MCA CS1T03

Software Engineering

Chapter : Software Testing

By

Praveen Kumar
Assistant Professor
Department of MCA
Patna Women’s College

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MCA CS1T03: Software Engineering

Chapter 1- Software Testing

Lesson Plan

Lecture – I
Objective
Introduction
Who does Testing?
When to Start Testing
When to Stop Testing
Verification & Validation
Lecture - II
Types of Testing
Manual Testing
Automation Testing
Software Testing Tools
Software Testing Methods
Black-Box Testing
White Box Testing
Grey Box Testing
A Comparison of Testing Methods
Lecture - III
Software Testing Levels
Functional Testing
Unit Testing
Integration Testing
System Testing
Regression Testing
Acceptance Testing
Alpha Testing
Beta Testing
Lecture - IV
Non-Functional Testing
Performance Testing
Load Testing
Stress Testing
Usability Testing
UI vs Usability Testing
Security Testing
Portability Testing
Lecture - V
Testing Documentation
Test Plan
Test Scenario
Test Case

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1.0 Objectives

The objective:

 How to define Software Testing Principles

 What are the types of Software Tests
 What is Test Planning
 Test Execution and Reporting
 Real-Time Testing

After completing this chapter, you will be able to explain:

 How to define Software Testing Principles

 What are the types of Software Tests
 What is Test Planning
 Test Execution and Reporting
 Real Time Testing

2.0 Introduction

Testing is the process of evaluating a system or its component(s) with the intent to find whether it satisfies the
specified requirements or not.

Testing is executing a system in order to identify any gaps, errors, or missing requirements in contrary to the
actual requirements.

According to ANSI/IEEE 1059 standard, Testing can be defined as - A process of analyzing a software item to
detect the differences between existing and required conditions (that is defects/errors/bugs) and to evaluate the
features of the software item.

3.0 Who does Testing?

It depends on the process and the associated stakeholders of the project(s). In the IT industry, large companies
have a team with responsibilities to evaluate the developed software in context of the given requirements.
Moreover, developers also conduct testing which is called Unit Testing. In most cases, the following
professionals are involved in testing a system within their respective capacities:

 Software Tester
 Software Developer
 Project Lead/Manager
 End User

Different companies have different designations for people who test the software on the basis of their experience
and knowledge such as Software Tester, Software Quality Assurance Engineer, QA Analyst, etc.

4.0 When to Start Testing?

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An early start to testing reduces the cost and time to rework and produce error-free software that is delivered to
the client. However in Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), testing can be started from the Requirements
Gathering phase and continued till the deployment of the software. It also depends on the development model that
is being used. For example, in the Waterfall model, formal testing is conducted in the testing phase; but in the
incremental model, testing is performed at the end of every increment/iteration and the whole application is tested
at the end.

Testing is done in different forms at every phase of SDLC:

 During the requirement gathering phase, the analysis and verification of requirements are also
considered as testing.
 Reviewing the design in the design phase with the intent to improve the design is also considered as
testing.
 Testing performed by a developer on completion of the code is also categorized as testing.

5.0 When to Stop Testing?

It is difficult to determine when to stop testing, as testing is a never-ending process and no one can claim that a
software is 100% tested. The following aspects are to be considered for stopping the testing process:

 Testing Deadlines
 Completion of test case execution
 Completion of functional and code coverage to a certain point
 Bug rate falls below a certain level and no high-priority bugs are identified
 Management decision

6.0 Verification & Validation

These two terms are very confusing for most people, who use them interchangeably. The following table
highlights the differences between verification and validation.

S.N. Verification Validation

Verification addresses the concern: "Are you building it Validation addresses the concern: "Are you
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right?" building the right thing?"
Ensures that the software system meets all the Ensures that the functionalities meet the
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functionality. intended behavior.
Verification takes place first and includes the checking Validation occurs after verification and mainly
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for documentation, code, etc. involves the checking of the overall product.
4 Done by developers. Done by testers.
It has static activities, as it includes collecting reviews, It has dynamic activities, as it includes executing
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walkthroughs, and inspections to verify a software. the software against the requirements.
It is an objective process and no subjective decision It is a subjective process and involves subjective
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should be needed to verify a software. decisions on how well a software works.

