The 10 Minute Book Review: Software Testing with Visual Studio Team System 2008

So okay, testing isn't sexy. It's a lot more fun to read about the new encryption featuers in SQL 08, or PowerShell 2.0, or how much awesomer Windows 7 is than Vista.  But good testing will bring sexy back!

Basics:

  • Software Testing with Visual Studio Team System 2008 by N Satheesh Kumar and Subashni S
  • £15.39 (ebook, PDF download) on packtpub.com, $39.20 (paperback) on Amazon.com
  • Published December 08 by Packt Publishing, 256 pages

Chapters and a few very quick notes:

  • Chapter 1 covers the basics of testing. This is a good little 101 for those of us who weren't formally schooled in testing, and/or have landed in shop after shop that thinks "testing" and "compiling" are synonymous. 
    We jump into the team system testing tools intro (and test templates) with an example, and I do love the examples.
  • Chapter 2: Unit Testing
  • Chapter 3: Web Testing – Creating and recording, editor, debug/run
  • Chapter 4: Advanced Web Testing – Dynamic parameters, debugging, custom rules, testing web services
  • Chapter 5: Load Testing
  • Chapter 6: Manual, Generic, and Ordered Tests
  • Chapter 7: Managing and Configuring the Test
  • Chapter 8: Deploying and Running Tests
  • Chapter 9: Command Line
  • Chapter 10: Working with Test Results
  • Chapter 11: Reporting


Overall, this is a good intro and reference to testing with Visual Studio Team System.  I saw some critiques of the writing style and language, but I have to say I didn't find anything at all wrong with either aspect.  More advanced coders and testers may need something meatier, but for a lower to mid-level book on testing with VSTS, I think this is a good buy.

-Jen McCown, http://www.MidnightDBA.com