Parasoft Tool Unites Development, Testing

Parasoft's SOAPtest 2.6 helps bridge the gap between development and QA by building a common platform where unit tests can be reused by QA evaluators to develop scenario tests. The tool provides end-to-end testing of a Web service and automates functional scenario-based tests, which are a critical part of a good QA methodology.

SOAPtest arrives with a WSDL test wizard that creates a number of tests to verify the WSDL file. The SOAPtest wizard generates a test client for every operation defined in the file. Within the test, a WSDL validation feature checks XML and WSDL files against a schema. One of the steps in the test, for instance, is checking links within a WSDL of all references to schemas to make sure that they are accessible. If an error occurs in a WSDL file, SOAPtest will show the line number in the file that has the error and will automatically navigate to the line if the developer wants to correct it.

SOAPtest also checks Web services application tests against the Web Services Interoperability (WS-I) standards. The WS-I is an IT industry-recognized organization that aims to make different vendors' SOAP toolkits interoperable. Developers can use SOAPtest's WS-I feature to verify that the tests they create with the WSDL or the tests the tool automatically generates meet the guidelines in the standards.

SOAPtest provides multiple output file formats to help developers analyze the components report generated by the WS-I tool, including sending the report directly to a Web browser. The WS-I report gives a detailed explanation of all the test assertions; among them are configuration information, points of failures, warnings, types of tests and a complete summary. Whenever developers find a failure, they can click on it to find all the test assertions that created the failure.

Two key testing features in SOAPtest are the Get WSDL and Diff. These features automatically create an HTTP client if the WSDL resides on the Web. In addition, they capture WSDL files from the Web and use them as a benchmark against future executions. The Diff tool guarantees that any tests performed against local WSDL files maintain the same version as the WSDL on the Web.

SOAPtest has perhaps the easiest editor layout of any SOAP toolkit for working with WSDL files. The tool automatically breaks all the functions within the WSDL into clients. In addition to viewing raw XML, the tool has a forms view that simplifies working with all the elements and attributes when creating test cases. In addition, developers can define and invoke third-party XML editors or any text editor if they do not want to use SOAPtest's built-in editor.

SOAPtest provides many methods to access data sources. When creating a batch test run, developers can use spreadsheets, databases, directory structures containing multiple XML files and an internal table that accepts imported data.

The advantage of using an internal table is that values in SOAP headers or bodies can be parameterized. This method executes every value automatically and is a quick and easy way to create a large number of tests. The tool can create both data-driven tests for inputs and data-driven tests for verification of functionality.

SOAPtest supports UDDI, WS-Security, multiple transport layers including basic authentication, custom HTTPS headers and key stores for security. The latest release now supports different callback methods such as Java Messaging Service (JMS) with asynchronous behaviors over HTTP, WS addressing and Synchronous Completion Tokens.

SOAPtest provides a special function to add scripts to headers. The script allows developers to add dynamic values to a header before the invocation of a service.

Parasoft offers marketing assistance, co-marketing and co-conference opportunities, sales engineer support, joint Webcasts and a extensive array of sales training. The company will also help systems integrators at every stage of the selling cycle.

Technical support is available 24x5 but Parasoft does not offer dedicated support for any of its channel partners. The average reseller margin is 32 percent. As tested, SOAPtest costs $3,995.

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>PARASOFT SOAPTEST

COMPANY: Parasoft
Monrovia, Calif.
(888) 305-0041
www.parasoft.com
DISTRIBUTORS: Direct from vendor
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Note: Vendors can earn up to five stars for technical merit and five for their channel program. If the average of these two scores is four stars or greater, the product earns CRN Test Center Recommended status.