Testing SOA based Application

What is Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)?
  • SOA is a method for delivering complex business software with increased flexibility through loosely coupled services
  • Relies on Service orientation as its fundamental design principle
  • SOA implementations are a combination of web components, mid-tier components, as well as back-end and legacy systems
  • Enterprises are using SOA to integrate disparate systems into cohesive business processes by reusing in-tact systems and leveraging messaging and integration.
  • SOAs have allowed organizations to flexibly integrate new and existing components as services in a business workflow
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Challenges in SOA Testing
  • Testing loosely coupled services.
  • Heterogeneous computing environment
  • Bug isolation due to multiple layers
  • Testing asynchronous nature of application
Solution to the SOA based Testing
  • Thorough component level testing of services before integration
    Service Integration Testing
  • Testing from multiple Point of View (Service Provider, Service Consumer, Service Registry)
  • End to End system testing
  • Tool based testing and automation
SOA Testing Lifecycle
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Best Practices
  • SOA requires changes in Testing Methods and life cycle.
    – Test Services in Isolation
    – Test earlier in the life cycle
  • SOA requires testing from multiple perspectives.
  • SOA requires Testing along multiple dimensions.
    – Test functionality
    – Test for Interoperability and compliance to standards
    – Test for Security
    – Test for Performance
  • SOA requires specialized testing skills
    – Testing exclusively through GUI is insufficient
    – Test using Test Harnesses to invoke services directly
    – Requires both Technical and Business expertise

Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 08, 2010

    Nicely done article on SOA Testing

    Thanks,
    Ajay

    ReplyDelete

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