APEX

Hello,

Apologies if this is perhaps slightly off-topic, although I think it is relevant to us all to a greater or lesser degree. I've not really seen anyone discuss this at the (adimttedly small number of) apex SIGs I have attended - perhaps it could make a good conference topic?

As a discussion point, what testing methodologies (if any) do you tend to apply to your apex applications?

* Given that apex is a rapid development framework, does anyone employ so-called Agile approaches like "Test-Driven Development", with it's emphasis on automated test scripts, or do you employ more formal structured methods?

* Do you routinely write testing scripts for unit testing?

* How do you approach functional testing - does anyone use applications like Mercury Test Center?

* On that note, does anyone use automated testing suites or practice continuous integration? If so, what do you use (e.g. WinRunner)

* When negotiating with your customers, do you tend to agree formal sign-off conditions for deployment, including test criteria up-front, or does it tend to evolve as you progress through prototypes.

I should add that, in general, as a part of a small BI team, my metholodogy has evolved from seat-of-the-pants, "Cowboy development" into something more structured and methodical HOWEVER as a team, we are still at a relatively early stage of maturation, particularly with regards to testing - the distinction between "debugging" and "testing" is still a very loose one unfortunately.

I appreciate it's a very broad subject but I'd be interested to hear some of your thoughts.