Test Data Patterns for BDD Automation

Behavior-driven development (BDD) is a unique methodology that ensures the implementation meets the requirements directly, unlike traditional automated tests that validate our understanding of those requirements, which can sometimes be flawed. BDD execution frameworks use step definitions as reusable building blocks to automate scenario steps. Although individual step definitions might look simple, maintaining code quality is key for a sustainable automation solution. The code quality can be significantly enhanced by applying automation patterns.

In this session, I will demonstrate several automation patterns related to test data management, including managing “default” data, improving data-validation scenarios, and maintaining test data stored in databases or other external sources. These patterns are extracted from our new book, Effective Behavior-Driven Development, published by Manning.