Automation testing is a popular and fast-growing direction in testing. It has many miss issues and myths and misinterpretations.

Below you can find interesting and frequently asked questions about automation testing.

Which test cases can be automated?
When you decide to start test automation in your project, you may ask: ” What I can automate, and what can’t?” It’s a good question because from one side test automation increases test quality, reduces time spent on tests, and saves resources. Another side of test automation is too expensive to apply it to all cases, and sometimes there is no need to do it. There’s one good advice — use test automation where humans won’t cope or one mistake can lead to fatal consequences.

Other situations when you can automate are:

If you have tests that need to run often and they stay unchanged from one session to another, you should automate it.
When you have a deal with a large amount of data, it’s better to automate test cases. Solving this problem through manual testing takes a long time, and you won’t avoid mistakes.
Automate when each release or build requires testing. It can be such tests as smoke, regression, and sanity.

What is a framework in automation testing?
The automation testing framework is a set of recommendations, guidelines, and principles created for easier and more effective work with automation testing. The framework may contain final results and goals, test libraries, coding standards, test tools, etc.

A framework isn’t a common rule, but if you implement it in your project, you’ll get better results such as reducing maintenance costs and risks, increasing a team’s efficiency, and test accuracy.

There are six types of automation testing framework which you can choose according to your project needs.

Linear Automation Framework. It’s a basic framework, with a quick and easy workflow. A framework perfect for small application and function
Modular Based Testing Framework. To implement this framework, test engineers divide the application into separate modules. Each module is tested independently. Such a system is convenient for application changes, the engineer will change only a particular module and script, but the rest of the application remains unchanged.
Library Architecture Testing Framework. This framework is based on a modular one. Testers do not divide the application into test cases but into functions under the library. These functions are called during testing if required.
Data-Driven Framework. When you test an application, some functions are required to be tested several times with a different set of input data. To prevent test data from being embedded in a test script, this data is stored in external databases. That is, this framework allows you to separate test cases from a data set.
Keyword-Driven Framework. For this framework, engineers write a set of keywords to conduct a specific action during testing. Each set of words is connected with a particular function.
Hybrid Testing Framework. It’s a combination of Keyword-driven and Data-driven frameworks.

What is the best programming language for automation testing?
Many developers agree that Python is the best programming language for automation testing. According to Stack Overflow, 73.3% of developers chose Python as one of the best programming languages. Python has plain and easy syntax, even for beginners, it has a large library of useful packages and frameworks for testing such as pytest – Python-based framework that is used to write, and executes test codes. Among other benefits of Python are supporting IDE and running the entire testing process from the command-line.

Other languages proper for automation testing are Java, JavaScript, C#, and Ruby.

Which test cases can’t be automated?
Despite automation testing is quick, safe and convenient some tests can’t be automated. These cases include:

Usability testing, because it requires human participation.
A small number of test cases. The cost of testing automation is too high to test ten test-cases, use manual testing for it.
Unexplored test cases. Testing automation, in this case, can lead to false results.
Technically limitation in testing.
When there are errors in the automation testing code. When you use manual testing, you can find such errors.
Exploratory testing. When you need to explore the functionality and conduct testing without test cases.

What is the future of testing automation?
Experts highlight several trends in the development of automated testing:

In the nearest future, automation testing will develop influenced by artificial intelligence and machine learning. AI and ML can replace humans in testing. Both these technologies are developing the ability to learn, analyze situations, and act comes out of current situations. AI will get the capability to see like humans and process visual information.
Competition will faster grow every year, therefore Agile and DevOps will implement more readily by companies. Through such methodologies as Scrum, Kanban, Waterfall, market-entry time will get shorter.
Automation testing will cover all types of testing and overall lead to automatization without human control. But some experts enhance that such an approach may end up with bad consequences, and human intervention is required.
Automation testing will use Natural Language Processing (NLP) as one of its instruments. NLP will enable testing without writing test cases, which will save time. NLP will be able to implement automation in a simple and natural language, understandable for any team member.
What is the difference between manual and automation testing?
Manual testing is performed by a testing engineer. The tester manually prepares data sets, conducts software testing, identifies bugs, and writes reports without using any tools and scripts. Manual testing may not be accurate due to human factors, take more time and resources, but some tests as usability testing you can’t conduct automatically.

Automation testing requires scripts and code for automated verify test cases. Testing engineers write code and based on this code run automation testing. This type of testing enables you to simulate complex scenarios and increase the productivity of your team. On the other hand, you can’t automate all scenarios, like exploratory testing, and the cost of automatization is too high compared with manual testing.

Thus, manual and automation testing should be performed in conjunction.

Is 100% automation testing possible?
Perhaps in the distant future, when artificial intelligence will teach computers to perceive and process information as a human does, full automation will be possible. Now we are limited by the technology of our time, and full automation is impossible. Computers cannot answer whether conveniently for them to use the program, or what difficulties they are experiencing, is the background contrast sufficient relative to the font, etc.

