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AscentialTest®
Automated testing, manual testing and test management tools that are easy to learn, easy to use, and easy to maintain.
Since the inception of software testing, our founders have been developing software and tools for the testing community with a singular focus: productivity.
Our differentiated features:
83% 5 Star Rating!
“Excellent Support turnaround times and solutions for resolving our questions. Works incredibly well with our .Net WPF components that reside within Powerbuilder Data Windows ”
What we liked most: Automated Tests are highly repeatable without Object Recognition or timing errors. Easy to install/configure Easy to control Test Runs via command line/Powershell scripts Capable of testing .Net WPF components within Powerbuilder Data Windows
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“Overall, AscentialTest has been a fantastic automated tool, performing way better than any manual testing. The maintainability of test suites are super easy. Regressions take significantly fewer man-hours and UAT is much faster. We can conduct intensive performance testing, specifically volume and stress testing that was not possible before. Defect tracking has become much more streamlined.”
What we liked most: We appreciate that you don’t need to be a coder to use it. The snapshot feature to define app objects is incredibly helpful. However, the best thing is the maintainability. The ability to maintain is huge. If something changes in the app, only have to change it once within AscentialTest and it will update that object throughout the rest of the test. Also, enjoy their amazing customer service. Whenever there is an issue we are able to get on a call the same day and Zeenyx is always very patient and willing to help sort it out.
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“Ascential Test is the most suitable program to test Powerbuilder applications. The basic tests are easy to compile in the editor, and with the help of scripts almost anything you want can be automated. The support from Zeenyx is excellent.”
What we liked most: The application has a logical structure and is fairly intuitive to use. Working with screenshots from which objects of the application can be collected for use in the test is very user-friendly. Although there are possibilities to always set up the interface optimally for a task, the many panels are often all used and so it is best to buy a large monitor. It is nice that all tests are in one single structured file. This also applies to all steps, objects, scripts, data and settings. In this way, an extensive set with a lot of tests and steps remains a well-organized whole. The files can be viewed and edited in the own script editor, but also in an editor such as Notepad ++, which is useful for example to look up something quickly. What I use a lot is the possibility to save values in a text file and read them again later. In this way, data can easily be passed on to a subsequent step or test. The help desk responds very quickly and adequately to questions and offers webinars where various practical matters are discussed.
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“I have great experience using Ascential Test, There are only few tools in the market which provides automation testing for power builder. I have found Ascential Test as best tool for power builder applications. Because, with other tools i had issues like recognition of object and they were too complicated to resolve for each of the object. But, with Ascential Test, it was much easier to find all objects and use them in my scripts. It saves a lot of time. Excellent support and compatibility with power builder objects.”
What we liked most: Excellent support and compatibility with PowerBuilder objects.
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“AscentialTest is a powerful Test Management and automation tool with loads of latest capabilities and ease in maintenance. Our experiences with the Zeenyx Support team have been great. The support team members promptly respond to our queries, are very knowledgeable, and are eager to provide appropriate solutions for our applications. They provide the required support in designing and optimization of our automation framework. A Highly recommend tool with a wonderful and highly skilled Zeenyx Support team!”
What we liked most: 1) Latest Capabilities and ease in maintenance 2) The support team members promptly respond to our queries, are very knowledgeable, and are eager to provide appropriate solutions for our applications. They provide the required support in designing and optimization of our automation framework.”
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“After an initial relatively steep learning curve, tests can be implemented very easily and the maintenance using the step concept is very user-friendly. ”
What we liked most: Concept of reusable steps Recognition of object in a snapshot CICD automation Professional support
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“I have worked with my lead QA person who set up the suite of tests and saw how flexible and powerful the product is. Tests can be run on an ad-hoc basis or as part of a suite of tests. Tests are relatively easy to set up and the product fully understands PowerBuilder which is the product we use for development and so makes it easier for us to test functionality. Support has been great and always friendly and helpful.”