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7.0 Types of Testing

7.1 Manual Testing

Manual testing includes testing a software manually, i.e., without using any automated tool or any script. In this
type, the tester takes over the role of an end-user and tests the software to identify any unexpected behavior or
bug. There are different stages for manual testing such as unit testing, integration testing, system testing, and user
acceptance testing.

Testers use test plans, test cases, or test scenarios to test a software to ensure the completeness of testing. Manual
testing also includes exploratory testing, as testers explore the software to identify errors in it.

7.2 Automation Testing

Automation testing, which is also known as Test Automation, is when the tester writes scripts and uses another
software to test the product. This process involves automation of a manual process. Automation Testing is used
to re-run the test scenarios that were performed manually, quickly, and repeatedly.

Apart from regression testing, automation testing is also used to test the application from load, performance, and
stress point of view. It increases the test coverage, improves accuracy, and saves time and money in comparison
to manual testing.

What is Automate?

It is not possible to automate everything in a software. The areas at which a user can make transactions such as
the login form or registration forms, any area where large number of users can access the software
simultaneously should be automated.

Furthermore, all GUI items, connections with databases, field validations, etc. can be efficiently tested by
automating the manual process.

When to Automate?

Test Automation should be used by considering the following aspects of a software:

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  Large and critical projects
 Projects that require testing the same areas frequently
 Requirements not changing frequently
 Accessing the application for load and performance with many virtual users
 Stable software with respect to manual testing
 Availability of time

How to Automate?

Automation is done by using a supportive computer language like VB scripting and an automated software
application. There are many tools available that can be used to write automation scripts. Before mentioning the
tools, let us identify the process that can be used to automate the testing process:

 Identifying areas within a software for automation

 Selection of appropriate tool for test automation
 Writing test scripts
 Development of test suits
 Execution of scripts
 Create result reports
 Identify any potential bug or performance issues

8.0 Software Testing Tools

The following tools can be used for automation testing:

 HP Quick Test Professional

 Selenium
 IBM Rational Functional Tester
 SilkTest
 TestComplete
 Testing Anywhere
 WinRunner
 LoadRunner
 Visual Studio Test Professional
 WATIR

9.0 Software Testing - Methods

9.1 Black-Box Testing

The technique of testing without having any knowledge of the interior workings of the application is called black-
box testing. The tester is oblivious to the system architecture and does not have access to the source code.
Typically, while performing a black-box test, a tester will interact with the system's user interface by providing
inputs and examining outputs without knowing how and where the inputs are worked upon.

The following table lists the advantages and disadvantages of black-box testing.

Advantages Disadvantages

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  Well suited and efficient for large code
segments.  Limited coverage, since only a selected number
 Code access is not required. of test scenarios is actually performed.
 Clearly separates user's perspective from the  Inefficient testing, due to the fact that the tester
developer's perspective through visibly defined only has limited knowledge about an
roles. application.
 Large numbers of moderately skilled testers  Blind coverage, since the tester cannot target
can test the application with no knowledge of specific code segments or error-prone areas.
implementation, programming language, or  The test cases are difficult to design.
operating systems.

9.2 White-Box Testing

White-box testing is the detailed investigation of internal logic and structure of the code. White-box testing is
also called glass testing or open-box testing. In order to perform white-box testing on an application, a tester
needs to know the internal workings of the code.

The tester needs to have a look inside the source code and find out which unit/chunk of the code is behaving
inappropriately.

The following table lists the advantages and disadvantages of white-box testing.

