Data-Driven Testing Using Excel Files in Selenium + Java

1. What is Data-Driven Testing?

Data-Driven Testing (DDT) is a testing methodology where test data is separated from test scripts and stored externally — such as in Excel files. The same test case runs multiple times with different sets of input data.

This helps in:

Reducing code duplication

Improving test coverage

Making tests easier to maintain

2. Why Use Excel Files?

Easy to create and manage

Widely used in organizations

Supports large data sets

Compatible with Apache POI (a Java library to read/write Excel files)

3. Tools and Libraries Needed

Selenium WebDriver – For browser automation

Apache POI – To read/write Excel files

TestNG (optional) – To support data providers and test execution

4. Add Apache POI to Your Project

If you're using Maven, add this to your pom.xml:

xml

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<dependency>

    <groupId>org.apache.poi</groupId>

    <artifactId>poi-ooxml</artifactId>

    <version>5.2.3</version>

</dependency>

5. Sample Excel File

Username Password

user1@test.com pass123

user2@test.com pass456

Save this as TestData.xlsx.

6. Code: Reading Excel Data with Apache POI

java

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import org.apache.poi.ss.usermodel.*;

import java.io.FileInputStream;

public class ExcelUtils {

    public static String[][] getExcelData(String filePath, String sheetName) {

        String[][] data = null;

        try {

            FileInputStream fis = new FileInputStream(filePath);

            Workbook workbook = WorkbookFactory.create(fis);

            Sheet sheet = workbook.getSheet(sheetName);

            int rowCount = sheet.getPhysicalNumberOfRows();

            int colCount = sheet.getRow(0).getLastCellNum();

            data = new String[rowCount - 1][colCount];

            for (int i = 1; i < rowCount; i++) {

                Row row = sheet.getRow(i);

                for (int j = 0; j < colCount; j++) {

                    Cell cell = row.getCell(j);

                    data[i - 1][j] = cell.toString();

                }

            }

            workbook.close();

            fis.close();

        } catch (Exception e) {

            e.printStackTrace();

        }

        return data;

    }

}

7. Integrating with TestNG and Selenium

java

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import org.testng.annotations.DataProvider;

import org.testng.annotations.Test;

import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;

import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;

import org.openqa.selenium.By;

public class LoginTest {

    @DataProvider(name = "loginData")

    public String[][] getData() {

        return ExcelUtils.getExcelData("path/to/TestData.xlsx", "Sheet1");

    }

    @Test(dataProvider = "loginData")

    public void loginTest(String username, String password) {

        WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

        driver.get("https://example.com/login");

        driver.findElement(By.name("email")).sendKeys(username);

        driver.findElement(By.name("password")).sendKeys(password);

        driver.findElement(By.id("loginBtn")).click();

        // Add assertions here

        driver.quit();

    }

}

8. Summary

Using Excel with Selenium and Java allows you to build flexible, maintainable, and scalable data-driven tests. By separating the test data, you can:

Reuse test logic

Cover more test scenarios quickly

Manage test input from a familiar interface (Excel)

Learn Selenium JAVA Training in Hyderabad

Read More

How to Handle Web Tables in Selenium WebDriver

Handling Dropdowns and Multiple Windows in Selenium

Using TestNG with Selenium: Why and How

Top 10 Selenium WebDriver Commands Every Beginner Should Know

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