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How to Integrate Google Sheets with Selenium

How to Integrate Google Sheets with Selenium

Date : 2022-12-27

Microsoft Excel is easily one of the most versatile and essential software in Test Automation framework to manage the test data and track the status back. But because Excel is mainly used on individual computers, it is challenging for users to access their documents from anywhere or to collaborate with their team in real time. Emailing files back and forth can get confusing and no one is sure which version is the right one.

Google Sheets is cloud-based spreadsheet software is the best alternatives available if you are working on the Data-driven framework.

In this article, we going to use Google spreadsheets as the data source to read the data from Selenium and pass on to a website.

Some of the key advantages of using Google Sheets:

  • Easy to use
  • Built for collaboration
  • Built-in Version Control
  • Better visibility
  • Access to your test data from any computer

Pre-Requisites:

  • Java 1.7 or greater
  • Access to the internet and a web browser
  • A Google account with Google Drive enabled

Google Drive Configuration:

  1. Login to your Gmail account and open the URL https://console.developers.google.com/
  2. Create a new project.
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3. Then after you need to enable google sheets API library

  • Navigate to Library
  • Search for API “Google sheets API”
  • Enable “Google sheets API”
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4. After successful Google Sheets API enabled, the screen looks like this.

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5. Create OAuth Client ID, create Credentials → OAuth client ID

6. Fill the details and complete the OAuth client ID.

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7. After creating OAuth key, it will display the Client ID and click the OK button. Then after the download the JSON file (Download JSON) button to the right of the client ID.

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8. Rename the Jason file to json and copy to project directory.

9. Then after create Service account from create Credentials à Service account.

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10. Create a Google sheet with login credentials to pass on to a website. Copy the document id from the URL: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ID>/edit#gid=0

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11. Share the file with service account (xxx-developer.gsserviceaccount.com) which you have created above and give editor access.

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Google Sheets integration with Selenium:

So far, we have configured the google drive, OAuth account, Service account, Shared google sheet. It’s time for the integration.

Download the following libraries and add them to your java project.

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Code Snippet for passing the data to a web application:

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Want to Accelerate your Digital Transformation Process? Go Agile

Date : 2022-12-27

We tend to throw around the term “Digital Transformation” so casually.

That’s because the entire world is going through Digital Transformation, and the pandemic has only hastened its pace.

Though businesses have been going through Digital Transformation for years now, that’s not to say it’s an easy process. Choosing the right set of technology and tools and, most importantly, trusting your employees to work from the comfort of their homes were all instances of utmost struggle.

Nonetheless, business owners are now more open to taking risks when upgrading their digital assets. Most major enterprises have stuck around to a remote or hybrid working policy despite relaxation.

Remote working and sharing products and services is the need of the hour.

However, you stumbling upon this article might agree when we say that teams achieving high productivity levels without seeing each other and communicating over the desk remains a challenge.

That’s where the need for Agile comes in. Agile methodologies paired with competent software development helps teams become more self-organized and functional within themselves. Going Agile will help your business deliver services faster, with better quality and flexibility for unforeseen change.

Let’s take a closer look at what Agile has to offer.

What does Agile Entail?

The Agile framework entails a vast number of technologies such as Scrum, Kanban, Extreme Programming (XP), Lean Development e Crystal

Scrum has become one of the most commonly used technology due to its:

  • Lightweight process – This means that the technology is relatively simple for employees to understand, so they can focus on getting more important work done.
  • Increased productivity – As Scrum copes better with change, it’s more likely to deliver higher quality deliverables and provide better predictability in less time.

Since Scrum is the most widely used technology or ‘framework’ under Agile, in this article, let’s understand Agile through its lens.

Whether it be any technology under Agile, it typically consists of a Delivery Manager, a Product Owner, and the Teams. Take a closer look at each of these roles below

Delivery Manager

The Delivery Manager, Flow Master or ScrumMaster (for Scrum), handles the vital job of ensuring the project is running smoothly; teams are organized through regular interval checks and track progress. The Delivery Manager needs to understand the technology such as Scrum or Kanban to the core. As they’ll only be able to assist other members of the Team if they know it thoroughly. A Delivery Manager is in charge of:

  • Keeping track of the Team’s progress and ensuring they are able to meet all deadlines.
  • Bringing people on the same page, encouraging teamwork, and colluding team ideas to get structure to creativity.
  • Clearing the way for any possible obstacles the Team may be facing to accelerate productivity.
  • Help the Product Owner to understand how to use the dedicated technology to meet the set targets.