Advantages Disadvantages
 As the tester has knowledge of the source code,  Due to the fact that a skilled tester is needed to
it becomes very easy to find out which type of perform white-box testing, the costs are
data can help in testing the application increased.
effectively.  Sometimes it is impossible to look into every
 It helps in optimizing the code. nook and corner to find out hidden errors that
 Extra lines of code can be removed which can may create problems, as many paths will go
bring in hidden defects. untested.
 Due to the tester's knowledge about the code,  It is difficult to maintain white-box testing, as it
maximum coverage is attained during test requires specialized tools like code analyzers
scenario writing. and debugging tools.

9.3 Grey-Box Testing

Grey-box testing is a technique to test the application with having a limited knowledge of the internal workings
of an application. In software testing, the phrase the more you know, the better carries a lot of weight while testing
an application.

Mastering the domain of a system always gives the tester an edge over someone with limited domain knowledge.
Unlike black-box testing, where the tester only tests the application's user interface; in grey-box testing, the tester
has access to design documents and the database. Having this knowledge, a tester can prepare better test data and
test scenarios while making a test plan.

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 Advantages Disadvantages
 Offers combined benefits of black-box and
white-box testing wherever possible.  Since the access to source code is not available,
 Grey box testers don't rely on the source code; the ability to go over the code and test coverage
instead they rely on interface definition and is limited.
functional specifications.  The tests can be redundant if the software
 Based on the limited information available, a designer has already run a test case.
grey-box tester can design excellent test  Testing every possible input stream is
scenarios especially around communication unrealistic because it would take an
protocols and data type handling. unreasonable amount of time; therefore, many
 The test is done from the point of view of the program paths will go untested.
user and not the designer.

10.0 A Comparison of Testing Methods

The following table lists the points that differentiate black-box testing, grey-box testing, and white-box testing.

Black-Box Testing Grey-Box Testing White-Box Testing

Tester has full knowledge of the
The internal workings of an The tester has limited knowledge of the
internal workings of the
application need not be known. internal workings of the application.
application.
Also known as closed-box testing, Also known as translucent testing, as Also known as clear-box testing,
data-driven testing, or functional the tester has limited knowledge of the structural testing, or code-based
testing. insides of the application. testing.
Performed by end-users and also by Performed by end-users and also by Normally done by testers and
testers and developers. testers and developers. developers.
Testing is based on external Testing is done on the basis of high- Internal workings are fully
expectations - Internal behavior of level database diagrams and data flow known and the tester can design
the application is unknown. diagrams. test data accordingly.
It is exhaustive and the least time- The most exhaustive and time-
Partly time-consuming and exhaustive.
consuming. consuming type of testing.
Not suited for algorithm testing. Not suited for algorithm testing. Suited for algorithm testing.
This can only be done by trial-and- Data domains and internal boundaries Data domains and internal
error method. can be tested, if known. boundaries can be better tested.

11.0 Software Testing - Levels

Levels of testing include different methodologies that can be used while conducting software testing. The main
levels of software testing are:

 Functional Testing
 Non-functional Testing

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 11.1 Functional Testing

This is a type of black-box testing that is based on the specifications of the software that is to be tested. The
application is tested by providing input and then the results are examined that need to conform to the functionality
it was intended for. Functional testing of a software is conducted on a complete, integrated system to evaluate the
system's compliance with its specified requirements.

There are five steps that are involved while testing an application for functionality.

Steps Description

I The determination of the functionality that the intended application is meant to perform.

II The creation of test data based on the specifications of the application.

III The output based on the test data and the specifications of the application.

IV The writing of test scenarios and the execution of test cases.

V The comparison of actual and expected results based on the executed test cases.

An effective testing practice will see the above steps applied to the testing policies of every organization and
hence it will make sure that the organization maintains the strictest of standards when it comes to software quality.

11.1.1 Unit Testing

This type of testing is performed by developers before the setup is handed over to the testing team to formally
execute the test cases. Unit testing is performed by the respective developers on the individual units of source
code assigned areas. The developers use test data that is different from the test data of the quality assurance team.

