With organizations continuing to operate under a mandate of doing more with less, IT and business end users need to leverage every tool and opportunity available to them.

The PeopleSoft Testing Framework (PTF) enables companies to make testing a more efficient, consistent and repeatable process as they continue to invest in the PeopleSoft platform.

Delivered with PeopleTools 8.51, the PeopleSoft Testing Framework automates the functional testing task within the PeopleSoft application. PTF works by replicating the actions of a single user executing functional tests within PeopleSoft, records the procedures and then saves them within the framework to replay as needed in the future.

These recorded tests are stored in the database as Application Designer objects. The objects can be migrated from one environment to another, so the test assets can be leveraged across multiple testing environments. This is a great feature to help manage multiple testing cycles for your implementation or upgrade project.

Key Features

• Enables data manipulation within the PeopleSoft rowset-oriented data.
• Runs processes more efficiently through the PeopleSoft Process Scheduler.
• Delivers functionality to interface with Data Mover and PS Query.
• Best of all, the PTF is delivered with your existing PeopleSoft license so there are no additional license fees.

Change Impact Analysis

The PTF can also assist with Change Impact Analysis. PTF can correlate PeopleTools metadata (menus, components, pages, records and fields) with existing tests. It can also produce Test Maintenance and Test Coverage Reports.

• A Test Maintenance report correlates PeopleTools compare report data with PTF test metadata to identify certain changes to components, menus, pages, records, and fields that may impact the PTF tests.

• The Test Coverage Report correlates PeopleTools project data with PTF test metadata to identify components, menus, pages, records, and fields that are referenced in PTF tests. When used in conjunction with Usage Monitor, test coverage correlations can be extended to include information on all managed objects. A test coverage report identifies which objects included in the change project are referenced by which PTF test. Any object included in the change project that is not referenced in the PTF test metadata appears in the report identified as a coverage gap.

A Great Tool

PeopleSoft Test Framework offers numerous benefits to any organization leveraging PeopleSoft applications.

• Using PTF to automate your testing helps to increase the efficiency and accuracy of your application testing.
• The PTF helps to enable consistent testing across your multiple environments. You can be sure the same tests are being executed in each environment, using the test logs as proof for testing results.
• The PTF also ensures critical functionality has been tested in each environment.
• As you can imagine, the PTF drastically speeds regression testing, reduces testing time and number of resources required to support testing effort. You also have the ability to migrate test-assets easily between environments.

The PTF is a great tool to be utilized across a number of application projects and support scenarios.

• Leverage the PTF if you are implementing PeopleSoft or adding new modules to your current application.
• In the case where you have limited or no existing testing documentation, investing in the development of PTF test cases would make sense during your next  project.
• If your organization has limited functional resources to participate in testing cycles, leveraging the PTF could replace the end-users from a unit / system testing standpoint.
• If your organization is highly customized or has significant ongoing development / enhancement projects, the PTF could help to automate the regression testing effort required to ensure system functionality. Same is true if you are routinely applying patches and fixes to the PeopleSoft application.

If your organization is committed to the PeopleSoft platform in the future- you should invest in developing all test assets on the PTF .  Let the PTF help your end-users focus more on value add activities during your next PeopleSoft project by reducing the time required executing multiple rounds of testing.

How will the PeopleSoft Test Framework help your organization in your next PeopleSoft upgrade, maintenance or extension project?