Glossary · Automation software engineering and architecture
Test pipeline
Also known as: Testing pipeline
German: Test-Pipeline
In continuous integration, a test pipeline is an automated sequence of test stages, such as static analysis, unit tests, integration tests and simulation tests, that runs on each change and reports whether it passes.
- Software engineering
In one sentence
A test pipeline is an automated sequence of test stages that runs on each code change and reports whether it passes.
Example
Every pull request for the machine software triggers the test pipeline: static analysis, PLC unit tests, then a simulation test of the full cycle.
How it applies
- Engineering: Fast stages run first to give quick feedback; slower tests such as hardware-in-the-loop run later or nightly. A failing stage blocks the change.
- Verification: Pipeline results are recorded per change, which provides traceable verification evidence if the pipeline and its tools are under configuration control.
- Documentation: Documentation builds belong in the pipeline too: validation of DITA or Markdown sources, link checks and terminology checks. A change that breaks the documentation build should fail like one that breaks the code.
Test pipeline vs. build pipeline
A build pipeline produces artifacts. A test pipeline verifies them. In practice both are stages of one CI/CD pipeline.