What is Regression Testing & Why Should it Be Automated?

Regression testing is one of the most common types of testing in software development. It’s called regression testing because it requires going back or “regressing” to existing code and making sure it isn’t negatively affected whenever new functionality, features or updates are added. Said another way, regression testing ensures that everything still functions as expected after a change is introduced to an application. Regression testing is especially important in ERP applications due to the frequency of regular updates.

In this blog post, we’re covering the most frequently asked questions about regression testing, including why it should be automated and exactly how Opkey handles regression testing automation.

Table of Contents

1. What is regression testing in software development?

2. What are the different types of regression testing?

3. Is regression testing part of UAT?

4. What is a regression test suite?

5. How should regression testing be performed?

6. When should you perform regression testing?

7. How do you improve regression testing?

8. What is ERP regression testing?

9. Why should regression testing be automated?

10. How does Opkey streamline regression testing?

| Want to see automated regression testing in action? Schedule a demo now.

1. What is regression testing in software development?

Regression testing is the process of evaluating already-released software to ensure that no functionality has been broken as a result of any change or modification. Overall stability and functionality of current features are ensured by corrective regression testing.

2. What are the different types of regression testing?

There are seven different types of regression testing that can be performed, depending on what types of updates and changes are made to an application.

• Corrective is the simplest type of regression testing. It is used to test existing functionality when no changes have been made to the original source code.
• Re-test all regression testing reruns all test cases whenever changes are made to an application’s existing code, such as a major software update or a re-platform.
• Selective regression testing “selects” just certain parts of an application to test the impact of new code on existing code.
• Progressive regression testing is performed when there are new features added to ensure existing code is not affected.
• Complete regression testing is comprehensive testing that is typically performed during the final deployment phase of a project just prior to release.
• Partial regression testing takes place when changes are made to the source code to verify that the application is still performing as expected.
• Unit regression testing isolates specific pieces of code to test so that any dependencies on that code are not affected.

| Success Story: Design firm automates regression testing & saves thousands.

3. Is regression testing part of UAT?

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is the final stage of the software testing process. However, regression testing is not actually part of UAT testing. It should be performed before user acceptance testing to reduce the risk of poor user acceptance.

4. What is a regression test suite?

The regression test suite is a set of already created test cases that confirm the functionality of the product. In the quality assurance process, this can span from unit tests to integration tests.

5. How should regression testing be performed?

Regression testing can be performed manually or by automating a set of specific test scripts. Certain issues demand the highest level of accuracy and productivity, which can only be achieved with automated testing. Other problems require a human’s critical thinking skills and manual testing. Finding the ideal balance between the two strategies is essential for efficient and successful regression validation testing.

6. When should you perform regression testing?

Regression testing can be carried out at any stage of the software development lifecycle. The most common times to perform regression validation include:

• When adding a new feature or functionality: Introducing new feature or functionality can negatively affect the current application and pre-existing integrations and customizations.
• When changes are made to the existing application: Even small tweaks or modifications can wreak havoc on overall functionality. Changes such as adding a new field or minor workflow adjustments can trigger the need for regression validation.
• When integrating with other applications: New integrations with third-party applications require code changes that can break or disrupt previous functionality.
• When there is a software update: Regular software updates such as those put out by ERP vendors require continuous regression validation to make sure previous updates and functionality aren’t affected by newer updates.
• When there are performance issues: Even if no system modifications have been made, regression validation is still a good idea. Whenever you’re experiencing performance issues, it can usually pinpoint the problem areas that are causing your performance issues.

7. How do you improve regression testing?

Effective regression testing strategies involve proper planning and the right automation tool. Creating the perfect regression test suite involves the following steps:

• Collecting all expected test cases and monitoring changes carefully
• Prioritizing test cases and calculating the time needed to run them
• Analyzing the changes and their impacts on various components
• Identifying the areas that are more vulnerable to risks and failures

8. What is ERP regression testing?

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) regression testing is simply doing regression testing on a packaged application such as Oracle, SAP, Salesforce, or Workday. In general, regression validation is done during the initial ERP implementation, since this is when the most changes are being made to the system. However, it is also recommended post-launch whenever new features or integrations with third-party applications are added.

| Learn More: Opkey’s High Level Guide to Oracle Cloud Regression Testing

9. Why should regression testing be automated?

Regression testing is typically performed by QA teams and in some cases, business users. The sheer volume of application changes make regular regression validation challenging, especially when enlisting the help of non-technical business users. This is why automated regression testing is key to keeping development schedules on-time and under-budget.

Of course, regression validation gets the most use whenever ERP vendors roll out their latest update, which is happening on a much more frequent basis these days. Struggling to keep up with so many updates is one of the main reasons organizations decide to implement automated regression validation. With complex ERP integrations and customizations, manual regression validation is simply overwhelming. Most businesses can’t afford to hire more testers to handle the increased workload. This is why automated regression testing makes sense.

Here are just some of the key benefits that test automation provides with regards to regression testing:

• Automated testing eliminates menial repetitive tasks. Regression test libraries expand each time you add new features. It quickly becomes challenging to run the larger, full regression suite within a short timeframe, such as the two-week timeline given by Oracle for its updates. Automation empowers teams to run their full suite of regression tests in a shorter amount of time, and frees users from monotonous, boring work.
• Automated testing improves application stability & performance. As ERP applications become more complex with each update, manual regression validation becomes more prone to human errors. Automation helps reduce the possibility of human error, resulting in a much more stable application.
• Automated testing is built for scale: Automated tests, once created, can be used over and over again in the future, eliminating the need to re-create them multiple times. Additionally, automated testing can be run all day, at any time of day, unlike human, manual testers.
• Automated testing provides greater coverage. Knowing what to test, when to test, and how often to test can be challenging when doing it manually. Intelligent test automation platforms leverage the power of AI to perform a deep dive into your business processes to help you identify which business processes need the most testing, helping you quickly achieve optimal coverage.

| Learn More: Why Automated Regression Testing is Key to ERP Success

10. How does Opkey streamline regression testing?

Opkey’s AI-powered test automation platform helps customers reduce the costs, effort, and timelines of their regression testing.

Benefits of automated regression testing

Here’s how we do it.

Originally published at https://www.opkey.com.