SAP Regression Testing: User Friendly Solutions for Common Problems

SAP is customizable. This is one of its greatest strengths. But at times, its flexibility presents as many problems as it does solutions. This dilemma leaves companies with one pressing question. How can I optimize the SAP regression testing cycle? This article looks at common problems in the SAP regression testing processes. We also show how user friendly solutions can resolve them. 

What is SAP regression testing?

Regression testing refers to the process of testing a system after it has changed. The goal is to ensure code remains functional. The thing you’re testing, SAP, is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. SAP regression testing measures software quality after a configuration, release, or update. In short, it makes sure older processes still work after your adjustments. SAP regression testing improves software quality and prevents issues in production. But the platform’s complexity makes testing a challenge.

Biggest Challenges of SAP Regression Testing

When it’s successful, SAP regression testing can catch issues and ensure your code stays functional over time. Skipping it incurs technical debt — problems you’ll have to fix later (once they’ve grown and their causes are harder to identify). However, testing SAP is far from easy. Below, you’ll find a few of the most common SAP regression testing problems. Then, we’ll cover possible solutions. 

Problem: Large Testing Suites and Time-Consuming Practices

Building a regression testing suite may not pose a challenge. But as your software system expands and changes over time, your suite will grow along with it. This is bad news for companies without test automation. SAP regression testing could take months to complete with manual testing alone. And you still won’t be able to achieve high coverage. Several factors contribute to large SAP regression testing suites:

• SAP covers a wide scope of business functionality, from human resources to finances.
• SAP releases frequent minor updates and major yearly updates.
• Integrated legacy applications require testing to ensure they still function as expected.
• The necessary migration to SAP S/4HANA will result in more frequent updates from SAP requiring more regular regression testing.
• Traditional test automation tools are too technical for business users. These tools place an additional burden on the team, who have to spend significant time struggling to use them. Test automation should let you execute more tests more frequently with less effort, but a steep learning curve and complex scripts can prevent that from happening.

Tests take time to execute. Maintaining test cases that have been impacted by change can also eat up time. Unfortunately, testing timelines often get reduced when a project hits a delay. Rushing to deploy software without rigorous regression testing runs the risk of production failures. 

Solution: Use No-Code Automation Tools

An SAP test automation solution that allows business users to easily create and maintain automated scripts can save time and increase quality. Automated tests can be run on demand, overnight or at the weekend freeing up users to focus on higher value activities such as streamlining processes and resolving defects.

Test Automation Complexity: How to Break Down Technical Knowledge Barriers

Most modern businesses have either implemented or plan to implement DevOps strategies. They want to foster collaboration between their development and operational teams. DevOps also helps QA and testing. Increased transparency in the organization helps technical people understand business goals and helps business people to understand technical requirements.

However complicated, script-based SAP automation can make it more difficult for business users and testers to cooperate effectively. The people who are most qualified to define regression tests are often business users with little or no coding experience. Code-intensive test automation therefore adds additional burden to their workload as they try to interpret automated test script actions and validations. This is why a user friendly, no code solution is so vital for ensuring business requirements are covered adequately. People with business knowledge can build and maintain their own automated test libraries from the beginning building quality into the applications rather than testing quality out. 

Expand SAP Regression Testing With a No-Code Solution

User friendly, no-code automation solutions make regression and end-to-end testing more accessible. Your SAP regression testing solution should have four critical functions:

1. Simple, user friendly UI. You want to focus on testing, training, and documentation. Not struggling to find the tools you need in a clunky, complicated User Interface.
2. Test automation analytics. To measure the success of your automation efforts, you need data. You need to be able to track test progress, test executions, and your defects lifecycle. All the better if you can see them in real time on a centralized, easy-to-understand dashboard.
3. Codeless test recording. People who understand business processes should be able to test them. They also need a way to offload their knowledge to other testers. Test recording lets them. And they don’t have to write a single line of code. The best test recording will take screen shots at each step and let you add notes. It'll pull all the data the test needs and populate fields, too.
4. Synced documentation. Syncing tests and documentation helps everyone stay on the same page. Change the document, change the test (and vice versa).