Testing automation should focus on tasks where the code does better than a human, for example, when checking a large amount of data. Also, sometimes writing scripts for automatic testing will take longer than conducting manual testing.

Isn’t it surprising that in today’s digital and technologically advanced era, salespeople spend a major part of their time (around 66%) in mundane activities such as generating quotes, writing proposals, and getting approvals? In other words, sales reps spend only 34% of their time doing actual sales. This not just hampers business efficiency but also results in the loss of opportunities. This is where businesses should consider leveraging a sales utility tool such as Salesforce CPQ.

With a robust tool like Salesforce CPQ in place, sales reps can indulge in real sales activities that can enhance business efficiency and ROI. Besides helping sales reps in generating quick quotes, this sales utility tool works in tandem with other third-party and external systems such as ERP for ensuring data accuracy and integrity. Salesforce CPQ software besides ensuring a faster generation of quotes also ensures error-free quotes. For more information regarding this software, organizations should consider partnering with a certified and trained Salesforce consultant.

Listed below are ways in which Salesforce CPQ can help organizations drive more efficiency:

Accurate Forecasting: Since, CPQ integrates various aspects of a sales cycle; Sales reps do not have to indulge in configurations that are either non-financial or non-legal. This not just saves their time but also helps sales reps to create quotes with greater accuracy. Apart from this, the automation feature avoids the occurrence of errors, which ultimately leads to happy and satisfied customers.

Standardizes Processes and Reduces Costs: Salesforce CPQ collaborates with different entities of an organization such as finance, sales, service, and more to make the entire sales process standardized and smooth. By integrating with ERP systems, CPQ reduces high operational costs.

Improved Sales Efficiency: Most sales reps spend a major part of their time in non-selling activities rather than doing actual sales. This creates several challenges such as longer sales cycles, reduced efficiency, and low sales. With CPQ software in place, processes will be streamlined and sales reps can focus more on core selling, which includes prospecting, cold calling, and more. So, when sales reps are about to close a deal, CPQ helps in precisely configuring products, applying discounts, and get approvals, which ultimately enhances efficiency and saves time.

Increased ROI: With CPQ software in place, organizations can manage to get larger deals by drawing the most out of their sales deals. Salesforce CPQ software helps in analyzing the sales pipeline, as well as profitability analysis to provide accurate and financially viable quotes. When paired with Einstein Analytics, CPQ can provide actionable insights that can help sales reps maximize revenue opportunities.

Conclusion:

These are some of the ways how Salesforce CPQ helps organizations improve the bottom line of their business. However, implementing Salesforce would require engaging the services of an experienced and qualified Salesforce implementation partner who can help organizations increase their business efficiency and productivity that too with minimum cost and time.

Source: https://qmsoffice.com/how-to-check-your-screen-time-in-android/

Worried about your little kids continuously staring at those glazy lights of smartphones? Well, you might find your solution here. The Digital Wellbeing element of Android will let you know about your screen time daily with its app. This will also show you a list of those apps from which you get the maximum of notifications. The feature fragments your screen time into the apps you have spent most of your time on. There is a pie chart that shows you the related data. The parts divided in the circle show your screen time and below that, you will see the number of times you have unlocked your phone and the number of notifications you received in a day.

Enabling Digital Wellbeing on Your Android

You can use the Digital Wellbeing option on your Android phone from your phones’ settings.

1. Go to the ‘Settings’ option on your Android phone.

2. Scroll down to select ‘Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls’.

3. Choose the ‘Show your data’ option.

4. Move to the top right-hand side corner of the screen and select the three-dot menu.

5. Click on Manage your data option.

6. Turn on the switch beside the ‘Daily device usage’ option.

7. Now your Android phone will record, register, and analyze your app usage, number of notifications, and number of times you unlock your device.

8. If you want to access the feature through any shortcut icon, then choose the ‘Show icon in the app list’.

Monitoring Your Screen Timing

There are a number of tools and ways provided by Digital Wellbeing for helping you to lessen your time spent on mobile screens as well as distractions. It categorizes all into two: means to disconnect and decrease interruptions.

Set Timers on Apps

The best option to put a bar on the time you spend on screen is setting a timer for your maximum used apps so that you do not keep on spending unnecessary time scrolling Instagram or playing your favorite game rather than working, studying, or interacting with your family and friends. You are putting a limit on the amount of time you would spend on these apps every day when you set a timer. After your time limit is crossed, the setting will notify you and your app will be blocked from access. Now you will only be able to use it when the next day starts unless you manually switch the feature off. Follow these simple steps to set the app timer:

1. Go to your Dashboard.

2. A list of all the apps you use the most will show up on your screen. Select any app and it will show you your time spent on the app, total notifications received, and the number of times the app was accessed. Now, click on the hourglass icon that appears beside the app icon.