To summarize, the Delivery Manager will be held responsible if the targeted goals and deadlines are not met on time. Thus, all their responsibilities become centered around identifying any barriers or blockages from ongoing progress and removing them from sight. Though the Delivery Manager’s role is supervision, ironically, the better they can perform his duties, the less supervision his Team would inevitably require.

Product Owner

The Product Owner is the single point of contact when it comes to deciding whether the product features and implementations are superior enough in quality to be delivered. The Product Owner sets the benchmarks and organizes the Team to achieve them. In other words, they single-handedly deal with the clientele and communicate their needs to their Team on the other hand. Here is precisely what is expected of them:

  • When receiving bug-fix requests from many sources, they are responsible for distributing them amongst the Team.
  • Briefing the Team and Delivery Manager of product requirements and their updates.
  • Maintaining a “Product Backlog” which is a factual document of all the standard requirements and the progress as it is happening.
  • Discussing deadlines with the customers and informing the Delivery Manager so they can escalate the Team towards them.
  • They also make the final call on whether the execution of work is of the expected quality to leave the room.

The Team

Although we may seem we’re at the end of the ladder, here lies where the most competent set of individuals carry out the necessary development and testing of the product.

Though the Team may receive instructions from the Delivery Manager and Product Owners regarding bug fixes, deadlines, and requirement updates, they essentially handle their work independently. The individuals that work in this Team usually take the responsibility of distributing their work among themselves.

Contrary to an authoritative leader who assimilates work between Team members, these members understand their strengths and weaknesses to break down their tasks better and distribute them among themselves.

Here are a Few Pointers to Making a Functioning Team:

  • Keeping Team members between 5 to 9 for more accessible communication. Large Teams have a more challenging time passing information along, leading to discrepancies and errors.
  • Although Team is a term used for many individuals that develop the product, they can be divided into sub-teams, with each Team given an important agenda to work upon.
  • Teams should meet at regular intervals arranged by the Delivery Manager to communicate and to present each other with any feedback.

What are User-Stories?

Although it isn’t a role performed under any Agile technologies, it is still worth mentioning due to its unique organizational relevance.

User-Stories are essentially the work divided amongst each Team, noted down on a piece of paper or software. The key is that each User-Story must make a relevant and unique contribution to the overall product.

These User-Stories become key tangible indicators of what a Team is working on. These information placards are a great way to see how each Team and their User-story is progressing visually. Depending on how the work is moving along, these placards (online or offline) can be moved around.

Thus, they become an essential asset in scheduling and decision-making.

What then is the “Agile” approach to Digital Transformation?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, Agile is the ability to move quickly and easily. Keeping this in mind, the Agile Manifesto was drafted in 2001 by seventeen independent software practitioners.

Together with the Product Owner, Delivery Manager, and Teams – with their independent User-Stories – help to accomplish the following approaches:

 Customer Service is a priority. Each delivery must be better than the last.

Instead of delivering value with the end goal in mind (which often leads to a hit-and-miss approach), Teams should focus on increasing value incrementally through each delivery.

Accept the change of requirements, even at the later stage of development.

While traditional methods often resist any changes while the product development is in its later stage, Agile does the opposite. The Agile approach is adaptable to change at any stage. The client is always satisfied by learning something from the customer through each delivery meeting and making small incremental changes. Even if they change requirements last minute, they are not as drastic because the Team kept an eye out for it the entire time.

Deliver working software at regular intervals.

Instead of delivering one gigantic piece of the finished product, which might not be as open to change, the Agile framework offers “working” bits of software. This way, the client can always tap in any new insights along the way.

 Frequent meetings between the business people and developers

This is called the “Sprint Review” in Scrum or replenishment meetings in other Agile frameworks. The stakeholders don’t just assign a project to the developers but encounter it only at its later finish stage. Instead, they frequently visit the developers so they are clear of any misunderstandings about the project.

Motivate individuals and trust them to get the work done.

Leaders focus on delivering their Team with the necessary tools, resources, work culture, external processes, and people to ensure their success. Then, they back off and let them do their work. One doesn’t need to run a ‘controlling’ management style as long as they work towards the set goals. Trust is key.

Accepting face-to-face conversation as the most efficient form of communication

Whether through Zoom or Google Meets, face-to-face conversation is a much better form of collaboration than emailing or messaging back and forth. It could be within the Teams or between customer and Product Owner interactions.

