Test data management is an important aspect of application development. Anybody who has ever been involved in software development knows that creating applications requires test data. Without the data to test your programs against, there is really no way to ensure that the programs are doing what you want them to do.
But test data management can quickly consume a lot of time and effort. Supporting multiple programmers, multiple database environments, and making sure you have sufficient test cases is easier said than done. And we are not just talking about developing new applications, but also modifying existing ones!
So, what can be done? Well, I'm going to point you to a couple of resources. First, I am delivering a webinar on this topic on June 8, 2023 titled Manage Your Test Data Before it Becomes a Bottleneck -- the same title as this blog post!
In this webinar, I discuss test data management and the trends impacting application development and testing. Some of the issues I examine include automation, shift-left testing, agile development, and DevOps. And I'll uncover the impact of these trends and how they drive up the speed and complexity of creating and testing applications. I will also define the components and requirements of test data management and examine the pitfalls that can lead test data management to become a bottleneck, slowing down your developers.
Another resource you can take a look at is the article I wrote for ELNION, titled The Test Data Management Struggles of Modern App Development.
In this article, I explore the issues impacting application developers regarding test data management, and look at how they can overcome these challenges to ensure a successful testing process.