What we liked most: Tests can be run on an ad-hoc basis or as part of a suite of tests. Tests are relatively easy to set up and the product fully understands PowerBuilder which is the product we use for development and so makes it easier for us to test functionality. Support has been great and always friendly and helpful.
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“We have found the tool easy to use (after initial training), even for novices, and it works very well over PowerBuilder apps. Support from Zeenyx has been outstanding, they are extremely helpful and will spent whatever time is needed helping us get scripts working. I have found the tool slightly more difficult to get working nicely over a mudBlazor web app but, in general, our existing scripts have been portable”
What we liked most: Help guide is excellent, lots of ‘how to’ videos available, regular webcasts, excellent support.
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AscentialTest recognizes application elements regardless of complexity without coding hacks or reliance on fragile OCR
Why it’s Important
Object recognition is the foundation of GUI test automation. Object-action based tests rely on stable definitions of all application elements especially complex tables and grids.
How We Address It
The patented AscentialTest Snapshot displays a document-object-model that enables stable recognition of all application elements regardless of their relative position in the object hierarchy.
How Others Do It
Other tools recognize each object by its full path in the object hierarchy. Future changes in the target application GUI will break object definitions requiring changes to path/locator to resolve recognition problems.
Why Our Approach is Better
Changes in object hierarchy in the future have no impact on object recognition whatsoever.
Creating tests with our drag & drop editors is faster and more efficient than recording or scripting
Why it’s Important
Testing productivity is about time, cost and level of effort to develop and maintain tests utilizing the skills of the existing test team.
How We Address It
The patented AscentialTest snapshot provides a way to generate object definitions and object-actions by dragging and dropping. The AscentialTest UI is designed so that project components are within easy reach to enable drag & drop to build tests from reusable steps, to bind test data to tests and to bind tests to test plans.
How Others Do It
Tools that rely on recorders to generate object-actions look great in a demo but when you actually try to use one, you find out that the recording requires a lot of time-consuming editing, requiring a long chain of user actions to select values from dialogs loaded with text fields and dropdowns. Other test solutions that rely on scripting require special skill sets and long learning curves.
Why Our Approach is Better
Building test automation through Drag & Drop reduces the learning curve, does not require a specialized skill set and provides the fastest, most efficient way to build robust automated tests.
Video will show D&D quickly through the entire process of defining objects, creating a step and parameterizing it, building test, binding a data table, binding to a plan and building a test set.
Stop creating test frameworks and focus on your testing
Why it’s Important
Time should be focused on building tests that validate the target application, not on test frameworks which can take weeks or months to build.
How We Address It
Based upon information captured from the target application along with our class library, AscentialTest automatically builds pre-test and post-test actions as part of the Test Class from which every test inherits. Users can add actions to customize for the target application.
How Others Do It
Other solutions require a framework to be developed and then implemented for each test.
Why Our Approach is Better
The AscentialTest Test Class ensures that every test is independent, starting and stopping from known ‘base states’, so that a failure in a test will not produce a domino effect where all subsequent tests fail.
Video will show how appstate is automatically generate and how OnFinish is configured with Close Windows function.
Testing projects can get messy without good management tools
Why it’s Important
Over time, testing projects might contain thousands or tens of thousands of tests. Good management tools are needed to keep track of test components, provide a way to locate those components and integrate the pieces together seamlessly.
How We Address It
AscentialTest includes all the test management features that you need to inventory, track and integrate steps, tests, test plans and test data tables.
How Others Do It
Most other testing solutions require the purchase of additional tools that are either part of suite or from third parties where integration is cumbersome.
Why Our Approach is Better
Built-in test management increases productivity by speeding up the process of building and executing tests which reduces the duration of test cycles and increases the probability of meeting project target dates.
Testing productivity involves meaningful integration with collaboration tools
Why it’s Important
Testing tools don’t exist in a vacuum. The ability to interface smoothly with version control, defect tracking and continuous integration impacts tester productivity.
