Data-driven testing

Data-driven testingis a methodology used in Test automationwhere test scrīptsare executed and verified based on the data values stored in one or more central data sources or databases. These databases can range from datapools, ODBCsources, csv files, Excelfiles, DAO objects, ADOobjects, etc. Data-driven testing is the establishment of several interacting test scrīpts together with their related data results in a framework used for the methodology. In this framework, variables are used for both input values and output verification values: navigation through the program, reading of the data sources, and logging of test status and information are all coded in the test scrīpt. Thus, the logic executed in the scrīpt is also dependant on the data values.

This is similar to Keyword-driven testingin that the test case is contained in the data values and not in the test scrīpt; the scrīpt is just a "driver" or delivery mechanism for the data. Unlike in keyword-driven testing, though, the navigation data isn't contained in the test scrīpt. In data-driven testing, only test data is contained in the data source.