Test Automation

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What Does Test Automation Mean?

Test automation is a term used in software testing and some other kinds of IT related testing or quality assurance. It means that there is no human input required to generate a test. Different kinds of test automation help businesses to pursue goals like software testing with fewer resources, or in more efficient ways.

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Techopedia Explains Test Automation

At its core, test automation means that no human has to manually initiate the test. Even many non-technical users will be familiar with this principle through looking at tools like anti-virus programs, which self-initiate periodic testing of a computer or workstation. Virus scans and other events also happen automatically. In the same way, test automation allows software testing processes to happen automatically, without the burden of user initiation.

Beyond test automation, specific kinds of innovation help to make software testing even easier and more efficient. For example, some companies are talking about scriptless test automation. This involves a system where programmers do not need to write a script for each specific individual test case. By using reusable code assets, scriptless test automation resources can also help to provide less labor-intensive ways for companies to test software or otherwise evaluate products and services.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.