the labor intensive and error-prone manual test case composition of previous systems, a group of one or more test agents enables creation of a business process test based on monitoring a business process application. The test agents monitor a backend interface of the business process application that interfaces the application with a backend enterprise system. The test agents generate business process test components and an ordering for the business process test components based on the monitoring. From the test components and the monitoring, the test agents create a business process test. The entire creation process can be performed with little to no user interaction.