QA Engineers should explore Apex's capabilities
Introduction
A few years ago, the requirements for QA engineers did not include knowledge of programming languages, and testers primarily focused on functional testing of the user interface and business processes, without delving into the technical implementation.
But the world is changing, competition in the job market is increasing, and the situation is significantly evolving. Every year, more companies expand the list of requirements for QA engineer candidates, expecting basic programming knowledge from them.
The situation is changing
So, what is this all about? Let's explore with Apex as an example, how knowledge of a programming language can improve the quality of testing and what advantages it offers for career growth.
In most projects, there is a clear division of roles: Business analysts (or project managers) are responsible for gathering requirements and describing business processes, developers implement the technical part based on those requirements, and QA checks the implementation for compliance with the business processes. This allows each expert to focus on their area of responsibility. In this system, a tester often acts as a link between the business side and development. But this does not mean that the tester should know both the work of the business analyst and the developer's work. However, being able to communicate with them in the same language is an important skill to develop. And this is where basic knowledge of Apex comes in handy.
Imagine a situation: a developer has just finished working on changes in an Apex class that handles order processing. He sends a message to the tester:
"Hey, mate, I've modified the OrderProcessor class and added new calculation logic. Please test the changes."
For an experienced QA engineer with basic knowledge of Apex, this message is immediately clear: he knows where to look, what test scripts to execute, how to check that the logic works correctly. A tester knows what a class is, what actions a method performs, how the calculation logic is organized. However, if the specialist does not have even a basic understanding of programming, he or she may be confused. The developer talks about technical details (“updated the OrderProcessor() class”), which do not make sense in human language. This situation clearly illustrates why it is useful for a modern QA engineer to learn the basics of Apex.
Motivation
Knowledge of the language allows you to:
- Understand how the business logic is implemented, which helps to compose accurate and complete test cases.
- Speak the same language as developers, which significantly speeds up the process of finding out the causes of problems.
- Reduce the time to analyze bugs, as the tester will be able to quickly find the place in the code where a bug may be hiding.
Thanks to their view from both the business and technical implementation sides, the tester helps to find a balance between functionality, end-user friendliness and technical efficiency. Well, that's awesome!
Need help?
That's where the Salesforce Trailhead training system comes in. On the vastness of Salesforce Trailhead training platform any specialist can find a set of modules that meet his professional goals and objectives. And an example is the Build Apex Coding Skills module. This module provides basic knowledge of the Apex programming language. The special value is the fact that the module contains not only theoretical part, but also training tasks, which allow practicing the acquired knowledge in practice. For example, in the module “Build Apex Coding Skills” there is not just learning the syntax of the language, but also exercises on creating Apex classes and triggers. The module also allows you to deepen your knowledge of SOQL queries and DML operations.
Expanding horizons
One of the most sought-after areas for development, QAs choose automation. Undoubtedly, it will significantly increase hard skills, favorably distinguishing a specialist from thousands of others. There are standard automation tools based on Salesforce, but unfortunately they do not cover all possible scenarios. For example, in the absence of integration with the system, when the use of GUI-interface is impossible. But with Apex you can do much more, you can create more flexible and customized solutions for business. Therefore, a QA-automator can work with more complex processes, which contributes to career growth.
Conclusion
Thus, investing time in learning the basic concepts of Apex not only enriches a tester's professional skills, but also increases the overall development efficiency and quality of the final product. This is an example of how even minimal code knowledge can play a crucial role in detecting and eliminating bugs in modern Salesforce projects.
Still deciding which direction to grow in? Go ahead and expand your horizons with Apex.
At Jet BI, our QA specialists possess hands-on expertise in Apex, ensuring high-quality testing and seamless Salesforce implementations. With real-world experience and deep technical skills, our team is ready to help you enhance your testing capabilities and stay ahead in the industry.
