QA Career Opportunities

QA as a Career
Graduates of a bachelor’s degree program in a technical field, such as computer science or information systems technology are eligible. Those with graduate training or those with a business background are also preferred. Most organizations cultivate advanced skills in their Quality Assurance Engineers through on-the-job training.

Soft Skills required

• Clear communicator (written and verbal) – to ensure ability to write test plans and test cases. To communicate bugs to developers and other stakeholders
• Creative solving of technical problems – to ensure the ability translate technical requirements test plans
• Ability to focus on deadlines and deliverables – ensures the ability to find the bad defects and bugs quickly
• Ability to think abstract – to ensure ability to not conform to the norm. Norms do not find bugs quickly.

Functional/Technical Skills

• Experiences in Quality Management Software and Processes
• Knowledge and experience in technical aspects of software solution being tested
• Business process understanding

QA Career Progress and Job Out-look
The present day software development culture includes a testing team separated from the development team, both with equal prominence as it is equally important to validate and verify a developed computer program or application before delivering it to the client. QA associates can work for private software developers, government agencies or can be self-employed.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment of quality assurance managers will see steady growth in coming years.
The BLS predicts a faster-than-average rate of growth for those in the software development field, such as Software Quality Assurance Engineers, in the 2010-2020 decade. Experienced QA Engineers often have the opportunity to move into related fields, such as information systems technology or computer systems analysis, or into leadership positions.

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Role of QA Tester

Testing is a set of skills that allow the tester to select or invent practices suitable for each distinctive situation.

Responsibilities of QA Analyst

• Responsible for creating an end-to-end test plan; executing and managing all activities in the plan.
• Ensuring that all the objectives are met and that the solution works as expected.
• The solution should be tested in terms of functionality, performance, reliability, stability and compatibility with other legacy- and / or external systems.
• Ensuring that every phase and feature of the software solution is tested and that any potential issue is identified and fixed before the product goes live.

Variations of the Quality Assurance Analyst roles

The Quality Assurance Analyst – Backend Testing role is focused on testing the database portion of the software solution; how the database interacts with the software solution.
The Functional Tester is the everyday blackbox software tester.
The Automated Tester designs automated test scripts and deploys these scripts using automation software like QuickTest Professional, Rational Functional Tester, SilkTest and VisualStudio Test Professional. The automated tester must make determinations as to what portion of the overall test will benefit from automation as test automation is not effective for all kinds of tests.

Quality Assurance Analyst SQL Backend Tester will validate that the sites and systems meet design specifications and requirements using SQL Server database tools.
Responsibilities:

• Review functional and design specifications to ensure full understanding of individual deliverables.
• Backend database testing in Microsoft SQL environment including validating stored procs, jobs and triggers.
• Identify test requirements from specifications, map test case requirements and design test coverage plan.
• Develop, document and maintain functional test cases and other test artifacts like the test data, data validation, harness scripts and automated scripts.
• Execute and evaluate manual or automated test cases and report test results.
• Hold and facilitate test plan/case reviews with cross-functional team members.
• Identify any potential quality issues per defined process and escalate potential quality issues immediately to management.
• Ensure that validated deliverables meet functional and design specifications and requirements.
• Isolate, replicate, and report defects and verify defect fixes.

More about QA tester tasks

• As all QA projects do not have the same objectives, it is crucial to initially determine the goals and objectives of the project.
• In case the product is in development stage, a detailed documentation of the development process is necessary for future QA audits.
• In-case distribution is a key consideration for delivering the product to the customer, define the customer first and pay attention to their needs such as quality product, compliance, cost reduction and so on while testing.
• Create a process or workflow map, which is a visual diagram of the product flow from production to delivery.
• The cycle time is to be noted and redundant or non-value- added processes are to be checked for.
• Process controls, which are automated and unobtrusive, are to be developed.
• Continuous monitoring of product quality, cost reduction, cycle time reduction and faster delivery is the heart and soul of QA.

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Types of Software Testing

Broadly, types of software testing include Acceptance Testing, Black box Testing, Compatibility testing, Conformance Testing, Functional Testing, Integration Testing, Load Testing, Performance Testing, Regression Testing, Smoke Testing, Stress Testing, System Testing, Unit Testing and White Box Testing. All these can be learned through formal courses and on-the-job training.

