Testing Web Services, XML and SOAP – What Happened to the User Interface?

Tom Igielski
The Thomas Consulting Group, Inc.

Description:

The term “Web Serices” refers to a distributed computing technology that offers interaction and collaboration among vendors and customers using disparate computing systems, with the vision of providing ubiquitous computing capability. Web services are a new “breed” of Web applications. They are self-contained, self-describing, modular pieces of business functionality that can be published, located, invoked and accessed anywhere across the Web. It is an emerging technology.

XML and SOAP have become an integral way of implementing Web Services, but present problems for the QA group responsible for testing these services. There is no user interface, so traditional testing tools and techniques have to be modified or adapted to this new set of technologies, or new tools need to be explored.

This presentation will describe some of the basic components of Web Services, along with their relationships and use. Testing approaches to Web Services, technical challenges and proper techniques will be explored.

Outline:

1. Web Services

   • An Introduction to Web Services
   • Benefits of Web Services
   • An Overview of the Web Services Platform
2. XML

   • An Introduction to XML
   • Sample of XML Syntax
   • XML Validation
3. SOAP

   • What is SOAP?
   • Relationship of SOAP to XML
   • SOAP Message Structure
4. WSDL (Web Services Definition Language)

   • What are WSDL’s?
   • WSDL Components
5. Schemas

   • What are Schemas?
   • How are Schemas used in the context of SOAP and Web Services?
   • “Reading” a Sample Schema
6. Testing Web Services

   • What are the characteristics of Web Services that are important to testing these services?
   • Approaches to testing Web Services
   • Issues in testing Web Services
   • Tools that can be used to test Web Services

Learning Objectives:

• Develop a rudimentary understanding of what Web Services are, and why they are an important technology in today's IT world.
• Understand the relationships of all the related components described within the Web Services Framework.
• Develop an appreciation for some of the technical challenges presented in testing Web Services and how those challenges can be addressed.
• Explore some approaches to testing Web Services

Tom Igielski has over 30 years of experience that includes working with all aspects of the software development lifecycle. Tom is currently the owner and principal of The Thomas Consulting Group, Inc., a Twin Cities based company that specializes in Quality Assurance, Automated Testing, Software Development Process and Application Performance Management. Tom has amassed most of his experience managing infrastructure and quality assurance efforts being addressed by large, multi-divisional companies. Over the last four years, Tom has focused on all aspects of web application performance testing, including those associated with configuration and scalability. Tom has managed enterprise Quality Assurance Program implementations across multi-division corporations, with a special focus on using automated tools to do functional, regression, and load testing. He has also managed many software development projects from conceptual design through construction and implementation. He routinely consults with clients in the selection, training and review of outsourced work activities in the areas of Quality Assurance and Software Testing.

Tom holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Loyola University ( Chicago ), and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas ( St. Paul ). He taught at the University of St. Thomas as an Adjunct Professor for 8 years in the Graduate Programs in Software program, in the areas of automated tools, database management systems and software process / quality assurance. He holds a Certified Software Test Engineer (CSTE) certification from the Quality Assurance Institute and is a LoadRunner Certified Instructor for Mercury Interactive.