RSAT and reasons to use it
RSAT lets users record business tasks by using the Test recorder feature and then convert the recordings into a suite of automated tests, without having to write source code. The goal of this tool is to reduce the amount of manual effort that is required to test new system updates for existing deployments.
It is important that you test every system update with your critical business processes in mind. RSAT provides options for investigating test failures. The test cases can be manually created in Azure DevOps, or they can be synced from the Business process modeler (BPM) tool in Lifecycle Services to Azure DevOps and then to RSAT. Additionally, RSAT decouples the test parameters from test steps and stores the parameters in Excel files. As a result, the values of test parameters can be edited more easily. RSAT significantly reduces the time and cost of user acceptance testing (UAT). Typically, UAT is required before you take a Microsoft application update or before you apply custom code and configurations to your production environment.
Typical manual testing of major critical processes can involve more hours or more resources than planned, and it is dependent on the number of test cases. RSAT significantly reduces time and cost of user acceptance testing by allowing the acceptance testing to be automated.
The business process modeler that resides in Lifecycle Services is one of the most important components of a regression testing life cycle. It is important to lay out the business processes that are needed to successfully run a business and then record these business processes by using the provided test recorder. The test recorder helps you to organize your procedures by grouping the steps together into tasks.
During playback, the RSAT tool confirms the validation steps that are added during the test recording.
- Validations – Adding validations to the scenarios that need to be performed. Validations in a test recorder allow RSAT to compare the actual value to the expected value.
- Reference variables – The inputs that are entered during recording are converted into reference variables by the RSAT tool so that they can be parametrized during test implementation, and the reference values can be passed from one test case to another.
The prerequisites for using RSAT are:
- RSAT accesses your test environment through a web browser.
- Azure DevOps project must be used to store and manage your test cases, test plans, and test case results.
- Azure DevOps Test Manager or Test Plans license is required. For example, if you have a Visual Studio Enterprise subscription, you already have a license to Test Plans.
- Install the RSAT tool from Microsoft Download Center.
- Configure RSAT.
For an overview of RSAT, watch the following video: