As we move forward with test automation of SOA based applications we face several challenges to automate business flows. A few of these challenges can be answered by service virtualization and service mocking.
Service virtualization is a matured and a more detailed process to help in testing and test automation, whereas in service mocking stubs are made by considering test cases or test suites.
In this chapter we will learn how to create a mock service with different techniques/dispatch methods and deploy them.
So, before we move forward, we may well ask why we need service virtualization or service mocking.
Let's take a look at a few of the challenges faced during SOA testing and test automation:
No access to the third-party service
All the services are not ready, hence integration cannot be tested
Dependency on an external system which is not in control of the test team
Cost to be paid for accessing certain systems in the test environment
Because of the preceding issues...