The post SAP API testing myth: Testing should be done by the Functional Users. I’m only a developer! appeared first on INT4.
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Testing is a core factor in the process of keeping the fast deliveries and providing a secure environment for business operations. As digitization increases, we face new requirements for the development and support of our systems. Being able to maintain a stable SAP environment while introducing many changes to the transport and functional layer is a challenge that cannot be undertaken without a good QA team.
Apart from the qualified QA team, another important thing is the proper division of work and understanding of one’s responsibility. In the SAP society, there is a common myth about who should perform most part of the testing. Some developers say they don’t need to bother with it as it’s rather a job for functional consultants. In a minute you’ll find out why such an attitude is not conducive to your business.
Testing of such a huge system like SAP is surely a challenge. The process is comparable to the testing of software applications. Each introduced change in SAP software needs to be followed by a test case. This is to check the new functionality and verify if it doesn’t interfere with any other request flows. To prepare the test case scenario the right way, one should have the knowledge of how the system was modified. Then on the basis of the nature of the modification, there are the following tests that can be performed:
As you can see, even a small change needs to be carefully tested before we can continue with our work. Judging by the number of possible testing procedures, splitting the process between developers and functional consultants seems to be a fair solution, right?
The problem is in the misinterpreted role of SAP functional consultants. Their main task is to customize the respective business area and make sure the system reacts accordingly to the constraints of the requested use case. Functional consultants take care that proper training is given to the users and that the system performs right while the business flow is complete.
They can sometimes prepare test scripts for testing the configured scenarios but it’s not their main duty as they’re not expected to have the knowledge of software development. Meaning, SAP functional consultants don’t equal functional testers.
If functional consultants don’t know how the development was done, they’re simply unable to run the complete number of variants of tests to double-check a given system modification. Not to mention, when there’s more than just one change introduced to the SAP landscape. As a result, they still need the developers to perform the rest of the procedure.
If you’re a developer, you’re responsible for the code and how it works with other components, integrated modules, etc. Developers have all the information about the introduced changes, the way they were implemented, and how they should affect other parts of the system. Knowing this, they have the knowledge needed to test the changes thoroughly.
Handling the responsibility to SAP functional consultants is not the right decision. Not only is it not efficient (as the work still needs to be completed by developers) but it can also lead to poorly performed testing procedures. As we know, the financial risk connected with a later repair of bugs increases along with the possible delay of the feature release.
The most optimal way to test the SAP system efficiently is to use automation. According to a study done by ASUG, over 86% of clients are concerned about the risk related to a lack of comprehensive testing. Because of the size of the system, the testing process obviously consumes a fair amount of time and money. What’s more, when it’s performed manually, it’s highly prone to errors.
That’s why automated testing has become so popular these days. Turns out that by just automating the SAP API testing, you can save a significant amount of man-hours and increase your speed of business operations.
Automating SAP testing gives you benefits such as:
Most of all, the testing process should be performed by the right people who have the knowledge and experience in this area. There’s no need for handling the work to someone who is not able to finish it properly. It’s mainly because doubling the efforts usually results in doubling the time and funds needed to accomplish the task.
That’s why it’s important to know who’s responsible for what tasks in the project and underline the role of developers in the SAP testing. When everyone is aware of their duties, there is nothing to worry about.
2. Our new SAP Press book – Testing SAP APIs: Strategy and Execution
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Reading time: 4 minutes
APIs are designed so that programs can communicate with each other as they allow for the transfer of information between them. They are the key elements of the vast majority of today’s enterprise-class systems. For example, they convey messages about a certain transaction to happen from the main system to another that is integrated with it. At the same time, being responsible for the whole sales machinery to work.
When companies introduce changes to the SAP application integration, everything needs to be tested and verified again. This is to be sure that the process still works adequately. Poorly performed integration may negatively affect the functioning of an organization. It can also lead to severe operating problems.
As you may already know, among all the testing procedures, SAP API testing is the one that can be fully automated. It means that instead of weeks or months spent on creating test cases for a project, one can actually set up the whole process in a matter of days. It’s a tremendous advantage for companies wanting to speed up their development and maximize the stream of projects. Not to mention the cost-effectiveness of such actions.
Yet, due to many false beliefs and misconceptions, there are still entrepreneurs, companies, and developers who don’t benefit from it. What’s more, it’s not just the fact that they don’t use automation but they don’t test SAP API at all. Consciously or not, they avoid testing, following some myths created around the topic. Today we will take a closer look at one of them and try to define its source.
It turns out that what causes the SAP API testing to be omitted is the same that causes people to stop growing. The strong belief in one’s greatness and infallibility. When you’re so sure about the expertise you have in a given field, you don’t waste time double-checking your work. There’s a certain level of ignorance and pride that leads people here and to be honest, nothing good has come out of it yet.
Unfortunately, it’s also a common behavior shared across some developers. Because they believe that their job is irreplaceable, they get to decide what part of the process is actually crucial and what steps can be omitted. Hence they come to the conclusion (the famous myth) “I don’t need to test my SAP API, I know what I’m doing”. Even though it sounds more like “trust me, I’m an engineer”, they are sure their decision is the correct one.
Not everyone knows that the sooner a defect is spotted the lower are the costs connected to the repair of it. When we detect an error at the release stage, the cost can be even 40 times higher than if it was spotted during the coding phase. The best-case scenario is when we predict possible future defects in the middle of task planning but it’s also not that easy.
So what happens when your development team doesn’t test their work? They omit the early stage of detecting bugs. It means that the financial risk connected with a later repair increases along with the possible delay of the actual release. The first decision is usually followed through the rest of the project, so the bugs are rather spotted too late.
When you think of the possible outcomes of such actions, there are more than enough arguments against them. Let’s quickly sum it up:
Not testing SAP API can have severe technical consequences not to mention how much such a result tells about the quality of your team.
Who you choose for your project is an important factor that determines its success. Because it’s the approach that people have towards testing, that evokes the further chain of events. So when your developers are aware of the importance of testing their work, they admit they can’t fully support their code and yes, they can be wrong – that’s your people!
Lastly, there’s a set of practices we consider are most developmental for the project. Since it’s an important part, It’s better to divide it into some key thoughts to remember.
The paradox is that when you’re absolutely sure there’s no chance for a mistake to happen – there is one happening. That’s why always test your work and don’t let the myth of testing being too extra limit the growth of the project.
1. Test the components that are crucial to your business
2. Our new SAP Press book – Testing SAP APIs: Strategy and Execution
The post SAP API testing myth: I don’t need to test my SAP Application Interfaces – I’m a very good developer! appeared first on INT4.
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