Similar to GUI or single application test automation tools, Matador captures business requirements and enables them to be tested in a repeatable form for regression testing or functional validation.

Unlike application test tools, Matador is not focused on validating the application code or GUI interaction but is instead focused on testing the flow of data between integrated systems, capturing and analyzing data directly from where it is stored or in flight between applications. This is especially important for composite applications that are connected and communicate through a middleware technology, or transfer data files through a batch or polling process.

The diagram below compares the automated test touch points of Matador vs. GUI Testing Tools: