Test data management is an important part of the software testing process. It ensures that testers have access to high quality, relevant data to effectively test applications. While test data management tools can streamline the process, there are some common mistakes made while using them. This post discusses 5 such mistakes to avoid.

Not Planning Your Test Data Requirements

Proper test data planning is crucial before implementing a test data management tool. Testers should carefully consider what kind of data is required to effectively test each scenario or use case. This involves deciding the format of the data like JSON, XML, etc. as different systems may use different formats. The volume of data needed also needs evaluation to ensure there is enough but not too much. Variations in the data values is another important aspect to cover different possibilities. Without detailing these requirements, the generated or sourced data may not fulfill all the needs. As a result, the testing cannot be comprehensive or bugs may be missed. This could translate to wasted efforts spent on debugging or re-testing later.

Not Masking Sensitive Data

When testers use real production data for testing purposes, this data may contain sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers, health records etc. If such sensitive data is not properly masked or encrypted before using it for testing, it can lead to serious security breaches and issues. Hackers may get access to real customer or employee data if the testing environment is compromised. It can also result in legal fines and compliance issues if privacy regulations are violated. Most test data management tools have in-built features to automatically identify and mask sensitive data using techniques like data encryption, tokenization etc. However, testers must ensure they leverage these features properly to avoid accidentally leaking private information.

Not Managing Data Versions Effectively

As application features and test cases evolve, the underlying test data may also need changes. It is important to track these changes and maintain different data versions. Older versions should also be stored safely to allow regression testing. Not version controlling data can cause issues finding the right data needed or rolling back changes.

Not Integrating with Other Tools

Test data management should be seamlessly integrated with other automation tools used like test case management and test execution platforms. Loose integration leads to manual data handling, increasing the chance of errors. Choose a test data management solution that plays well with your existing testing stack.

Not Automating Data Provisioning

One key benefit of test data management tools is automated data provisioning. However, if this feature is not leveraged and data setup is done manually before each test run, it wastes valuable time. Automate the end-to-end data provisioning workflow to truly optimize testing efficiency.

Conclusion

A leading enterprise software testing tool, Opkey can help address these challenges. It autonomously mines test data from clients’ environments in the right format. Opkey also mines master data from various sources to reduce data collection efforts. Its solution is effective for regression testing during migrations or updates. In summary, Opkey saves time and money by ensuring test data is always ready for testing.