Enterprise Resource Planning Metamodel Test Pattern

Abstract

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is a complex distributed software solution that costs millions of dollars to implement. Upgrading an ERP metamodel subsystem introduces critical risks in the functionality of all the ERP applications that are part of an ERP system. It is therefore imperative to verify such critical updates to an ERP system thoroughly before they are released to manufacture. The situation is further exacerbated when the ERP system in context happens to be a legacy one without sufficient automated tests.

In order to facilitate effective and efficient implementation of ERP metamodel tests, a verification pattern is presented here. Application of this pattern has shown significant savings in project costs and testing effort, increase in coverage, reliability and reusability of test automation to verify different ERP sub-products (for example UI portal, web services), as well as significant increase in productivity of test engineers.