Your Ultimate Guide to Managing Your Test Environment Effectively

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• Your Ultimate Guide to Managing Your Test
  Environment Effectively
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• Have you ever wondered how software companies are
  able to set up their test environment? What is
  the best way to effectively manage all these
  different environments?
• Setting up test environments looks to be easy,
  but it isnt at all. You are introduced to new
  challenges regularly like What is the best way
  to manage the IT environment management tools?
• It is always a tricky proposition to develop a
  replica of your production environment.

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• On top of this, the testing engineers have to
  work very hard to manually create those
  environments which take a lot of time and effort.
  If all this sounds similar, then we have a
  solution for you.

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• In the paras given below, we will explore the
  difference between a test and a staging
  environment. So, without much ado, lets get
  started.
• Definition of a Test Environment
• It is nothing but a server that enables you to
  run the test cases defined earlier. However, it
  is not all about simply setting up a server to
  run tests on it also comprises hardware and
  network configuration.
• In simple words, with the help of a test
  environment, you can develop identical settings
  every single time you are required to test a
  product. It is one of the most vital tools
  employed by a testing engineer to derive the
  right testing results.
• What is Test Bed?
• It is a type of test environment that has been
  developed in conjunction with test data. With the
  help of the test data, you can scrutinise test
  cases that need a specific data setup.

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• Lets imagine that you wish to test whether a
  specific function can work in creating an invoice
  for sales data present in the database. The data
  that is required to create a database in the test
  environment is termed as a test bed.
• In fact, there is only a small difference between
  a test environment and test bed however, it is
  significant to know the nuance between both the
  terms.

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• Why Go for Test Environment?
• Even though you might have a great test case
  definition along with a highly skilled testing
  engineer, however, to effectively utilise these
  resources, it is essential to have a
  well-designed test environment.
• It can even act as a replica of the production
  environment. This is one of the most vital
  aspects that makes you confident about the
  testing results. Here, the role of the test
  environment management tool becomes even more
  crucial.
• Essential Elements for Creating a Test
  Environment
• There is a wide array of elements that are needed
  to create the right test environment. These
  include
• Development of test data and insertion to test
  environment (test bed)
• Set up the database

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• Configure the environment
• Opt for appropriate hardware and operating system
  (Example, Understand the difference between
  running application on Windows 8.1 and Windows
  10)
• Configuration of the network (Example,
  cross-origin resource sharing).
• It is equally essential for you to document all
  actions. This way, other users will find it easy
  to replicate the steps. Along with this, with the
  help of detailed documentation, testing engineers
  can easily set up different types of test
  environments like staging and production
  environments.

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• Distinct Points Between Test and Staging
  Environment
• Nowadays, we find both a test and a staging
  environment to be used simultaneously. Lets find
  out the reasons to have both and how they differ
  from each other.
• Definition of a Test Environment
• It is the job of a testing engineer to use
  different test environments to ascertain a
  particular part of the application. This includes
  a separate configuration and data setup. Hence,
  it is extremely difficult to call it a
  one-size-fits-all setup.
• This very reason makes test environments distinct
  from each other. It needs a distinct setup for
  testing different parts of the code. On top of
  this, the testing engineer creates lots of test
  environments which makes the code evolve.
• In a single sentence, if you are employing a test
  environment, the environments setup is totally
  dependent on the code.

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• Definition of a Staging Environment
• It is an environment that tries to copy the
  production environment as it is to scrutinise how
  the live version of your application will
  perform. It is extremely critical for your
  staging environment to be the same as your
  production environment.

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• This objective can be achieved with the help of
  comprehensive documentation. Here, it is integral
  to define all the needs and correct configuration
  of the production environment.
• While the testing environment is dedicated to
  testing individual components, the staging
  environment is focused on testing the application
  as a whole. In simple words, the staging
  environment is a safe playground where you test
  the complete application.
• This way, the staging environment is recommended
  to run end-to-end tests or conduct performance
  testing. With the help of the end-to-end tests,
  it is possible to ascertain whether the entire
  application runs as expected through testing all
  the integrations.
• On top of that, the staging environment is an
  exact replica of the production environment
  hence, it is the safest zone to test the limits
  of your environment and application through
  performance testing.
• All in all, a staging environment is the phase
  wherein the entire application gets tested under
  the same conditions as the production environment.

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• Final Words
• Ultimately, you need to decide the best course of
  action for your application. However, the things
  that we have mentioned in this write-up will go a
  long way in ensuring that your test environment
  management effectively.

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Contact Us

• Company Name Enov8
• Contact Person Ashley Hosking
• Address Level 5, 14 Martin Place, Sydney, 2000,
  New South Wales, Australia
• Phone [phone]
• E-mail enov8australia_at_gmail.com
• Website https//www.enov8.com

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