How We Address It
AscentialTest integration for version control and defect tracking is built right into the User Interface. Users can acquire locks and commit changes from the Project Explorer. Changes in defect status automatically mark tests to be run when bugs are fixed. Plug-ins are available for popular CI tools.
How Others Do It
These features are lacking in most testing tools. Other solutions provide lose integration with collaboration tools often using the Windows File Manager.
Why Our Approach is Better
Productivity is increased when users can access integration with collaboration features from within AscentialTest.
Video will demonstrate lock and commit with Subversion integration and Mark tests by change in status from Jira integration.
Let AscentialTest do the heavy-lifting when it comes to tables, grids and trees
Why it’s Important
Complex objects like tables, grids and trees exist in most target applications. Recognizing rows, columns and elements contained in cells is imperative. Likewise the ability to locate a row even when scrolled out of view is a basic requirement.
How We Address It
The AscentialTest class library contains in-built intelligence regarding the structure and behavior of the table family of elements. Whether the target application is DotNet, PowerBuilder, Terminal or Web, AscentialTest recognizes all of the element components. A unique action called a ‘selector’ locates a row by searching the table and finding a specified value.
How Others Do It
Other solutions require some combination of OCR, image recognition or a lot of coding in order to make sense of a complex object and interface with it at the row and column level.
Why Our Approach is Better
The AscentialTest table interface allows users to select, input or edit rows in complex objects using drag & drop as seamlessly as interfacing with a simple edit field without any coding.
Video will include drag and drop definition of PB and DotNet tables and the webtable wizard. It will also demonstrate how selectors are used to locate rows.
Reuse promote faster building and maintenance of tests
Why it’s Important
Test maintenance is the most important consideration when evaluating a testing solution. In our years of consulting work, we discovered that teams were spending as much time keeping tests up to date as it took to build them in the first place. Clearly the return on investment was being lost with every change cycle.
How We Address It
We recognize that tests need to be built on a stable foundation. Our object and step libraries provide a single point of change to maintain tests when there is a change to the business or application logic of the target application. In AscentialTest objects, steps, tests and test data are all reusable.
How Others Do It
While there is a smattering of reuse employed by many of the competing solutions, we have not seen any other solution that allows a single point of change for objects, steps, tests and test data.
Why Our Approach is Better
Because objects, steps, tests and test data are reusable, there are fewer components to build and maintain. Changes to the target application will result in the fewest possible changes to the testing project so that test are quickly and easily modified and ready to run when you need them.
Why PowerBuilder users choose AscentialTest: AscentialTest provides PowerBuilder automated testing support for applications from PB v6.x right up to the most current version of Appeon PowerBuilder. The Datawindow is recognized regardless of its presentation style: Form, Grid, Group, Tabular. The image below displays a Datawindow in the form of what we call a PbTable. It has rows and columns that can contain any number of control types (checkbox, popuplist, textfield, etc.).
PB Table Support: The image below displays a Datawindow in the form of what we call a PbTable. It has rows and columns that can contain any number of control types (checkbox, popuplist, textfield, etc.). AscentialTest provides a special feature called a ‘selector’, which makes it easy to locate a row in a table based on a target value. In the example below, the selector has located the third row in the table because it contains the test value ‘Table Management”:
PB Form Support: AscentialTest also recognizes the Datawindow in the form of what we call ‘PbForm’. Notice that the PbForm displayed below contains many different types of application objects including PbText, PbTextField, PbRadioGroup and PbCheckBox. These are only some of the control types that can be included on a form.
PB Toolbar Support: Most PowerBuilder applications include tool bars with icons that represent application tasks. AscentialTest provides special recognition for those tool bar icons to make it easy to select them:
PB Ribbon Support: Appeon recently introduced the ribbon bar as an alternative to the toolbar. As compared to the standard tool bar, the ribbon bar can contain PowerBuilder elements like Checkbox, TextField, PopupList and ComboBox:
Automated testing, manual testing and test management tools that are easy to learn, easy to use, and easy to maintain.
Hopkinton, MA 01748
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