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Wednesday, October 15, 2014 - 1:45pm - 2:45pm
Test Automation
W9

Functional Testing with Domain-Specific Languages

Developing high-quality software requires effective communication among various project stakeholders. Business analysts must elicit customer needs and capture them as requirements, which developers then transform into working software. Software test engineers collaborate with business analysts, domain experts, developers, and other testers to validate whether the software meets the customer’s expectations. Misunderstandings between different stakeholders can introduce defects into software, reducing its overall quality and threatening the project’s success. Domain-specific languages (DSLs) are special purpose languages created to describe tasks in a particular field. DSLs provide stakeholders with a common vocabulary for describing application elements and behaviors. Tariq King describes how DSLs can be leveraged during functional testing to help identify potential issues early and reduce misunderstanding. Tariq demonstrates how a well-designed, testing DSL allows non-technical stakeholders to read and write automated tests, better engaging them in software testing activities. Learn how DSL-based testing tools can be used to improve test case management, regression testing, and test maintenance.

Tariq King, Ultimate Software

Tariq King is a software test architect at Ultimate Software, a leading cloud provider of people management solutions. With more than a decade of experience in software testing, Tariq provides technical leadership, strategic direction, and staff training in quality assurance across the organization. Tariq currently supports more than fifteen cross-functional teams working in an agile environment and manages a team that develops internal tools. His testing research appears in several IEEE and ACM publications, and includes collaborations with Microsoft and IBM.

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