SOAP testing
I’m quite accustomed to using Altova’s XMLSpy for testing web services and SOAP calls. With the last installation of Windows 7, I forgot to re-install XMLSpy and was in a bit of a fix wanting to test a SOAP call to SAP PI.
Open-source and free software has an undeserved reputation of being complicated and less useful than a commercial product. With soapUI, nothing could be further from the truth. Compared to the Altova product that costs a huge amount of money, specifically when the SOAP testing function is required, the free soapUI performs the task of web services testing with aplomb and significant ease.
The user interface is well-designed and features a number of nifty features to hide and show pertinent information. With a WSDL in hand (or saved to a file), it’s remarkably easy to create a scenario for testing.
Import the WSDL definition, tweak some specific settings such as user names and passwords and have the payload transferred to the target. It’s an indispensable tool for the interface developer working with SOAP interfaces to and from SAP PI, for example. It’s obviously unable to provide assistance with stupid configuration errors the carbon interface in front of the screen is responsible for.
soapUI is a classic example of a targeted application that provides a solution to a single problem and does so very well. The features of soapUI can be summarized rather briefly:
- inspecting Web Services
- invoking Web Services
- developing Web Services
- Web Services Simulation and Mocking
- Functional, Load and Compliance testing of Web Services
For more advanced users, a professional edition is available for sale. The price of the commercial software package approaches that of Altova XML Spy, but for everyday use the free version is more than adequate.
If you have a requirement for a great web service testing tool, soapUI should be on your download list.