Acceptance testing is a term used in agile software development methodologies, particularly Extreme Programming, referring to the functional testing of a user story by the software development team during the implementation phase.

Black-box testing is one of the types of software testing that examines the functionality of an application (e.g. what the software does) without peering into its internal structures or workings.

Compatibility testing, part of software non-functional tests, is testing conducted on the application to evaluate the application’s compatibility with the computing environment.

Conformance testing or type testing is to determine whether a product or system meets some specified standard that has been developed for efficiency or interoperability.

Functional testing is a quality assurance (QA) process and a type of black box testing that bases its test cases on the specifications of the software component under test.

Integration testing (sometimes called integration and testing, abbreviated I&T) is the phase in software testing in which individual software modules are combined and tested as a group.

Load testing is performed to determine a system’s behavior under both normal and anticipated peak load conditions.

Performance testing is in general testing performed to determine how a system performs in terms of responsiveness and stability under a particular workload. It can also serve to investigate, measure, validate or verify other qualityattributes of the system, such as scalability, reliability and resource usage.

Regression testing is any type of software testing that seeks to uncover new software bugs, or regressions, in existing functional and non-functional areas of a system after changes such as enhancements, patches or configuration changes, have been made to them.
In computer programming and software testing, smoke testing is preliminary testing to reveal simple failures severe enough to reject a prospective software release.

System testing of software or hardware is testing conducted on a complete, integrated system to evaluate the system’s compliance with its specified requirements.

Stress testing (sometimes called torture testing) is a form of deliberately intense or thorough testing used to determine the stability of a given system or entity.

White-box testing (also known as clear box testing, glass box testing, transparent box testing, and structural testing) is a method of testing software that tests internal structures or workings of an application, as opposed to its functionality (i.e. black-box testing).

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Become a Quality Analyst (QA) & Job Profile

Quality Assurance (QA), generally referred to as software testers, has currently become a promising career option in the present day job market for fresh graduates seeking sunny future along with professionals looking for a better career change.

Role of QA Tester

The role of software testers is to provide information, basically meant for stake holders, concerning the quality of the product or service that is under test using techniques intended to find software failures and software bugs, commonly called as errors. The procedure can be done at any time during the software development process.

Two main things targeted by QA include checking for ‘Fit for purpose’ i.e.. Confirming if the product developed/being developed is suitable for the projected purpose and elimination of errors ‘Right first time’. Managing the quality of raw materials, assemblies, products and components, production and management related services in addition to production and inspection processes are all part of QA.  

QA Career Opportunities

The present day software development culture includes a testing team separated from the development team, both with equal prominence as it is equally important to validate and verify a developed computer program or application before delivering it to the client.

With so much in store for QAs, ITLearnMore is offering several courses and certification programs all designed to support aspirants with a kindled passion for continual learning

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QA Career Opportunities

QA as a Career
Graduates of a bachelor’s degree program in a technical field, such as computer science or information systems technology are eligible. Those with graduate training or those with a business background are also preferred. Most organizations cultivate advanced skills in their Quality Assurance Engineers through on-the-job training.

Soft Skills required

• Clear communicator (written and verbal) – to ensure ability to write test plans and test cases. To communicate bugs to developers and other stakeholders
• Creative solving of technical problems – to ensure the ability translate technical requirements test plans
• Ability to focus on deadlines and deliverables – ensures the ability to find the bad defects and bugs quickly
• Ability to think abstract – to ensure ability to not conform to the norm. Norms do not find bugs quickly.

Functional/Technical Skills

• Experiences in Quality Management Software and Processes
• Knowledge and experience in technical aspects of software solution being tested
• Business process understanding

QA Career Progress and Job Out-look
The present day software development culture includes a testing team separated from the development team, both with equal prominence as it is equally important to validate and verify a developed computer program or application before delivering it to the client. QA associates can work for private software developers, government agencies or can be self-employed.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment of quality assurance managers will see steady growth in coming years.
The BLS predicts a faster-than-average rate of growth for those in the software development field, such as Software Quality Assurance Engineers, in the 2010-2020 decade. Experienced QA Engineers often have the opportunity to move into related fields, such as information systems technology or computer systems analysis, or into leadership positions.