The delivery of a working product is the only measure of success

When it comes to Agile, success isn’t about sticking to a plan or measuring the percentage of work that is done. It’s about how well the customer admires the final product. Customer review is the correct measure of success.

 The Agile process focuses on sustainable steps toward the end goal

When a deadline is far in the future, employees become lazy and do most of the work near the finish line of the product. This is not the Agile way of working. The Agile process is about dividing the work into a sustainable and equivalent number of steps.

Paying attention to technical excellence and design every step of the way

Whether it’s through regular code reviews or continuously keeping a tab on security standards, ensuring high-quality delivery at the end of the project is possible only by paying attention to each milestone diligently.

It’s vital to focus on what’s valuable first

Instead of focusing on all the possible requirements that will be needed in the future, driving the Team’s attention to the valuable thing to do next can eliminate waste in the long run.

Self-organizing teams develop the best-finished product in terms of architectural design and technical excellence

Giving the Team enough creative control over the product they are developing motivates them to do their best. That’s why self-organizing Teams deliver the best products.

Deliberating its effectiveness at regular intervals

A great Team gives value to everything, even its shortcomings. This has a major role to play in the efficiency of the Team and their collaboration with each other in the long run.

What are the Benefits of Going Agile?

When it comes to going Agile, there are benefits for everyone that is involved. Let’s take a look at receiving end of all the roles:

Benefits to the Customer

Customers receive more high-end work at shorter time periods and the vendor is more responsive to changes and mid-cycle requests.

Benefits to the Team

When Team members submit more often, they have more chances of receiving appreciation. And because they are trusted to work and communicate independently amongst themselves, they feel valued.

Benefits to the Vendor

Vendors don’t have to go through wastage since they’ve always focused on what’s valuable first. This also results in increased team efficiency, which helps in customer retention and improved customer satisfaction.

Benefits to Product Manager

The Product Manager is the single point of contact between the Customers and their development Team. Nonetheless, the Agile framework ensures regular check-ins, communication, and self-organizing Teams, which takes an excess load off the Product Manager.

Benefits to External Stakeholders and C-level Executives

The Agile framework gives plenty of transparency to the External Stakeholders and C-level Executives in a project. They can use this transparency to adjust their transparency and offer suggestions to revise the product and better align it with their business goals.

That’s it, folks!

The Agile Framework started from the point of helping software development firms better collaborate within themselves as well as their customers.

Due to its tremendous success rate, it has slowly made its way across various avenues such as marketing, HR, and defense. Want to set up your business for success? Then going Agile is a sure-shot way of focusing on what truly matters: customer service.

The answer is: go Agile.

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How a Collaborative IT Partner Would Yield Better Results For Your Enterprise

Date : 2022-12-27

Digital solutions can be best defined as the tools, systems, software, and technology that facilitate digital transformation in companies.

These solutions are the support companies use to head towards becoming a “digital-first” enterprise. With digital solutions, companies become more efficient – collecting data better, providing better customer experiences, enhancing agility and productivity, and above all, increasing revenue.

The popularity of these solutions is at an all-time high, thanks to the rising need for digital transformation. It’s high time that companies, no matter how small or large, should turn themselves into digital firms while technology advances because the digital transformation will allow them to re-imagine how they do business.

Integration of Digital Solutions – Not as smooth as it seems

Today, digital transformation is no longer a question of “if” but rather a question of “how”. Companies understand digital transformation as a necessity and are now trying to figure out how to carry it out effectively.

However, digital transformation is still not as rampant a practice as it should be. Many key decision-makers in companies link the process with the chaotic deployment of complicated technologies.

According to a report by McKinsey, employee resistance and a lack of management support account for 70% of all digital transformation failures, while only 16% of employees believe their company’s digital transformation efforts improve or are sustainable.

Adopting digital solutions in business processes would mean considering a lot of things, from employee reactions to their impact on customer relations and their costs, and ultimately, how they align with the business goals.

Navigating through these considerations can be easier said than done, as companies must tackle some serious mindset blocks to go ahead with digital transformation.

Some common issues & challenges

Here are some key challenges companies face in implementing digital solutions:

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1. Budgetary Constraints

One of the most basic challenges that companies face in adopting digital solutions is that these new systems are not a cheap investment. Scope creep can cause companies with a weak transformation strategy to push back deadlines and pile on new work, all of which adds to the project’s cost.

When companies factor in any consulting work, changes in customer expectations, or IT failures, the cost of digital transformation keeps rising.