The goal of unit testing is to isolate each part of the program and show that individual parts are correct in terms
of requirements and functionality.

Limitations of Unit Testing

Testing cannot catch each and every bug in an application. It is impossible to evaluate every execution path in
every software application. The same is the case with unit testing.

There is a limit to the number of scenarios and test data that a developer can use to verify a source code. After
having exhausted all the options, there is no choice but to stop unit testing and merge the code segment with other
units.

11.1.2 Integration Testing

Integration testing is defined as the testing of combined parts of an application to determine if they function
correctly. Integration testing can be done in two ways: Bottom-up integration testing and Top-down integration
testing.

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S.N. Integration Testing Method

Bottom-up integration
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This testing begins with unit testing, followed by tests of progressively higher-level combinations of units
called modules or builds.
Top-down integration
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In this testing, the highest-level modules are tested first and progressively, lower-level modules are tested
thereafter.

In a comprehensive software development environment, bottom-up testing is usually done first, followed by
top-down testing. The process concludes with multiple tests of the complete application, preferably in scenarios
designed to mimic actual situations.

11.1.3 System Testing

System testing tests the system as a whole. Once all the components are integrated, the application as a whole is
tested rigorously to see that it meets the specified Quality Standards. This type of testing is performed by a
specialized testing team.

System testing is important because of the following reasons:

 System testing is the first step in the Software Development Life Cycle, where the application is tested
as a whole.
 The application is tested thoroughly to verify that it meets the functional and technical specifications.
 The application is tested in an environment that is very close to the production environment where the
application will be deployed.
 System testing enables us to test, verify, and validate both the business requirements as well as the
application architecture.

11.1.4 Regression Testing

Whenever a change in a software application is made, it is quite possible that other areas within the application
have been affected by this change. Regression testing is performed to verify that a fixed bug hasn't resulted in
another functionality or business rule violation. The intent of regression testing is to ensure that a change, such
as a bug fix should not result in another fault being uncovered in the application.

Regression testing is important because of the following reasons:

 Minimize the gaps in testing when an application with changes made has to be tested.
 Testing the new changes to verify that the changes made did not affect any other area of the application.
 Mitigates risks when regression testing is performed on the application.
 Test coverage is increased without compromising timelines.
 Increase speed to market the product.

11.1.5 Acceptance Testing

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This is arguably the most important type of testing, as it is conducted by the Quality Assurance Team who will
gauge whether the application meets the intended specifications and satisfies the client’s requirement. The QA
team will have a set of pre-written scenarios and test cases that will be used to test the application.

More ideas will be shared about the application and more tests can be performed on it to gauge its accuracy and
the reasons why the project was initiated. Acceptance tests are not only intended to point out simple spelling
mistakes, cosmetic errors, or interface gaps, but also to point out any bugs in the application that will result in
system crashes or major errors in the application.

By performing acceptance tests on an application, the testing team will deduce how the application will perform
in production. There are also legal and contractual requirements for acceptance of the system.

11.1.6 Alpha Testing

This test is the first stage of testing and will be performed amongst the teams (developer and QA teams). Unit
testing, integration testing and system testing when combined together is known as alpha testing. During this
phase, the following aspects will be tested in the application:

 Spelling Mistakes
 Broken Links
 Cloudy Directions
 The Application will be tested on machines with the lowest specification to test loading times and any
latency problems.

11.1.7 Beta Testing

This test is performed after alpha testing has been successfully performed. In beta testing, a sample of the intended
audience tests the application. Beta testing is also known as pre-release testing. Beta test versions of software
are ideally distributed to a wide audience on the Web, partly to give the program a "real-world" test and partly to
provide a preview of the next release. In this phase, the audience will be testing the following:

 Users will install, run the application and send their feedback to the project team.
 Typographical errors, confusing application flow, and even crashes.
 Getting the feedback, the project team can fix the problems before releasing the software to the actual
users.
 The more issues you fix that solve real user problems, the higher the quality of your application will be.
 Having a higher-quality application when you release it to the general public will increase customer
satisfaction.

