PeopleSoft Test Framework has been around for a while and is rapidly becoming more important to PeopleSoft customers. The shift in mentality from “upgrade” to “update” brought about by PeopleSoft 9.2 has made testing more crucial. The PeopleSoft Test Framework is a solution to automate functional testing to run more tests with greater accuracy in less time. I sat down with David Bain, Director of PeopleTools Product Management to learn more about how this tool can improve companies’ PeopleSoft environments.

Christina: PeopleSoft Test Framework is a key component of the continuous update model that PeopleSoft released with 9.2. Can you discuss some of the most compelling reasons to use this framework?

David: Testing is the most time- and resource-consuming part of taking change, whether it be maintenance or new features. PeopleSoft Test Framework is an automated record-playback regression test tool that can help you minimize the time and cost of regression testing.

In release 9.2, PeopleSoft changed the way customers take maintenance and new features. Change is more frequent and selective, giving the customer more choices when it comes to change. This results in systems that are more dynamic, changing more often.

Having regression tests available to validate your system after change will help increase productivity in the testing phase.

Christina: As you know, most companies try to test every production release. How does this help them?

David: Testing change before it goes into production is critical. No one wants to wait until production to find problems. The problem is our systems are so complex requiring changes to keep up with maintenance, user needs and regulatory requirements, it is difficult to test systems to the level that is necessary. Automated testing is almost a requirement these days to keep up with the critical demands of change.

Christina: After attending several Quest webinars and conference sessions, I have noticed there are two main schools of thought then it comes to testing. The first is to create test cases as simple regression use cases that only cover the basics. The second is to create end-to-end test cases that carry a transaction through to the GL. Do you have any best practices to share regarding these two approaches?

David: My thought is start slowly and improve over time. It’s nice to get a few wins with regression testing that prove to you and your team that you are gaining benefits. Remember regression testing takes commitment; cost and the benefits may not be recognized until some point in the future.

Look for areas in your system that can benefit from having a set of regression tests. This could possibly be part of the system that tends to have the most problems or regression errors, or possibly one of the areas with the most customizations. This is a good starting point. Then, over time, develop the end to end scripts.

Want more? Read the full article in the Oracle OpenWorld Edition of Q&A Magazine.