With the new version 5.0, the test automation solution EXAM from software company Micronova (Vierkirchen, Germany) receives numerous enhancements and new functions, including an interface to the application lifecycle management (ALM) tool Codebeamer. The provider has also refined the user interface. According to the company, this was largely based on user input. Volkswagen is likely to have been at the forefront of this process: The car manufacturer uses EXAM throughout the group for the automated creation of test cases.
The previous functions remain unchanged, but new ones are being added: With EXAM 5.0, MicroNova is launching a new major version of the test automation solution with numerous improvements. The new version takes special account of the increasing number of variants in vehicle control units, because more and more variants to be tested require additional efficiency in test creation and management.
Therefore, the new parameter concept ensures a high level of user-friendliness, despite the constantly increasing number of tests at manufacturers and suppliers. It can map variants even more clearly and at the same time is flexible and uncomplicated to use. Compatibility with earlier EXAM test cases is guaranteed by the distinction between LegacyTestCase and TestCase.
In order to make test processes as efficient as possible when validating the software of electronic control units, various test management applications are used. In the past, EXAM has already offered the possibility of connecting the many different systems in a simple way with a standardised interface. With the new release 5.0, the spectrum has been expanded again and Codebeamer has been connected via the proven TestSpec Synchroniser (TSS) as an additional Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) tool. This allows the current version of a test specification to be synchronised with EXAM, as well as appropriately labelled version statuses.
The storage system for reports has also been updated: As an enterprise application, EXAM enables central IT operation for test creation. In the previous versions, however, reports were stored locally. In EXAM 5.0, this area also becomes a central solution and the data can be stored securely and centrally for all users. The 3-tier architecture used ensures reliable and powerful storage and analysis of test results, even across locations and countries. In combination with the newly developed web application, reports can now be evaluated from any location – even without an EXAM client.
With the further increase in functions, MicroNova has also optimised the operating concept in EXAM. Feedback from over 2,000 users was also taken into account: “We conducted a series of analyses and workshops together with the users,” explains Christoph Menhorn, Head of Test Automation at MicroNova. “The result is, among other things, a new concept for perspectives and search. This makes test creation more intuitive and efficient. This means that EXAM will continue to stand for uniform test processes, reusable test cases, and comprehensive testing.”
The software itself is available free of charge from MicroNova; included libraries are subject to an open source licence. For the download – especially for support purposes – only a registration is required.
https://www.micronova.de/en/testing/exam-testautomation.html
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