Continue

QTP HARD INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

• 1. What is the Difference between Bitmap Check point & Image Check point .?

Bitmap checkpoint does a pixel to pixel comparison of an image or part of an image.
Image checkpoint does do a pixel to pixel comparison but instead compare image properties like alt text , destination url etc.

• 2. What is the difference between the functions and actions in QTP .?

Actions have their own Object Repository & Data Table. Actions help make your Test modular and increase reuse. Example: You can divide your script into Actions based on functionality like Login, Logout etc.
Functions is a VB Script programming concept and do not have their own Object Repository or Data Table. Functions help in re-use of your code. Ex:  You can create a Function in your script to concatenate two strings.

• 2. What are keyword view and Expert view in QTP .?

Keyword View is an icon based view which shows test steps in tabular format. It also automatically generates documentation for the test steps.
Expert View gives the corresponding VB Script statement for every test step in the Keyword view.

• 3. What are the different types of Test Automation Frameworks .?

The types of Automation Frameworks are -
1) Linear Scripting - Record & Playback
2) The Test Library Architecture Framework.
3)The Data-Driven Testing Framework.
4)The Keyword-Driven or Table-Driven Testing Framework.

• 4. How will you check a web application for broken links using QTP .?

You can use the Page Checkpoint which gives a count of valid/invalid links on a page.

• 5. What is a Run-Time Data Table? Where can I find and view this table .?

Data like parameterized output , checkpoint values , output values  are stored in the Run-time Table. It is an xls file which is stored in the Test Results Folder.  It can also be accessed in the Test Fusion Report.

• 6. What are the difference between check point and output value .?

Check point is a verification point that compares a current value for a specified property with the expected value for that property. Based on this comparison, it will generate a PASS or FAIL status.
 An output value is a value captured during the test run and can be stored in a specified location like the  Datable or even a variable. Unlike Checkpoints, no PASS/FAIL status is generated.

• 7. How would you connect to database using vbscript .?

a) connection string of your server
b) username
c) password
d) DNS name
You can code the database connectivity command directly or you can use the SQL Query tool provided by QTP.

• 8. What is QTP batch testing tool .?

 You can use the Batch testing tool to run multiple scripts. Once the scripts are added in the tool , it  will automatically open the scripts and start executing them one after the other.

• 9. What are the drawbacks of QTP .?

As of QTP version 10
1) Huge Tests in QTP consume lots of memory and increase CPU utilization.
2) Since QTP stores results in HTML file (and not txt) the result folder sometimes becomes big.

• 10. What is an Optional Step .?

A step when declared optional is not mandatory to be executed. If the corresponding GUI object is present, QTP performs the operation on it. If the GUI object is not present, QTP bypasses the optional step and proceeds to execute the next step.

• 11. What is Reporter.ReportEvent .?

Reporter.Reportvent is standard method provided by QTP to send custom messages to the test results window.
Syntax
Reporter.ReportEvent EventStatus, ReportStepName, Details [, ImageFilePath]
where   
EventStatus = 0 or micPass
                    1 or micFail
                    2 or micDone
                    3 or micWarning
 Results can assume any status like Pass , Fail , Warning etc. You can also send screenshot to the test results window.

• 12. How will you declare a variable in QTP .?

You declare using a DIM keyword. You assign value to the variable using the SET keyword.
Dim temp 'Will declare the temp variable
Set  temp = 20 ' Will assign a value 20 to temp.

• 13. How would you export a Script from one PC to another in QTP .?

We can make use of the 'Generate Script' function available in Object Identification, Test Settings and Tools/Options tab to create a zip of the script at the source computer. These zip files then can be imported into QTP at the destination computer.

• 15. Can launch two instances of QTP on the same machine .?

No. You can work with only single instance of QTP on the same machine. But QTP itself can work on multiple instances of the Application Under Test (AUT). Ex:  QTP can handle multiple IE browser windows.

• 16. Give the syntax to import/export xls into QTP .?

DataTable.ImportSheet '..\..\TestData\Input.xls',1,dtGlobalSheet
DataTable.ExportSheet '..\..\Results\Output.xls','Global'

• 17. What is SetToProperty .?

SetToProperty changes property of an object stored in the Object Repository. However these changes are not permanent.

