Software testing

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What kinds of testing should be considered?

• Black box testing - not based on any knowledge of internal design or code.
Tests are based on requirements and functionality.
• White box testing - based on knowledge of the internal logic of an
application's code. Tests are based on coverage of code statements, branches,
paths, conditions.
• unit testing - the most 'micro' scale of testing; to test particular functions or
code modules. Typically done by the programmer and not by testers, as it
requires detailed knowledge of the internal program design and code. Not
always easily done unless the application has a well-designed architecture with
tight code; may require developing test driver modules or test harnesses.
• incremental integration testing - continuous testing of an application as new
functionality is added; requires that various aspects of an application's
functionality be independent enough to work separately before all parts of the
program are completed, or that test drivers be developed as needed; done by
programmers or by testers.
• integration testing - testing of combined parts of an application to determine if
they function together correctly. The 'parts' can be code modules, individual
applications, client and server applications on a network, etc. This type of
testing is especially relevant to client/server and distributed systems.
• functional testing - black-box type testing geared to functional requirements of
an application; this type of testing should be done by testers. This doesn't
mean that the programmers shouldn't check that their code works before
releasing it (which of course applies to any stage of testing.)
• system testing - black-box type testing that is based on overall requirements
specifications; covers all combined parts of a system.
• end-to-end testing - similar to system testing; the 'macro' end of the test scale;
involves testing of a complete application environment in a situation that
mimics real-world use, such as interacting with a database, using network
communications, or interacting with other hardware, applications, or systems
if appropriate.
• sanity testing - typically an initial testing effort to determine if a new software
version is performing well enough to accept it for a major testing effort. For
example, if the new software is crashing systems every 5 minutes, bogging
down systems to a crawl, or destroying databases, the software may not be in a
'sane' enough condition to warrant further testing in its current state.
• regression testing - re-testing after fixes or modifications of the software or its
environment. It can be difficult to determine how much re-testing is needed,
especially near the end of the development cycle. Automated testing tools can
be especially useful for this type of testing.
• acceptance testing - final testing based on specifications of the end-user or
customer, or based on use by end-users/customers over some limited period of
time.

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• load testing - testing an application under heavy loads, such as testing of a web
site under a range of loads to determine at what point the system's response
time degrades or fails.
• stress testing - term often used interchangeably with 'load' and 'performance'
testing. Also used to describe such tests as system functional testing while
under unusually heavy loads, heavy repetition of certain actions or inputs,
input of large numerical values, large complex queries to a database system,
etc.
• performance testing - term often used interchangeably with 'stress' and 'load'
testing. Ideally 'performance' testing (and any other 'type' of testing) is defined
in requirements documentation or QA or Test Plans.
• usability testing - testing for 'user-friendliness'. Clearly this is subjective, and
will depend on the targeted end-user or customer. User interviews, surveys,
video recording of user sessions, and other techniques can be used.
Programmers and testers are usually not appropriate as usability testers.
• install/uninstall testing - testing of full, partial, or upgrade install/uninstall
processes.
• recovery testing - testing how well a system recovers from crashes, hardware
failures, or other catastrophic problems.
• security testing - testing how well the system protects against unauthorized
internal or external access, willful damage, etc; may require sophisticated
testing techniques.
• compatability testing - testing how well software performs in a particular
hardware/software/operating system/network/etc. environment.
• exploratory testing - often taken to mean a creative, informal software test that
is not based on formal test plans or test cases; testers may be learning the
software as they test it.
• ad-hoc testing - similar to exploratory testing, but often taken to mean that the
testers have significant understanding of the software before testing it.
• user acceptance testing - determining if software is satisfactory to an end-user
or customer.
• comparison testing - comparing software weaknesses and strengths to
competing products.
• alpha testing - testing of an application when development is nearing
completion; minor design changes may still be made as a result of such
testing. Typically done by end-users or others, not by programmers or testers.
• beta testing - testing when development and testing are essentially completed
and final bugs and problems need to be found before final release. Typically
done by end-users or others, not by programmers or testers.
• mutation testing - a method for determining if a set of test data or test cases is
useful, by deliberately introducing various code changes ('bugs') and retesting
with the original test data/cases to determine if the 'bugs' are detected. Proper
implementation requires large computational resources.

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Books on Software Testing:

(click on a title for more information or to order)

Top 5 Recommendations:
Testing Computer Software, by C. Kaner, et al (1999)
This book has been a standard reference for software testers
since it's first edition was published in 1988 and second edition
in 1993. Chapters include "The Objectives and Limits of
Testing", "Test Case Design", "Localization Testing", "Testing
User Manuals", "Managing a Testing Group", and more. The
authors are all experienced in software testing and project
management, and the book discusses many of the practical and
'human' aspects of software testing. (Note: The 1999 edition is
the same as the 1993 edition)
Software Testing in the Real World, by E. Kit (1995)
Excellent introductory book on software testing. Includes
chapters such as "The Six Essentials of Software Testing",
"Critical Choices: What, When and How to Test", "Testing
Tasks, Deliverables, and Chronology", "Software Testing
Tools", and more. Useful appendices covering standards,
checklists, and more. The writing avoids the heavy, dense feel
of many other technical books, and at 252 pages is practical and
readable.
Automated Software Testing: Introduction, Management, and
Performance by E. Dustin, J. Rashka, J. Paul (1999)
This has become a primary reference work for automated
software testing. The book's 550 pages cover all aspects of
automated testing including types of automated test tools and a
detailed sample test plan. Utilizes authors' structured approach
called 'The Automated Test Life-Cycle Methodology'. Chapters
include "the Decision to Automate Test", "Automated Test
Tool Evaluation and Selection", "Test Analysis and Design",
"Test Engineer Development", "Best Practices", and more.
Surviving the Top Ten Challenges of Software Testing: A
People-Oriented Approach, by W. Perry, et al (1997)
Addresses many of the non-technical problems that software
testing and QA engineers have to contend with; the emphasis is
on communication issues. Chapters include "Getting Trained in
Testing", "Explaining Testing to Managers", Hitting a Moving
Target", "Having to Say No", and more. Author William Perry
has authored more than 50 books on software QA and testing,
and was previously a member of the Board of Examiners for
the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Awards.

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 Effective Methods of Software Testing, 2nd Edition, by W.
Perry (2000)
An in-depth guide (600 pages) to the basics of software testing
methodologies, test planning, techniques, and metrics. Includes
worksheets and checklists. Chapters include "Addressing the
Software System Business Risk", "Requirements Phase
Testing", "Inspecting Test Plans and Test Cases", "Testing
Techniques", "Evaluating Test Effectiveness", and more.

Other Books in 'Software Testing' Category:

1. Testing Applications on the Web, by H. Nguyen (2000)

2. Software Testing and Continuous Quality Improvement, by W. Lewis (2000)

3. Managing the Testing Process, by Rex Black (1999)

4. Handbook of Usability Testing: How to Plan Design and Conduct Effective

Tests, by J. Rubin (1994)

5. Making E-Business Work: A Guide to Software Testing in the Internet Age,

by S. Marshall et al (2000)

6. Client Server Software Testing on the Desk Top and the Web, by D. Mosley
(1999)

7. Testing Object-Oriented Systems, by R. Binder (1999)

8. Black-Box Testing, by B. Beizer (1995)

9. Handbook of Walkthroughs, Inspections, and Technical Reviews, by D.

Freedman and G.Weinberg (1990)

10. The Craft of Software Testing, by B. Marick (1995)

11. Test Process Improvement : A Practical Step-By-Step Guide to Structured

Testing, by T. Koomen et al (1999)

12. The Art of Software Testing, by G. Myers (1979)

13. The Complete Guide to Software Testing, by W. Hetzel (1993)

14. Software Testing: A Craftsman's Approach, by P. Jorgensen (1995)

15. Fatal Defect: Chasing Killer Computer Bugs, by I. Peterson (1996)

16. Testing Safety-Related Software : A Practical Handbook, by S. Gardiner

(Editor) (1999)

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17. Software Reliability Engineering : More Reliable Software, Faster
Development and Testing, by J. Musa (1998)

18. Object Oriented Software Testing: A Hierarchical Approach, by S. Siegel and

R. Muller (1996)

19. The Art of Testing Network Systems, by R. Buchanan (1996)

20. Software Verification and Validation: A Practitioner's Guide, by S. Rakitin

(1997)

21. System Validation and Verification, by J. Grady (1997)