Software Testing

Testing is the process of exercising

a program with the specific intent of
finding errors prior to delivery to the
end user.
 Strategic Approach
• To perform effective testing, you should conduct effective
technical reviews. By doing this, many errors will be
eliminated before testing commences.
• Testing begins at the component level and works
"outward" toward the integration of the entire computer
based system.
• Different testing techniques are appropriate for different
software engineering approaches and at different points in
time.
• Testing is conducted by the developer of the software and
(for large projects) an independent test group.
• Testing and debugging are different activities, but
debugging must be accommodated in any testing strategy.
V & V Verification refers to the set of tasks that ensure that
software correctly implements a specific function.
Validation refers to a different set of tasks that ensure that the
software that has been built is traceable to customer
requirements.
Boehm
[Boe81] states this another way:
Verification: "Are we building the product right?"
Validation: "Are we building the right product?"
 Testing Strategy
• We begin by ‘testing-in-the-small’ and move
toward ‘testing-in-the-large’
• For conventional software
• The module (component) is our initial focus
• Integration of modules follows
• For OO software our focus when “testing in the
small” changes from an individual module (the
conventional view) to an OO class that
encompasses attributes and operations and
implies communication and collaboration
 Strategic Issues
• Specify product requirements in a quantifiable
manner long before testing commences.
• State testing objectives explicitly.
• Understand the users of the software and
develop a profile for each user category.
• Develop a testing plan that emphasizes “rapid
cycle testing.”
• Build “robust” software that is designed to
test itself
• Use effective technical reviews as a filter prior
to testing
• Conduct technical reviews to assess the test
strategy and test cases themselves.
• Develop a continuous improvement approach
for the testing process
Test strategies for conventional
software
 Unit testing
• Unit testing focuses verification effort on the
smallest unit of software design –the software
component or module.
• Important control paths are tested to uncover
errors within the boundary of the module.
• The unit test focuses on the internal
processing logic and data structures within the
boundaries of the components.
 Unit test considerations
• Module interface is tested to ensure that
information flows into and out of the program
unit under test
• Local data structures are examined to ensure
data stored temporarily maintains integrity.
• All independent paths are executed at least
once.
• Boundary conditions are tested to ensure
proper functioning at the boundaries
 Integration testing
• Integration testing is a systematic technique
for constructing the software architecture
while at the same time conducting teats to
uncover errors associated with interfacing.
• The objective is to take unit tested
components and build a program structure
that has been dictated by design
 Integration testing strategies
• Top down integration
• Is an incremental approach to construction of
the software architecture .Modules are
integrated by moving downward through the
control hierarchy ,beginning with the main
module .Modules subordinate to the main
control module are in cooperated into the
structure in either depth first or breadth first
manner
• Depth first integration integrates all
components in the major control path of the
program structure. Breadth first integration
incorporates all components directly
subordinate at each level moving across the
structure horizontally
 Steps in integration testing
• The main control module is used as a test
driver and stubs are substituted for all
components directly subordinate to the main
control module
• Depending upon the integration approach
used subordinate stubs are replaced one at a
time with actual components
• Tests are conducted as each component is
integrated
• On the completion of each set of tests another
stub is replaced with the real component
• Regression testing may be conducted to
ensure that new errors have not been
introduced.
• Bottom up integration
• Begins construction and testing with atomic
modules
• Low level components are combined to
clusters
• A driver is written to coordinate test case
input and output
• The cluster is tested
• Drivers are removed and clusters are
combined moving upward in the program
structure
 Regression Testing
• Regression testing is the re-execution of some
subset of tests that have already been
conducted to ensure that changes have not
propagated unintended side effects
• Whenever software is corrected, some aspect
of the software configuration (the program, its
documentation, or the data that support it) is
changed.
– Regression testing helps to ensure that changes
(due to testing or for other reasons) do not
introduce unintended behavior or additional
errors.
• Regression testing may be conducted
manually, by re executing a subset of all test
cases or using automated capture/playback
tools.
 Smoke Testing
• A common approach for creating “daily
builds” for product software
• Smoke testing steps:
• Software components that have been
translated into code are integrated into a
“build.”
• • A build includes all data files, libraries,
reusable modules, and engineered
• components that are required to implement
one or more product functions.
•
• A series of tests is designed to expose errors
that will keep the build from properly
performing its function.
• • The intent should be to uncover “show
stopper” errors that have the highest
likelihood of throwing the software project
behind schedule.
• The build is integrated with other builds and
the entire product (in its current form) is
smoke tested daily.
• • The integration approach may be top down
or bottom up
 OO Testing Strategy
• class testing is the equivalent of unit testing
• operations within the class are tested
• the state behavior of the class is examined
• integration applied three different strategies
• thread-based testing—integrates the set of
• classes required to respond to one input or
event
•
 WebApp Testing - I
• The content model for the WebApp is
reviewed to uncover errors.
• The interface model is reviewed to ensure
that all use cases can be accommodated.
• The design model for the WebApp is reviewed
• to uncover navigation errors.
• The user interface is tested to uncover errors
in presentation and/or navigation mechanics.
• Each functional component is unit tested
• Navigation throughout the architecture is
tested.
• The WebApp is implemented in a variety of
different environmental configurations and is
tested for compatibility with each
configuration.
• Security tests are conducted in an attempt to
exploit vulnerabilities in the WebApp or within
its environment. Performance tests are
conducted
• . The WebApp is tested by a controlled and
monitored population of end-users.
• The results of their interaction with the
system are evaluated for content and
navigation errors, usability concerns,
compatibility concerns, and WebApp reliability
and performance
 High Order Testing
• Validation testing : Focus is on software
requirements
• System testing : Focus is on system
integration
• Alpha/Beta testing : Focus is on customer
usage
• Recovery testing : forces the software to fail
in a variety of ways and verifies that recovery
is properly performed
• Security testing : verifies that protection
mechanisms built into a system will, in fact,
protect it from improper penetration
• Stress testing : executes a system in a manner
that demands resources in abnormal quantity,
• frequency, or volume
• Performance Testing: test the run-time
performance of software within the context of
an integrated system