Adventures with Test Monkey's

Most test automation focuses on regression testing-repeating the same sequence of tests to reveal unexpected behavior. Despite its many advantages, this traditional test automation approach has limitations and often misses serious defects in the software. John Fodeh describes "test monkeys," automated testing that employs random inputs to exercise the software under test. Unlike regression test suites, test monkeys explore the software in a new way each time a test case executes and offers the promise of finding new and different types of defects. The good news is that test monkey automation is easy to develop and maintain and can be used early in development before the software is stable. Join John to discover different approaches you can take to implement test monkeys, depending on the desired "intelligence" level. Learn to use weighted probability tables to direct your test monkeys into specific areas of interest, and find out how monkeys can work with model-based testing to make your testing even more powerful.