Integration Testing Vs End to End Testing in the Payments Sector

Payments have become a key entry point into the financial relationship with customers, much like checking and depository accounts used to be, according to the Bankers as Buyers report from William Mills agency.

The report claims that banks will be looking to “step up their payments offerings in order to provide customers with the types of payment options offered by non-bank competitors.” In order to do this, and provide a great customer experience, it’s crucial that financial institutions are implementing effective testing mechanisms into their operational processes. 

Payment testing is critically important when it comes to the introduction of new products and services. Not only does testing help ensure that products work seamlessly for customers, but test data drives the continuous improvement process necessary to maintain and grow customer satisfaction. 

While there are many facets to testing in payments or any other line of business, two important areas are integration testing and end to end testing. In this blog we’re going to take a look at what both these terms mean, and what they mean when it comes to the payment industry. 

Integration testing

Development projects typically consist of multiple software components that are often coded separately and then combined together into one unit. Integration testing is the process of validating proper functionality between two or more components to ensure they work as a group. 

Simply put, integration testing verifies whether or not individual units that make up an application work together and behave properly. This testing helps businesses identify any defects in a software that prevents all of its parts from working as one. 

End-to-end testing

End-to-end testing is a broader process that focuses on verifying that software works correctly from the beginning to the end of a particular business or transaction flow, by replicating expected user behavior and various use case scenarios. 

By mirroring a user’s interaction with an application or system in a controlled environment, end-to-end testing is able to ensure that payments and payment services work as intended. 

Automation is a critical component in any effective testing strategy

While integration testing and end-to-end testing have their own use cases, both are critical components in an effective software delivery process (SDLC). Both must be executed effectively in order for any organization to deliver a superior experience to its customers. 

Automation helps improve the speed and accuracy of both types of testing, boosting productivity of development, testing and QA resources. This means higher quality, shorter project cycles and faster time to market for new products and services.

Paragon’s tools and simulators have been specifically developed to make it easy for merchants, processors or financial institutions to automate their testing environment. Off-the-shelf components and an experienced staff enable Paragon to deliver rapid time to value and a solid ROI story. 

Interested in learning more? Get in touch with Paragon Application Systems today and learn how our range of payment testing and ATM testing solutions can help your business both save money and deliver improved customer experiences.