11.2 Non-Functional Testing

This section is based upon testing an application from its non-functional attributes. Non-functional testing
involves testing a software from the requirements which are nonfunctional in nature but important such as
performance, security, user interface, etc.

Some of the important and commonly used non-functional testing types are discussed below.

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 11.2.1 Performance Testing

It is mostly used to identify any bottlenecks or performance issues rather than finding bugs in a software. There
are different causes that contribute in lowering the performance of a software:

 Network delay
 Client-side processing
 Database transaction processing
 Load balancing between servers
 Data rendering

Performance testing is considered as one of the important and mandatory testing type in terms of the following
aspects:

 Speed (i.e. Response Time, data rendering and accessing)

 Capacity
 Stability
 Scalability

Performance testing can be either qualitative or quantitative and can be divided into different sub-types such as
Load testing and Stress testing.

11.2.2 Load Testing

It is a process of testing the behavior of a software by applying maximum load in terms of software accessing and
manipulating large input data. It can be done at both normal and peak load conditions. This type of testing
identifies the maximum capacity of software and its behavior at peak time.

Most of the time, load testing is performed with the help of automated tools such as Load Runner, AppLoader,
IBM Rational Performance Tester, Apache JMeter, Silk Performer, Visual Studio Load Test, etc.

Virtual users (VUsers) are defined in the automated testing tool and the script is executed to verify the load testing
for the software. The number of users can be increased or decreased concurrently or incrementally based upon
the requirements.

11.2.3 Stress Testing

Stress testing includes testing the behavior of a software under abnormal conditions. For example, it may
include taking away some resources or applying a load beyond the actual load limit.

The aim of stress testing is to test the software by applying the load to the system and taking over the resources
used by the software to identify the breaking point. This testing can be performed by testing different scenarios
such as:

 Shutdown or restart of network ports randomly

 Turning the database on or off
 Running different processes that consume resources such as CPU, memory, server, etc.

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 11.2.4 Usability Testing

Usability testing is a black-box technique and is used to identify any error(s) and improvements in the software
by observing the users through their usage and operation.

According to Nielsen, usability can be defined in terms of five factors, i.e. efficiency of use, learn-ability,
memory-ability, errors/safety, and satisfaction. According to him, the usability of a product will be good and the
system is usable if it possesses the above factors.

Nigel Bevan and Macleod considered that usability is the quality requirement that can be measured as the outcome
of interactions with a computer system. This requirement can be fulfilled and the end-user will be satisfied if the
intended goals are achieved effectively with the use of proper resources.

Molich in 2000 stated that a user-friendly system should fulfill the following five goals, i.e., easy to Learn, easy
to remember, efficient to use, satisfactory to use, and easy to understand.

In addition to the different definitions of usability, there are some standards and quality models and methods that
define usability in the form of attributes and sub-attributes such as ISO-9126, ISO-9241-11, ISO-13407, and IEEE
std.610.12, etc.

11.2.5 UI vs Usability Testing

UI testing involves testing the Graphical User Interface of the Software. UI testing ensures that the GUI functions
according to the requirements and tested in terms of color, alignment, size, and other properties.

On the other hand, usability testing ensures a good and user-friendly GUI that can be easily handled. UI testing
can be considered as a sub-part of usability testing.

11.2.6 Security Testing

Security testing involves testing a software in order to identify any flaws and gaps from security and
vulnerability point of view. Listed below are the main aspects that security testing should ensure:

 Confidentiality
 Integrity
 Authentication
 Availability
 Authorization
 Non-repudiation
 Software is secure against known and unknown vulnerabilities
 Software data is secure
 Software is according to all security regulations
 Input checking and validation
 SQL insertion attacks
 Injection flaws
 Session management issues
 Cross-site scripting attacks
 Buffer overflows vulnerabilities

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  Directory traversal attacks

11.2.7 Portability Testing

Portability testing includes testing a software with the aim to ensure its reusability and that it can be moved from
another software as well. Following are the strategies that can be used for portability testing:

 Transferring an installed software from one computer to another.

