DEVOPSdigest

Appvance announced the launch of Level 5 automation for software testing by delivering AI-driven application validation framework.

Appvance.ai has deployed machine learning technology that can "blueprint" an application, and relearns on its own each time the build changes, and autonomously generate comprehensive smoke, regression and performance test scripts. Its AI automatically adapts these scripts when the build changes with its "self-healing" capability eliminating the need for test script maintenance.

Modeled after the driverless vehicle levels defined by SAE (Society of Automobile Engineers), the software QA industry has adopted similar metrics for QA automation. Each increasing level also increases QA team productivity and helps organizations accelerate DevOps with improved quality and reduced cost.

- Level 0 is manual testing, still 70% of the testing today.
- Level 1 is scripting at around 25% of testing. This methodology was introduced in the mid 1990's.
- Level 2 is codeless script generation or recording at around 5% of testing today.
- Level 3 introduces the first hints of machine learning such as self-healing scripts or monkey bots. Appvance was the first to introduce self-healing scripts in 2016.
- Level 4 is automatically generating scripts with no human intervention, scripting or recording. Appvance announced Level 4 in 2017.
- Level 5 is self-generating tests which are able to validate complex actions or data or elements generally at or above human capabilities and do so autonomously.

Substantial productivity benefits and a "hands-off, minds-off" capability occurs once one reaches true Level 4, which may be 100X+ more productive than teams at Level 3.

"The introduction of Level 5 to our first customers this month is a game changer for QA and the software development lifecycle" said Kevin Surace, CEO, Appvance "Developers and QA teams can dramatically improve DevOps speed and outcomes leveraging AI and machine learning to handle what were long, arduous and often mundane repetitive tasks."

Leveraging 19 areas of artificial intelligence, Appvance IQ can generate thousands of scripts by itself, which mimic human actions with web applications, then validate that the UX indeed acted as it was expected.

Appvance IQ offers the following general capabilities:

- AI generated data-driven scripts in under an hour;

- Advanced validations which can compare expected values with actual UI results;

- Functional, regression, performance, load and security testing;

- Tests new features in a build as well as existing features, autonomously;

- Full CI/CD integration – AIQ becomes an integral part of the DevOps and agile workflow with continuous testing;

- Cloud or on-prem deployment; and

- Optional test creation with 3rd generation self-healing Test Designer for UX and API level; scripts.

Appvance IQ is available to select enterprise-class customers through an exclusive engagement process.