• 18. What is the standard timing delay for web based application in QTP .?

The standard delay is 60 seconds. This is can be changed in Test Settigns.

• 19. What is the Action Conversion Tool .?

It is an in-built tool provided by QTP to convert Actions into Business Process Components.

• 20. What is the extension for a function library .?

The extension is  '.QFL'

• 21. If the Global Data sheet contains no data and the Local Datasheet contains two rows of data, how many times will the test iterate .?

The test will iterate only once - global iteration.

• 22. What is Accessibility Checkpoint .?

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) came up with some instructions and guidelines for Web-based technology and information systems to make it easy for the disabled to access the web. For example the standards make it mandatory to have an 'alt text' for an image. So a blind person who is accessing the website, will use text - to -speech converters and atleast understand what the image is about if not see it. All these standards are checked by Accessibility Checkpoints.

• 23. What is the difference between an Action and a Function .?

Action is a activity specific to QTP while functions are a generic thing which is a feature of
VB Scripting.

Action can have a object repository associated with it while a function can’t. A function is
just lines of code with some / none parameters and a single return value while an action can
have more than one output parameters.

• 24. What are the various events available in the Recovery Scenario Manager .?

1) Application Crash: This event is useful in handling crashed applications at runtime.
 2) Pop Up Window: This event is useful in managing various unwanted application windows,
which get built-up at runtime.
 3) Test Run Error: This event is useful in handling VBScript statement errors at runtime.
 4) Object State: This event is useful in handling object related errors at runtime.

• 25. What factors affect bitmap checkpoints .?

Bitmap checkpoints are affected by screen resolution and image size.

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QTP Interview Questions

 2. What are the types object Repositories in QTP .?

QTP Supports 2 types of Object Repository 1) Shared Object Repository (also called Global) 2) Per-Action Object Repository, (also called Local)

• 3. Can we call QTP test from another test using scripting. Suppose if there are 4 tests and I want to call these tests in a main script. Is this possible in QTP .?

Yes.  You can call 4 or even more scripts in your tests.For this, first you will need to make the Actions in the corresponding scripts re-usable.Then from the destination script you can make calls to these re-usable actions.  

• 4. What is action split and the purpose of using this in the QTP .?

Action split is to divide an existing action into two parts.The purpose is to divide actions based on their functionality to improve code re-use.

• 5. How will you handle Java tree in a QTP .?

Foremost you will select Java Add - In and launch QTP. Next step record operations on the Java Tree. If you face an issue while recording, you can select Tools > Object Identification > Java, tree object and make changes in mandatory and assistive properties to enable identification. Tip: You can base you answer on similar lines for any other object of any environment. For example : If the question is how will check SAP checkbox , You say , first I will select SAP Add in ... and so on.

• 6. Explain how QTP identifies object .?

QTP identifies any GUI Object based on its corresponding properties.  While recording, QTP will identify and store peculiar properties (as defined in the Object Identification settings) in the object repository of the GUI object . At run-time, QTP will compare the stored property values with the on-screen properties, to uniquely identify the GUI object.

• 7. How many types of recording modes are in QTP? Which will be used when .?

Normal Mode: It is the default recording mode and takes full advantage of QTP's Test Object Model. It recognizes objects regardless of their position on -screen. This is the preferred mode of recoding and is used for most of the automation activities. Low-level recording mode: This mode records the exact x,y co-ordinates of your mouse operations. It is helpful in testing hashmaps. It is useful for recording objects not identified by normal mode of QTP. Analog mode: This mode records exact mouse and keyboard 'movements' you perform in relation to the screen / application window. This mode is useful for the operation such as drawing a picture, recording signature., drag and drop operations.

• 8. How can you call from one action to another action .?

We can call an action in 2 ways 1) Call to copy of Action. - In this ,the Action Object Repository , Script and Datable will be copied to the destination Test Script. 2) Call to Existing Action. - In this,  Object Repository , Script and Datable  will NOT be copied but a call (reference) would be made to the Action in the source script.

• 9. What are Virtual Objects .?

Your application may contain objects that behave like standard objects but are not recognized by QTP. You can define these objects as virtual objects and map them to standard classes, such as a button or a check box. QTP emulates the user's action on the virtual object during the run session. In the test results, the virtual object is displayed as though it is a standard class object.

