INTEGRATION WITH EMBEDDED TOOL CHAINS A MUST HAVE FOR TEST AUTOMATION VENDORS

"Test automation vendors need to provide seamless integration with the most popular software development tools," said Chris Lanfear, Director of VDC's Embedded Software Research Group. "Developers are not looking for test tools which will slow down their work or force them to change their existing tool chains. Test tools are rarely selected first for a project so the onus is on vendors to ensure compatibility with existing development environments."

Natick, Massachusetts - Embedded test automation tool end users surveyed by VDC report that they are looking for test solutions that will work well with their current development environments and tools, and do not disrupt existing work habits. Although "ability to test software on target" was cited by almost 60% of respondents as the top selection criteria, end users reported that integration with existing development tools ranked second and was only 4% behind. This, coupled with over a third of end users citing "familiar interface," indicates that embedded developers and test engineers are looking for tools that will not require major changes it the way they work.

Leading Test Automation Tools Selection Criteria
(Rank Order)

Ability to test software on target
Integration with existing development tools
Ability to test software on host development platform
Familiar interface
Automatic test case generation
Defect tracking capabilities
Easy to learn test scripting language
Platform independence
Integration with existing configuration management software

"Test automation vendors need to provide seamless integration with the most popular software development tools," said Chris Lanfear, Director of VDC's Embedded Software Research Group. He adds, "Developers are not looking for test tools which will slow down their work or force them to change their existing tool chains. Test tools are rarely selected first for a project so the onus is on vendors to ensure compatibility with existing development environments."

About VDC

Founded in 1971, VDC is a technology market research and consulting firm that specializes in industrial and commercial electronics, computing, communications, software and power systems markets.

To view the entire press release included tables/graphs, go to:
http://www.vdc-corp.com/embedded/press/03/pr03-22.html

Report Availability:
http://www.vdc-corp.com/embedded/reports/03/br03-10.html

For further information about "World Market for Embedded Test Automation Tools" or any other VDC service contact:

Marc Regberg, Vice President, 508-653-9000, extension 111, msr@vdc-corp.com

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