For companies that are trying to implement digital solutions on a tight budget, it is important to consider the long-term benefits of the investment. In most cases, the return on investment (ROI) of digital transformation initiatives will eventually offset the high initial costs.

It is also important to consider less expensive alternatives, such as cloud-based solutions or open-source software. These types of solutions can provide many of the same benefits as their more expensive counterparts without breaking the bank.

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2. Security Concerns

Privacy and cybersecurity issues are key barriers to digital transformation for many companies in data-sensitive industries. Employing digital solutions entails moving away from on-premise solutions and merging all of a company’s data into a single centralized system.

According to a recent study by Microsoft, 43% of business leaders believe that the fear of data breaches is holding their organization back from going digital.

This fear is not unfounded – in 2017, there was an average of 5 data breaches each day and more than 3 billion records were leaked.

Naturally, this raises the risk of attackers stealing customer information and corporate secrets. System weaknesses, bad installations, and unwary individuals can all be targets of online attacks which makes companies concerned about going ahead with the transformation.

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3. Complex Solutions

Enterprise software is inherently difficult to grasp. It’s easy to be intimidated by new technology. This is a significant barrier for businesses undergoing digital transformation, both in terms of implementation and data integration, as well as in terms of end-user experience.

Technologies like ERP, Internet of Things, and Automation can be confounding for any new company that wants to take the plunge into digital transformation.

To help employees understand and use complex digital solutions, it is important to provide them with adequate training and support. In many cases, it may also be necessary to hire outside consultants or experts to help with the implementation process.

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4. Lack of IT Competencies

Some of the main problems associated with digital transformation include poor resource management planning and a lack of IT resources. In terms of IT resources, a shortage of qualified personnel and a talent war in a competitive market are two obstacles to a successful digital transformation.

There appears to be a digital labor scarcity, due to which companies will never be able to overcome digital transformation hassles. Some areas where this scarcity can be seen are cybersecurity, application architecture, software integrations, data analytics, and data transfer.

One possible solution to this issue is to outsource some or all of your IT needs to an external provider. This can help speed up implementation and reduce costs, but it does require handing over some control to a third party.

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5. Lack of a digital transformation & change management strategy

Another significant obstacle to the implementation of digital transformation procedures is a lack of clarity about what this progression involves. Companies often get enamored by the current trend and ignore several key aspects – for example, if or why they need to replace manual processes with digital solutions, or if they have a foolproof plan to adapt to these unfamiliar systems with minimum discord.

Going ahead with digital transformation without understanding the “what”, “when”, or “how” that goes into it, is the reason why a lot of companies are not seeing successful digital transformations.

More importantly, companies with legacy systems and manual procedures are still very old-school in their approaches. Change is slow, technology like automation is frowned upon, and adopting new systems is tough. That’s why one of the most difficult aspects of digital transformation is cultural change.

To develop a successful digital transformation strategy, it is important to understand the current state of your organization and where you want to be in the future. You also need to consider what technologies will be needed to get there and how you can best integrate them into your existing business processes. Once you have a clear plan in place, you can then start to implement the necessary changes.

Possible Solutions

The above challenges act as major impediments to digital transformation in companies.

However, these problems are mostly people issues or management issues; and with a nudge in the right strategic direction, companies can overcome them with ease.

Here are some possible solutions to these problems:

  • Companies must have clarity on the digital transformation budget, with a target allocation of capital expenditure across departments with a clearly defined ROI in mind.
  • Companies need to embed security measures into all applications as the first line of defense and deploy security controls across their internal, public, and cloud environments. Consulting a cybersecurity expert would help companies in identifying weaknesses in their defense.
  • During the early stages of a digital transformation project, company leaders should assess the complexity of the solutions and seek out the most intuitive, integrated, and easy-to-use solutions.
  • Companies must invest in digital talent and develop a pool of people that are competent with technology and solutions, be it by using an in-house team or hiring an outsourced team. Companies must also equip HR departments with the skills and resources to identify and come up with solutions that bridge the skill gaps.
  • Finally, companies must drive a culture of change and innovation, and make their employees get accustomed to digital solutions without friction through a well-defined plan for seamless digital transformation.

Overall, there are a number of challenges companies face when trying to implement digital solutions. However, by taking a strategic approach and working closely with digital experts and customers, these challenges can be overcome. With the right planning and execution, businesses can successfully digitize their operations and improve their bottom line.

About Smart Data:

Smart Data is a company of problem solvers committed to improving the business processes of our customers through digital solutions. We design and implement scalable digital transformation solutions that help you modernize your business procedures, increase efficiency, and provide satisfying user experiences to your customers.

Employ Smart Data for your software development requirements, and achieve hassle-free digital transformation!

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Building a More Collaborative Software Development Company

Date : 2022-12-27

Collaboration – Why it is essential

For IT and Software Development Companies, digital transformation and service delivery success has less to do with employing cutting-edge technology or employing the best brains in the industry. Rather, it has everything to do with one simple yet powerful aspect – collaboration; be it internally amongst their teams or departments, or externally with their clients.

Collaborative enterprises encourage people – be it clients or employees – to contribute unique insights to projects on a regular basis and to become motivated by a collective mission rather than personal gain or the intrinsic pleasures of autonomous creativity.

These enterprises mobilize employees’ talents and expertise in flexible, highly manageable group-work efforts by combining a sense of common purpose with a supportive structure. Not only does the approach promote innovation and agility, but it also promotes efficiency and scalability.

As an enterprise, it makes no difference how good your service is if you don’t have clients or customers who want to use it. Collaborating with clients is a low-cost way to broaden your audience.

Both you and your clients want to grow your respective businesses and gain new clients. Client collaboration enables both you and your client to see success in your businesses and help you achieve various objectives.

Collaboration is a powerful tool that helps your enterprise build strong networks and establish its reputation. Being a successful enterprise means having an arsenal of strong alliances up your sleeve, and efficient collaboration gives you that.

Collaborating with people, either internally or with clients, helps you learn new skills, practices, technology, and processes. Every collaborative effort is an opportunity for enterprises to gain knowledge.

With collaboration, you can make the client a key stakeholder of the service implementation and all discussions surrounding it, making the process more transactional and instilling a sense of shared purpose among all parties involved.

Ultimately, collaboration is a win-win process for enterprises, that helps them save money and labor while enhancing their efficiency and relationships.

Steps to being more collaborative

For software development companies that offer digital transformation services, collaboration is especially important. To implement digital solutions, it is first necessary to know your client well – the industry they operate in, the nature of their operations, their budget, their organizational gaps, the basis and goals of the project, their budgetary constraints, and how best to implement the solution within these specificities.

You must first discuss the project’s basics with the client, such as how long it will take to achieve specific goals and the project’s difficulty. Discuss the estimated date of completion as well as the overall scope of the project, including any resources that may be required.

As an enterprise, you must consider how your services will benefit their firm in the short and long term. It is critical to explain expectations on both sides here, as the client must provide clearly defined goals for you to be successful. Only once all parties are pleased with the scope of the task should you proceed to the following phase.

In addition to knowing your client wholly, you also need to be transparent about your own capabilities as a software development company. Define your own advantages and disadvantages. It’s preferable to recognize and accept your limitations than to take on work and disappoint new clients.

Before engaging with the client, you would have clearly defined the internal procedures for working on various projects and with various clients. It is critical that you adhere to these working practices so that you are aware of and comprehend what may be expected as a result.

Finally, be sure to adhere to the project deadlines. When you commit to delivering at particular intervals, missing these targets can severely affect the client’s business operations. Be prepared to report the project results and status on a frequent basis as you go through a project. This is a critical step since it reassures the client that you are on track.

Building a more collaborative software development company requires dedication and effort, but the rewards are great. By collaborating with clients, you can learn new skills and processes, save money and labor, and improve your company’s efficiency and reputation. Implementing these steps will help your organization become more collaborative overall.

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Collaboration – The Smart Data way

At Smart Data, collaboration is not just a buzzword we use as a core value – it is something that is essential to how we do things. We have always maintained that we are not just a software development company – rather, we are an extension of our client’s technical teams.

To illustrate, we have been engaging with a healthcare provider since 2014. Since then, we have delivered them digital solutions for various problems – ranging from rewriting their data collection process, building them a fast and reliable Incident Management System that delivered information about vulnerable patients to third party groups for fast and dignified treatment, and integrating three different software systems that resulted in a decreased training time.

In addition to this, we have also built them a hybrid resource model to cover their technical needs.

This is just one example of our collaborative nature. With a keen understanding of our clients, and adaptability to their organizational processes, we have built a reputation for delivering high-quality solutions to significant business problems without any hassle. We believe in being technology partners, not vendors or gatekeepers.

Smart Data is a company of problem solvers committed to improving the business processes of our customers through digital solutions. We design and implement scalable digital transformation solutions that help you modernize your business procedures, increase efficiency, and provide satisfying user experiences to your customers.

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