TDL – Added Value

1. TDL – Added Value Dr. Andreas Ulrich, Siemens AG

2. TDL is… • Test • Specifically designed for describing black-box tests • Focusing on interactions at SUT interfaces:message-passing, procedure-based, shared variables • Description • Description of interaction flow with declarative (timing) constraints, i.e. focus on what a test shall do, not how • Simple type system; everything is a string/enumeration • Language • Common concepts, various representation formats: • Graphical: constrains and extends UML sequence diagrams • Tabular: supporting document-based approaches (Word/Excel) • Textual: for tool support and freaks • Supports end users (test engineers) • Must be combined with a test execution framework

3. TDL is not… • An exchange format for tests ATX, OTX, TestML • A common testing framework with varying views (logical/technical) and various notations  UTP • A detailed language that contains everything to produce executable tests  TTCN-3 GFT, UTP • A language for describing mere test purposes  TPLan

4. Applications for TDL • Provision of abstract descriptions of tests • Description of tests as (user) scenarios • Enable tracing of requirements down to tests • Support of test specification creation and review • Enable domain experts to write and understand the tests • Automatic, tool-supported analysis, e.g. for inconsistencies • Intermediate representation of tests • Captures the essence of a test of user scenarios, e.g. simple expression of concurrent and nested user interactions • Support for reverse engineering of tests from recorded executions