 Building executable (.exe) to run the software on different platforms.

Portability testing can be considered as one of the sub-parts of system testing, as this testing type includes overall
testing of a software with respect to its usage over different environments. Computer hardware, operating systems,
and browsers are the major focus of portability testing. Some of the pre-conditions for portability testing are as
follows:

 Software should be designed and coded, keeping in mind the portability requirements.
 Unit testing has been performed on the associated components.
 Integration testing has been performed.
 Test environment has been established.

Testing documentation involves the documentation of artifacts that should be developed before or during the
testing of Software.

1.0 Testing Documentation

Documentation for software testing helps in estimating the testing effort required, test coverage,
requirement tracking/tracing, etc. This section describes some of the commonly used documented artifacts
related to software testing such as:

 Test Plan
 Test Scenario
 Test Case
 Traceability Matrix

13.1 Test Plan

A test plan outlines the strategy that will be used to test an application, the resources that will be used, the test
environment in which testing will be performed, and the limitations of the testing and the schedule of testing
activities. Typically the Quality Assurance Team Lead will be responsible for writing a Test Plan.

A test plan includes the following:

 Introduction to the Test Plan document

 Assumptions while testing the application
 List of test cases included in testing the application
 List of features to be tested
 What sort of approach to use while testing the software
 List of deliverables that need to be tested
 The resources allocated for testing the application
 Any risks involved during the testing process
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  A schedule of tasks and milestones to be achieved

13.2 Test Scenario

It is a one line statement that notifies what area in the application will be tested. Test scenarios are used to ensure
that all process flows are tested from end to end. A particular area of an application can have as little as one test
scenario to a few hundred scenarios depending on the magnitude and complexity of the application.

The terms 'test scenario' and 'test cases' are used interchangeably, however a test scenario has several steps,
whereas a test case has a single step. Viewed from this perspective, test scenarios are test cases, but they include
several test cases and the sequence that they should be executed. Apart from this, each test is dependent on the
output from the previous test.

13.3 Test Case

Test cases involve a set of steps, conditions, and inputs that can be used while performing testing tasks. The main
intent of this activity is to ensure whether a software passes or fails in terms of its functionality and other aspects.
There are many types of test cases such as functional, negative, error, logical test cases, physical test cases, UI
test cases, etc.

Furthermore, test cases are written to keep track of the testing coverage of a software. Generally, there are no
formal templates that can be used during test case writing. However, the following components are always
available and included in every test case:

 Test case ID
 Product module
 Product version
 Revision history
 Purpose
 Assumptions
 Pre-conditions
 Steps
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  Expected outcome
 Actual outcome
 Post-conditions

Many test cases can be derived from a single test scenario. In addition, sometimes multiple test cases are written
for a single software which are collectively known as test suites.

2.0 Question for Exercise

Objective Type Question(Section A)

1) Verification is:
A Checking that we are building the right system
B Checking that we are building the system right
C Performed by an independent test team
D Making sure that it is what the user really wants
2) Before launching a software which testing is to be done in-house?
A Beta
B Gamma
C Alpha
D None of the above
3) Which testing phase tests individual software modules combined together as a group?
A Module testing
B Integration testing
C White Box testing
D Software testing
4) The main focus of acceptance testing is:
A finding faults in the system
B ensuring that the system is acceptable to all users
C testing the system with other systems
D testing for a business perspective
E testing by an independent test team

Short Answer Question(Section B)

1) Difference between white box testing and black box testing?
2) What is integration testing discuss with example?
3) Explain briefly nonfunctional testing ?

Long Answer Question(Section C)

1) What are different type of test methods discuss with support of example?
2) Discuss functional testing with example?

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