Web services ― those loosely coupled, machine-to-machine transactions ―have to work error-free, without human intervention, to achieve their much-heralded efficiency benefits. It takes only one software error to turn a Web services application into a disaster. "The automation of Web services is definitely a two-edged sword," says Joshua Greenbaum, an analyst at Enterprise Applications Consulting in Daly City, Calif. "There is the potential for a cascade effect. Imagine a faulty transaction linked to a complex supply chain, and consider the speed in which errors can propagate." Therefore testing, which is always important, is even more critical for Web services. There's already a new breed of Web services testing tools available from vendors such as Mercury Interactive Corp., Parasoft Corp., Empirix Inc. and Cape Clear Software Inc. Most are able to read Web Services Description Language (WSDL) files, which is usually the first step on the road to testing.
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