Workflow Testing

Thorough testing is essential for creating reliable automations. This guide covers best practices, testing techniques, and troubleshooting strategies to ensure your workflows function correctly before and after deployment.

Why Testing Matters

Proper testing of workflows offers several critical benefits:

• Prevents errors: Identify and fix issues before they impact your business
• Validates business logic: Ensure workflows behave as expected in all scenarios
• Increases confidence: Deploy with certainty that automations will work correctly
• Improves reliability: Create more robust workflows that handle edge cases
• Facilitates optimization: Discover performance issues before they affect operations

Wakflo Testing Tools

Wakflo provides several built-in testing capabilities to help you validate your workflows:

Test Mode

Test Mode allows you to run a workflow without affecting live data or systems. Key features include:

• Simulated execution: Run workflows in an isolated environment
• Step-by-step execution: Walk through each action individually
• Data inspection: View input and output data for each step
• Mock responses: Simulate responses from external systems
• Error simulation: Test how your workflow handles failures

Test Data Sources

Wakflo offers three ways to provide test data:

Testing Approach

Follow this structured approach to thoroughly test your workflows:

1. Unit Testing

2. Integration Testing

Integration testing verifies that your workflow interacts correctly with external systems:

• Test connections to all integrated platforms
• Verify data flows correctly between systems
• Check authentication and authorization
• Test API rate limit handling
• Confirm webhook reception and processing

3. End-to-End Testing

4. Scenario Testing

Creating Test Cases

Effective test cases should:

• Cover all possible workflow paths
• Include a variety of data inputs
• Test boundary conditions
• Verify error handling
• Validate business rules

Example Test Scenarios

Testing with Mock Data

Creating custom test data allows you to test specific scenarios:

Example: Order Test Data

{
  "order": {
    "id": "12345",
    "customer": {
      "id": "cust_789",
      "email": "test@example.com",
      "first_name": "Test",
      "last_name": "Customer",
      "vip": true
    },
    "total": 249.99,
    "currency": "USD",
    "items": [
      {
        "id": "item_1",
        "product_id": "prod_101",
        "sku": "SKU001",
        "name": "Test Product",
        "quantity": 2,
        "price": 99.99,
        "requires_shipping": true
      },
      {
        "id": "item_2",
        "product_id": "prod_202",
        "sku": "SKU002",
        "name": "Digital Item",
        "quantity": 1,
        "price": 50.01,
        "requires_shipping": false
      }
    ],
    "shipping_address": {
      "address1": "123 Test St",
      "city": "Testville",
      "state": "TS",
      "zip": "12345",
      "country": "US"
    },
    "payment_status": "paid",
    "fulfillment_status": "unfulfilled",
    "tags": ["test", "high-value"]
  }
}

Simulating Errors

Testing how your workflow handles errors is crucial for building robust automations:

Wakflo Test Mode allows you to simulate various errors:

• API Errors: Simulate failed API calls
• Validation Errors: Test with invalid data
• Timeout Errors: Simulate operation timeouts
• Authentication Errors: Test credential failures
• Custom Errors: Create specific error conditions

Error Simulation Steps

Performance Testing

Automated Testing

For workflows that require regular testing, set up automated tests:

Wakflo supports scheduled and triggered automated tests:

• Create test suites with multiple test cases
• Schedule regular test runs
• Generate test reports
• Set up notifications for test failures
• Track test history and results

Testing Environments

Common Testing Issues

Testing Best Practices

Test Documentation

Document your testing process to maintain consistency and facilitate future testing:

• Test Plan: Overall testing strategy and approach
• Test Cases: Specific scenarios to be tested
• Test Data: Sample data used for testing
• Test Results: Outcomes of test executions
• Issue Tracking: Documented problems and resolutions

Common Testing Examples

Order Processing Tests

1. Standard Order Test → Typical domestic order with normal payment
2. International Order Test → Cross-border shipping with customs
3. VIP Customer Test → High-value customer with special handling
4. Partial Stock Test → Order with mix of in-stock and backordered items
5. Payment Failure Test → Order with declined payment method

Inventory Management Tests

1. Stock Update Test → Normal inventory level adjustment
2. Low Stock Alert Test → Inventory below reorder threshold
3. Reorder Process Test → Automatic purchase order generation
4. Stockout Handling Test → Zero inventory with backorder rules
5. Bulk Update Test → Multiple product inventory changes

Customer Communication Tests

1. Welcome Email Test → New customer onboarding message
2. Order Confirmation Test → Purchase confirmation with details
3. Shipping Notification Test → Tracking information delivery
4. Abandoned Cart Test → Recovery email for incomplete purchases
5. Review Request Test → Post-purchase feedback solicitation

Troubleshooting Test Failures

Common Failure Patterns

• Data format mismatches: Check data types and structure
• Missing required fields: Verify all necessary data is present
• Timeout errors: Adjust timeout settings or optimize slow operations
• Authentication failures: Verify credentials and permissions
• Rate limiting: Check API usage limits and implement delays

Debugging Steps

• Review test execution logs for error messages
• Check each step’s input and output data
• Verify integration connections are working
• Test with minimal data to isolate issues
• Compare working vs. failing test scenarios

Next Steps

Now that you understand how to test workflows, explore these related topics: