Web Service Interoperability Testing via Dynamic Proxy Generation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods fail to effectively test the interoperability of web services across various web service tools due to differences in data formats and invocation methods, requiring specific test cases for each tool, which is inefficient and incomplete in conforming to standards.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that generates and compiles proxy files from a WSDL file for selected web service tools, creates XML test cases with dummy variables, populates them with user-input values, and invokes the web service to provide results, enabling testing across multiple tools like AXIS, .NET, and BPEL.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If specific test cases are written for each web service tool, then testing coverage for each tool is complete, but development time and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal test case framework that can test multiple web service tools (Axis, .NET, BPEL) with a single set of test cases. The system generates tool-specific proxy files from a common WSDL file and uses a unified test case structure that adapts to different tools through configuration files, eliminating the need to write separate test cases for each tool while maintaining complete testing coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent generates proxy files that are copies or representations of the actual web service interfaces for different tools. These proxy files (Java proxy files for Axis, C# stubs for .NET, BPEL XML files) allow test cases to be written once and then copied/compiled across multiple tool platforms without modification, reducing development time while maintaining tool-specific compatibility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If web services conform to different data formats and standards, then each tool has optimized functionality, but interoperability testing becomes incomplete
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter representation by using dummy variables in test cases that can be populated with actual values. The system transforms tool-specific data format requirements into a unified test case structure where parameters are defined abstractly and then instantiated with concrete values appropriate for each tool, enabling complete interoperability testing while preserving tool-specific optimizations.
3Measurement precision
If hard coded test cases are written for each web service client, then testing accuracy is high, but maintenance cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the test case structure into distinct components: a unified test case template, tool-specific proxy files, and parameter population logic. This segmentation allows each component to be developed and maintained independently, reducing overall complexity while maintaining high testing accuracy. The proxy files handle tool-specific details, while the main test case structure remains simple and reusable.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method of testing interoperability of a web service against a plurality of web services tools may include steps of providing a web services description language file (WSDL) that describes the web service to be tested; selecting at least one of the plurality of web services tools; generating and compiling sets of proxy files for each selected web service tool based upon the provided WSDL file and loading the generated and compiled proxy files into memory; generating an XML test case for each of the generated and compiled sets of proxy files, the XML test case including dummy variables for each operation of the provided WSDL file; populating the generated XML test case with values for at least some of the dummy variables, and invoking a targeted web service from a selected client platform using the populated XML test case and providing results for each invocation.