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Automation, Advanced Testing, and AI

Microsoft via Coursera

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Details

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Provider

Coursera
Pricing

Paid Course
Languages

English
Certificate

Certificate Available
Effort

10 hours
Sessions

Self-Paced
Level

Beginner
Subtitles

English

Part of

Microsoft Junior QA/Software Tester

Overview

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Advance your expertise by transitioning into technical test automation and AI-augmented quality assurance. In this course, you will write automated UI test scripts using Playwright and SQL queries for robust database validation. You will gain hands-on experience in backend integration and performance testing, utilizing Apache JMeter to analyze system load and API reliability. You will also future-proof your career by leveraging Generative AI to design intelligent test cases, generate synthetic test data, and automate defect hot-spot detection. By integrating version control via Git and exploring CI/CD pipelines, you will develop the technical proficiency to introduce code-driven efficiency to your QA processes. Tools used include Playwright, Git, and VS Code (open source, preconfigured in the Linux Lab VM), GitHub (Free Tier), and Apache JMeter (free, pre-installed in the Linux VM). By the end of the course, you will validate backend states using SQL SELECT queries, automate happy-path interactions with Playwright in VS Code, execute a version control workflow from VS Code to GitHub linked to Jira, and use Generative AI to translate test logs into professional stakeholder updates.

Syllabus

The Automation Mindset

Automation is not a magic bullet. Learn the strategic boundaries of test automation, why you cannot automate 100% of a test suite, and how to identify the best candidates for automation in your backlog.

Introduction to Playwright Codegen

Get hands-on with Microsoft Playwright. You will use the Codegen feature to record your browser actions like a macro, allowing Playwright to write the JavaScript for you. Then, you will review the generated code in VS Code to understand how it works.

The 5-Whys and DevTools Investigation

Recorded macros are a great start, but they are brittle. Learn how to manually write and refine Playwright scripts using robust CSS and text locators to automate a core "happy path" user journey.

Version Control and Pull Requests

Code only matters if you can share it. Instead of memorizing complex terminal commands, you will learn how to use the intuitive VS Code Source Control GUI to visually branch, stage, commit, and push your automated test to GitHub, culminating in a Pull Request linked to Jira.

SQL Basics for QA

UI tests can lie; the database doesn't. Learn the foundational SQL commands every tester needs to query databases, verify backend data exchanges, and ensure the UI is telling the truth.

CI/CD Pipeline Monitoring

Automated tests run while you sleep. Learn how to act as the "Morning Triage" QA, reviewing failed CI/CD pipelines in GitHub Actions, reading test runner logs, and turning stack traces into actionable bugs in Jira.

API Integration Testing with Postman

APIs are the nervous system of modern software. Learn how to bypass the UI entirely using Postman to send direct HTTP requests to an API, validate status codes, construct Collections, and analyze JSON payload responses.

Performance and Load Testing

What happens when 50 people log in at exactly the same time? Learn the principles of load testing, build a Thread Group in Apache JMeter to simulate heavy user traffic, and log execution results in Zephyr.

AI Defect Analytics

Codebases have memory. Learn how to feed historical defect logs into an AI model to detect patterns, highlight "hotspots" of high-risk code, and predict where your testing efforts should be focused in the next sprint.

Translating Tech to English

A common struggle for Junior QAs is explaining technical failures to non-technical Project Managers. Learn how to prompt Microsoft Copilot to instantly translate raw Jira bug tickets and confusing test run logs into clean, readable "End-of-Day Status Updates."

Project Module: Automated Validation and AI Testing

Synthesize your technical engineering skills in a capstone automation simulation. You will write a SQL query to check data state, author a Playwright script to automate a UI workflow, visually commit your code via the VS Code GUI to GitHub, link it to a Jira ticket, and finally use Generative AI to analyze messy GitHub Actions test logs and author a clean End-of-Day status update.