3. Set a time limit according to your need.

4. Hit the trash can icon that appears beside it, to remove the timer in the future.

Setting Bedtime Mode

This mode lets you cool down and rest after a hectic day. It puts your phone on silent and turns the screen to grayscale. This way it makes sure that you sleep on time without wasting time on social media. You can also put your phone on Do Not Disturb mode with its customizations. For that, click on Customize to turn on DnD mode when you go to sleep. There is an option to adjust your bedtime mode according to your time or enable it when you put your phone to charge before sleeping. In all these cases, you can assign your turn-on time and turn-off time.

Enabling Focus Mode

With the help of focus mode, you can stop all your apps temporarily. You can either do this manually or schedule it to work automatically. It lets you select your preferred time, or day(s). You also get the option to take a break between your work. This option will give you some time as a break to access your apps.

If we talk about the Reduce Interruptions option, it lets you restrict notifications from selected or all apps and puts your phone on DnD mode.

Using Parental Control to Manage the Screen Time of Your Kids

You can keep a check over the time your kids spend on phones if you have a default parent account on their phones. Begin systemizing parental controls within the settings page of Digital Wellbeing. For that, you will have to download the Family Link which is a Google app that requires both the parent and child to have an account on Google.

1. Head to the settings screen of ‘Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls’.

2. Select the ‘Set up parental controls’ option that appears at the bottom.

3. Now click on ‘Get started’ from the next screen.

4. Select ‘Parent’.

5. A prompt will appear asking you to install Google’s Family Link app. After installing, move ahead with the prompts that appear on screen to complete the process.

Monitoring the Phone of Your Child

If you want to control the screen time on your child’s phone and other settings, link your email accounts first.

1. Open Settings on your child’s phone and go to the ‘Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls’ option.

2. At the bottom of the screen, you will see the option to set up parental controls, click on it.

3. Select ‘Get Started’.

4. Choose the ‘Child or Teen’ option.

5. Select the option to create or add an account if it is not already there. After adding an account, select the control option from the list and keep following the prompts.

Reducing screen time is not easy and all these tips can only work if you are determined. Especially in the case of Kids, it is difficult to do. Therefore, along with these techniques, you must inculcate the value of a healthy lifestyle in your kids.

When you think of famous RPG fantasy tabletop games, Pathfinder and Dungeons & Dragons are the first in your mind. While this automatically reflects how good these games are, it might also confuse you about which one you should choose.

Among all the fantasy games, over the years, Dungeons & Dragons have won many hearts. The game was released more than 40 years ago to offer players of the world the chance to witness their fantasy dreams with simple calculations and dice rolling.

During 2008, the game’s fourth edition started receiving very mixed reviews. That is when Paizo Publishings came out with Pathfinder, which is hugely founded on the third season of Dungeons & Dragons as this was the most successful season of the game. These two games have gained popularity over the years and have also released their sequels— Pathfinder Second Edition and Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition. If you are starting with RPG games, then you might be confused between these two. Here is a classification of these two games which will help you decide which one you should go for.

Entry Of Pathfinder

The fourth edition of Dungeons & Dragons made various changes into the game and its mechanics, which hugely disappointed the fans. For a long time, fans continued wishing for any update and revival of the older mechanics of the game, but it did not happen.

Leveraging the scenario, Pathfinder was released with similar mechanics as it was in 3.5 and eased many different aspects of the game, thereby incorporating massive customizations and complexity. This made Pathfinder a right combination of the complexity gamers wanted and the mechanics they wished for. In fact, it’s sale was even more than the fourth edition of Dungeons & Dragons.

This is because Pathfinders knew that fans like the previous mechanics more and incorporated that in their game. In fact, famous tabletop players loved and chose Pathfinder rather than the fourth edition of Dungeons & Dragons, which is why even the new gamers looked forward towards Pathfinder. The game lets you choose from a big bunch of races, and offers fascinating skills, monsters and enemies.

New Editions Of Both The Games

Like Dungeons & Dragons edition four failed miserably, the makers started with the fifth edition to overcome the loss of failure. The makers developed the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons with straightforward mechanics for any gamer to catch up with it. They also changed the addition and subtraction system of ability checks into an advantages and disadvantages system. This way, the makers refined the game with simple mechanics without disappointing the players.

Dungeons & Dragons’ fifth edition is the first in its series that depends on the players’ united thinking capacity. It entirely depends upon the player if they want to use a grid and figurines or not. Hence the game is suitable for both beginners and veterans.

No doubt, Pathfinder is still the favorite of those who like simple gameplay and but higher complexity, but the fifth edition soon built a wholly new and vast kind of audience base. Hence, Paizo came up with the second edition of Pathfinder. The second edition did not add some big new things but groomed the game’s existing factors. It focused singly on what players already loved in the game.

Making The Choice

Before making a choice, you first need to decide what your expectations are from the game. If you want imaginative gameplay with accessible content and rules, then go with Dungeons & Dragons’ fifth edition as it will suit you the best. On the other hand, if you want to be involved in a game with complexity and customization options, Pathfinder is right for you.

Both of these RPG games are fun and while new players mostly go for the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons, old school tabletop game fans go for Pathfinder. Both these games involve calculations and math; therefore, you need to decide how much you can go on with the calculations while living your fantasy game world.