Root and Sweeney take a slightly different approach than the one used in most other programming books, and focus on giving testers with different programming experience enough basic information to write simple automated VB .NET and C# tests, and to use testing tools and utilities. The book also discusses component object model (COM) interoperability, to help testers work on Web services right from the beginning. There are many discussions of, and guidelines on, how to use automation effectively and practically. Readers are also reminded of good practice throughout the book, a feature that is only infrequently found in other programming books.

In general, the book is nicely written, very well organized, and has enough detail for everyone in the testing and software development field, regardless of their programming experience. The explanations are simple and straightforward, and the examples are very easy to follow. Additionally, there are some exercises for readers to try, making this book very practical and hands-on.

The chapters in the book are organized to accomplish several goals: the earlier chapters provide the reader with a basic understanding of automated software testing, the choices available, and test data and error handling in .NET. Readers are then presented with a more advanced discussion of the testing framework and components. The authors use a consistent theme when moving from the basics to more advanced topics.

As its title indicates, this book is written for testers, not developers. The book does include some software development concepts, but the discussion is very brief, and a bit confusing at times. This should not have any impact on testers learning both VB .NET and C#, however. The examples, tips, and sample code from real-world projects are presented in a way that allows testers to apply the techniques to their own projects immediately.

Another nice thing about the book is its coverage of the fundamentals of database testing. Even though the coverage is not detailed, it does provide a fair introduction to database application testing using common tools and controls. If users are interested in learning about the subject in more depth, they will have to supplement the information here with other reading; the authors provide many good references for interested readers. Overall, readers can use this book as a first step, and as a quick learning companion.

Even though there is no advanced discussion of any of the topics in the book, I highly recommend it to testers at all levels. You do not have to be an expert in programming to read and follow the information presented. Start out with the appendices, and you’ll move along really well.