In part 1 of this 2-part series, we introduced the concept and types of data migration testing. In this post, we lay out the features and benefits of leveraging AI and automation in data migration testing.
Advent of Automation in Data Migration Testing
Historically speaking, data migration testing was a time-consuming and manual process. However, with the advent of testing automation tools like Selenium and Playwright, data migration testing has become more and more efficient. These automation tools, including those like AquilaTest that incorporate artificial intelligence (AI), are able to automate repetitive testing tasks and help identify potential errors and discrepancies in data quickly and accurately. Automated testing also enables testing teams to run tests more frequently and in a more controlled environment, reducing the risk of errors and inconsistencies. As a result, organizations can significantly improve their productivity and efficiency in data migration testing, ensuring smooth transitions, and maintaining the integrity of their systems.
The Challenge of Unstructured Data
Data migration testing is inclusive of many types of data, including unstructured data from sources such as databases, JSON files, spreadsheets, PDFs, documents, and sometimes even images. Some examples for unstructured data include invoices, bills, contracts, application forms, and check images. Testers typically manually enter values from these sources into software applications, which is a time-consuming and error-prone process that often results in important details being missed. Manual testing can also be particularly challenging, especially when dealing with large volumes of data or complex data sources. This can put a strain on project timelines and budgets, leading to increased costs and potential delays in launching the application.
How AI Can Help
Just as Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized many industries and use cases, AI is revolutionizing software testing – including data migration testing. For example, AI-powered test automation platforms, such as AquilaTest, can automatically extract relevant data from unstructured sources and input it into software applications for testing. This not only reduces the workload of testers but also increases the accuracy and consistency of the testing process. With the assistance of AI-powered test automation, testers can focus on higher-level tasks, leaving mundane tasks for machines to handle.
Digging deeper, let’s say a software tester needs to input unstructured data from a set of PDF files into a web form to verify the functionality of a new web application. Prior to AI-powered test automation, testers would often sift through large and disorganized PDFs to locate the specific information required for testing. With the assistance of AI, however, this burden can be lifted from the tester’s shoulders and the necessary information can be easily extracted from the PDFs, streamlining the testing process. Moreover, AI can also assist in extracting information from other unstructured data sources.
Aside from unstructured data, software testers may also need to retrieve structured data from databases to use in test validations. Using DB queries, testers can easily retrieve the required data and compare it against another table, schema, or UI data. For working with unstructured data, during automation testing, Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms can be used to extract and organize data from various sources. This data can then be used in various validations to test the correctness of the documents generated during the business process. The end-to-end testing of data extraction, organization, and testing is performed on the fly along the entire data journey.
The Era of AI-Powered Data Migration Testing
While there are several legacy test automation platforms that are incorporating AI into their platform, these capabilities are patched into their existing legacy systems. Contrast that with tools like AquilaTest, which was developed from the ground up with AI and machine learning at the core of its automation suite. As it pertains to data migration testing, users of AquiaTest have a unique advantage of AI techniques that read data from a variety of sources, especially unstructured data. This includes data from JSON, PDF, CSV, DB tables, and even data displayed from an application’s UI (GUI elements). This elimintates the need for manual test data extraction and collation to enter the data, as well as data mapping and validation. With AI built into a test automation platform from the ground up, users can be assured that their automation platforms can keep up with their data migration testing, between both modern and legacy systems.
With AquilaTest, users have an unique advantage as Aquila test uses AI techniques to read data from a variety of sources viz JSON, PDF, CSV, DB Tables, Data displayed in Application UI etc and compares with another dataset in any type of source mentioned above. This eliminates the need for test data extraction and collation by the QA team to input as test data. For Eg: Aquila helped in a scenario where it reads from JSON file form source system and verifies the data written to DB tables without user intervention of providing mapping details and cumbersome queries to validate the data.
Conclusion
In conclusion, data migration testing helps ensure that data is transferred correctly, accurately, and securely from one system to another. It is a critical aspect of any data migration project and helps to identify potential risks or issues before the migration is complete. In part 1 of this 2-part series, we explored what data migration testing is, why it is important, and how it is performed. In part 2, we also explored how automation and AI can boost the speed and accuracy of data migration testing.
This overview was written by the AquilaTest team, which specializes in AI-powered test automation. In addition to data migration testing, we offer many more AI-powered testing solutions for some of the most complex testing scenarios – including those from Fortune 500 enterprises. To learn more about how to leverage AquilaTest for your company, we invite you to schedule a demo below.
