Unveiling Back Door Manipulation in Test Automation
In the realm of test automation, there are scenarios where the traditional approach of setting up the fixture and verifying outcomes through the API of the System Under Test (SUT) is either impractical or not feasible. This is where Back Door Manipulation steps in, allowing us to verify logic independently, even when a round-trip test isn’t viable.
Understanding Back Door Manipulation
The state of the SUT can reside in various forms — memory, files, databases, or interactions with other applications. To ensure specific pre-conditions and perform state verification, we can sometimes access the SUT’s state directly, bypassing its normal API. This approach is aptly termed “Back Door Manipulation.”
When to Employ Back Door Manipulation
1. Speed Optimization: In situations where setting up the fixture via the SUT’s API is time-consuming, using Back Door Manipulation can significantly accelerate the testing process.
2. Systemic Testing: For applications involving complex interactions with data stores, especially when shared with other systems, Back Door Manipulation enables us to evaluate the SUT’s behavior under diverse data configurations.
3. Ensuring Data Integrity: Back Door Manipulation is instrumental in scenarios where it’s crucial to verify that the SUT correctly stores its state as expected by external systems.
4. Testing Basic CRUD Operations: For testing Create, Read, Update, and Delete operations, Back Door Manipulation provides an effective means to ensure data persistence and retrieval.
Variations of Back Door Manipulation
1. Database Population Script: Ideal when the SUT utilizes a database, this involves creating a script to insert necessary records directly.
2. Data Loader: A program that loads data into the SUT’s data store, offering more flexibility and versatility compared to a database script.
3. Database Extraction Script: Useful for Back Door Verification, this script extracts data from the test database for comparison.
4. Test Double as Back Door: Replacing the Dependency of Concern (DOC) with a Test Double, like a Fake Object or a Configurable Test Double, enables effective Back Door Manipulation.
By strategically applying Back Door Manipulation, we can overcome testing challenges and ensure robustness in our automation suites. Remember, the key lies in thoughtful consideration of when and how to employ this technique.
