Increasing software and system complexity due to the
integration of more and more diverse sub-systems presents new
testing challenges. Standardisation and certification
requirements in certain domains such as telecommunication,
automotive, aerospace, and health-care contribute further
challenges for testing systems operating in these domains.
Consequently, there is a need for suitable methodologies,
processes, languages, and tools to address these testing
challenges. To address some of these challenges, the Test
Description Language (TDL) has been developed at the European
Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) over the past
three years. TDL bridges the gap between declarative test
purposes and imperative test cases by offering a standardised
language for the specification of test descriptions. TDL
started as a standardised meta-model, subsequently enriched
with a graphical syntax, exchange format, and a UML profile.
A reference implementation of TDL has been developed as a
common platform to accelerate the adoption of TDL and lower
the barrier to entry for both end-users and tool-vendors.
This article tells the story of the evolution of TDL from its
conception.
