We know that manual testing is done at the last stages of a product life cycle when the product is fully built. However, testing holds immense importance as it gives an overview of bugs. According to the rule of life, ‘important’ things take their time, which is also true with SAP testing.
So, to negate this waste of time, we came up with the process of automated testing. The concept is pretty self-explanatory, and we get to save hefty amounts of money and other valuable resources in addition to saving time. But again, something is missing from the whole process, and that’s ‘real-time efficiency.’
With more and more data pouring into the system every passing minute, it’s high time to switch to something that provides real-time analysis and testing reports.
Moreover, in a world where we cannot stand delayed loading times of more than 3 seconds, not getting instant results can be very irritating. Thus, a viable solution is required to tackle the issue. To overcome this, we can take the help of cloud computing technology and implement a SaaS (Software as a Service) solution.
Wait! Are you not familiar with Software as a Service methodology or ‘SaaS solutions? Then, let us give you an overview of that first.
What Is Software as a Service Methodology?
Software as a service is a methodology where we use cloud computing technology and host our applications on the Internet. The application, in this case, is software that fulfills a certain kind of requirement.
For example, you can say that ‘Google Calendar’ is a SaaS product used to run a calendar application over the Internet. It has additional features such as scheduling meetings, making reminders, and more.
Why Would ‘SaaS’ Be A Probable Solution To Our Problem?
With that understanding, let’s understand why a SaaS solution would be the best approach to this problem.
Save Capital Investment
To set up a test environment, we need to have resources. But what if we can use potent resources at a reduced cost, which will be calculated according to our usage. Well! That would be pretty efficient, wouldn’t it?
Thus, we get to save initial investments and put that ‘extra monetary savings’ into better use.
Easily Scalable
You might not have a lengthy dataset as of now, but as you grow, you might need to handle a larger dataset. With that being said, it is pretty evident that if you’re using traditional methods, you may need to make an upgrade to your hardware as well.
But that’s an added advantage in the case of using cloud technology. You can scale up or down according to your requirements.
Remote Accessibility
You get access to the resources remotely, meaning you’re not tied down to geolocation and can use the service whenever you want. All that you may need is a strong internet connection and a web browser, and you’re good to go.
Plug & Play
If you’re using traditional methods, then along with the setup cost, a variable amount of time is also invested into making the systems ready for testing. With a SaaS platform, it’s all in the format of ‘Plug and Play’. That is with this feature, one doesn’t need to wait for systems to get ready to initiate your testing.
How Would A ‘SaaS’ Solution Allow Real-Time Efficiency in Automation Testing?
In comparison to the traditional methods, using a SaaS-based approach for automation testing is much preferred. The reason is that it includes all the benefits mentioned above and more. But only a handful of general advantages would not help us tackle the problem, and we would need a unique solution since our problem stands to be unique too. So, the follow-up question would be ‘what kind of SaaS testing solution do we need to deploy here’?
Well! We would need something faster than the current system. That is, we need to go for a solution that negates the lag which is not directly related to the testing mechanism. That way, we can make a system that would be touching all the points with the scope of increasing efficiency.
As a matter of fact, such a system already exists, and is coupled with a change intelligence platform to increase the overall output by a much larger extent. Also, to give you an idea of the capabilities of such systems, we’ve listed a few of their benefits:
Faster Test Cycles
As already mentioned, testing can be prolonged, and to improve on that, the first and foremost thing we need to have is ‘faster test cycles’.
This factor is highly achievable because we’re using the ‘SaaS’ structure here, where we can deploy high-end hardware remotely. Additionally, one would need high-speed Internet as well to achieve better results.
Real-Time Visibility
Apart from the testing cycles being faster, if we can also save the time when the testing process is operational, that would make the process even quicker.
This is why real-time visibility of testing results is a must. Instead of waiting for the process to complete and then fixing bugs, we get to work on them as soon as they are identified.
Actionable Insights
A system that tells us what’s wrong and suggests the potential changes would be an excellent fit for any testing environment.
It might not have a solution to all that’s needed to be fixed, but it can help you in general optimization.
Real-Time Documentation
Documenting everything is a hectic process, but it’s a must. Without documentation, everything would be mismanaged, from problems in reverting to the previous version to checking how we ended up with a certain solution.
That’s why we need to have a system that automates documentation at every step of the way. It would save time and human resources and tackle the problem of making the system efficient in real-time.
Collaborative Front
Since we’re choosing a solution that gives us remote accessibility, we need a platform that provides a collaborative front.
Nothing much is required but a dashboard, insight panel, messaging and commenting feature to have a designated task list debugging operations would fit perfectly with the system we’re trying to achieve.
While it’s true that having a collaborative front doesn’t directly affect the efficiency in testing automation, one can notice a significant increase in efficiency if we compare this with traditional cooperative mechanisms.
Conclusion
At this point, you’re well aware of the concept of SaaS methodology. Moreover, you also know about the benefits of embedding it with Change Intelligence Platforms.
You will get to see an increase in efficiency in terms of automation testing coupled with real-time collaboration, faster testing cycles, and many other added capabilities. As a conclusive statement, we can say with all certainty that switching over to a SaaS solution coupled with change intelligence is the best method of upscaling the efficiency in testing automation in the present times.