• 10. How to perform Cross platform testing and Cross browser testing using QTP? Can u explain giving an example .?

You will need to create separate Actions which take care of different OS and Browsers Cross Platform Testing: Using the Built in Environment Variable you can dig up the OS information. Eg. Platform = Environment('OS'). Then based on the Platform you need to call the actions which you recorded on that particular platform.

• 11. What is the logical name of the object .?

Logical name is a name  given by  QTP while creating an object in the repository to uniquely identify it from other objects in the application. This name would be used by the QTP to map the object name in script with its corresponding description in the object repository. Ex: Browser('Browser').Page('Guru99') Here Guru99 is the logical name of the object.

• 12. What is meant by descriptive programming .?

Typically ,an object and its properties must be recorded in the Object Repository to enable QTP to perform action s on it. Using descriptive programming , you do not store the object and its property values in the Object repository but mention the property value pair directly in the script. The idea behind descriptive programming is not bypass the object repository but help recogonize dynamic objects.

• 13. What are the properties you would use for identifying a browser & page when using descriptive programming .?

You can use the name property
ex: Browser('name:='xxx'').page('name:='xxxx'').....

• 14. Can we record a application running on a remote machine using QTP .?

Yes .you can record remote application provided you are accessing application through the local browser not via remoter like citrix.
If you are still unable to record it is advisable install QTP and application, on the same machine

• 15. Explain the keyword CreateObject with an example .?

Creates and returns a reference to an Automation object
SYNTAX: CreateObject(servername.typename [, location])
Arguments
servername: Required. The name of the application providing the object.
typename :  Required. The type or class of the object to create.
location :  Optional. The name of the network server where the object is to be created.

Example : Set IE = CreateObject('InternetExplorer.Application')

• 16. Can you switch between Per-Action and Shared Object Repository ? If yes how ?

Yes .We can switch. Go to Test--->Settings--->Resources. Here  you have an option to choose repositories.

• 17. What is meant by Object Spy ? How to Use it ?

Object Spy helps in determining the run & test time object properties & methods of the application under test.
You can access object spy directly from the toolbar or from the Object Repository Dialog Box.
It is very useful during Descriptive Programming

• 18. When ordinal identifiers alone can make an object unique then why they are not given top priority? Why it is first mandatory and next assistive. Why we cannot go for ordinal identifiers directly .?

Consider the following -
a) If two objects are overlapped on each other than location based object recognition will fail.
b) If only index based recognition is used your script will work but script execution time will increase.
Hence mandatory and assistive properties are used.

• 19. What is an file extension of the code file in QTP .?

Code file extension is script.mts

• 20. Explain in brief about the QTP Automation Object Model .?

QTP Automation Object model deals with Automation of QTP itself. Almost all configuration and functionality provided by QTP is represented by QTP's Automation Object Model . Almost all dialog boxes in QTP have a corresponding automation object which can set or retrieved using the corresponding properties or methods in the Automation Object Model.QTP Automation Objects can be used along with standard VB programming elements like iterative loops or conditional statements to help you design a script of choice.

• 21. What is the use of Text output value in QTP .?

Text Output values enable you to capture text appearing on the application under test during run-time.
If parameterized, text output values will capture values appearing in each iteration which would be stored in the run-time data table for further analysis.

• 22. What is Step Generator .?

Step Generator enables use to Add Test Steps in your script. Using step generator you can add steps to your script without actually recording it.

• 23. How to make QTP understand the difference amongst the same type of objects .Suppose there are 5 check boxes in a page and I have to choose the 2nd one, how to do that through script .?

You can use ordinal identifiers like index along with a little descriptive programming for object recognition.

• 24. What is the Test Fusion Report .?

Test Fusion Report , displays all aspects of a test run and is organized in a Tree format.
It gives details of each step executed for all iterations.
It also gives Run-time data table, Screen shots and movie of the test run if opted.

• 25. How can you handle exceptions in QTP .?

In QTP Exceptional handling is done by using
a. Recovery Scenarios.
b. Using “On Error” statement
In Recovery scenario you have to define.
1. Triggered Events.
2. Recovery steps.
3. Post Recovery Test-Run.
At Script Level you can use the On Error Resume Next and On Error Go to 0 statement.

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