Software Testing

Methodologies
BITS Pilani Prashant Joshi
 Module 6: Agenda

Module 6: Code Based Testing (2/2)

Topic 6.1 Data Flow Testing

Topic 6.2 Path Based Testing - Metric

Topic 6.3 Examples

2 Software Testing Methodologies

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Topic 6.1: Data Flow Testing

 Data Flow Testing

• Data Flow testing refers to forms of structural testing that

focus on the point at which variables receive values and
the point at which these values are used (or referenced)

• Data Flow testing serves as a “reality check” on path

testing

• Data Flow testing provides,

• a set of basic definitions
• a unifying structure of test coverage metrics

4 Software Testing Methodologies

 Define/Reference Anomalies

• A variable that is defined but never used

(referenced)
• A variable that is used but never defined
• A variable that is defined twice before it is
used

• Static Analysis: Finding faults in code

without executing it

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 D-U Testing - Definitions

• Program P has a program graph G(P) and a set of

program variables V
• G(P) has single entry and single exit
• Set of all paths in P is PATHS(P)

6 Software Testing Methodologies

 Definitions

• Node is a defining node of the variable written

as , iff the value of the variable is defined at the
statement fragment corresponding to node
• Input statements
• Assignment statements
• Loop control statements
• Procedure calls

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 Definitions

• Node is a use node of the variable written as ,

iff the value of the variable is used at the
statement fragment corresponding to node
• Output statements
• Assignment statements
• Conditional statements
• Loop control statements
• Procedure calls

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 Definitions

• A usage node is a predicate use (denoted as P-

use), iff the statement is a predicate statement;
otherwise, is a computation use, (denoted C-
use) value of the variable is used at the
statement fragment corresponding to node
• Predicate use
• Computation use

Outdegree: The outdegree of a node in a directed graph is the number of

distinct edges that the node as a starting point

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 Definitions

• A definition use path WRT a variable (denoted

du-path) is a path in such that, for some , there
are defined usage nodes and such that and are
the initial and final nodes in the path

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 Definitions

• A definition-clear path WRT a variable (denoted

dc-path) is definition-use path in with initial and
final nodes and such that no other node in the
path is a defining node of

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 Data Flow Testing

Concept: Use of Data Flow information for design

of Test Cases
– Definition-Use Pair (du pair)

Definition: A definition is a statement that assigns a

value to a variable
– v=x+4; a definition of v
– input(v); read and assign a value to v

Use: An use is a statement that uses (references)

a value of a variable
– z=v+1; use of v
– if (v>0); use
– printf(v); use
– v=v+1;
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 Definition Use Pair

A definition Use Pair: There exists a definition-use

pair between two statements ( d and u) if
– d is a definition of a variable
– u is an use of variable
– There exits a control path in the program from d to u along which the
variable is not modified

d v=…

u y=v+1

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 Data Flow – Concept Example

1 input (x, y)
2 z=x+1; No Dataflow
between 1 to 5 as x
3 v=x+y;
gets modified @4
4 x=0;
5 w=z+x;

Variable x Variable y Variable z

12 13 25
13
45

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 Steps for Data Flow Testing

• Identify all data flows (all definition-use) pairs in the

program
• Design a set of test cases such that each data flow
(definition-use pair) is “executed” at least once

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 Salient Features

• Very demanding and effort intensive

• Requires effort to design test cases
• Best used where reliability requirement is high
• Capability of detecting good defects

16 Software Testing Methodologies

 Software Testing
Methodologies
BITS Pilani Prashant Joshi
 BITS Pilani
Pilani Campus

Topic 6.2: Path Based Testing -

Metric
 Code Based Testing

• Statement Testing
• Branch Testing
• Multiple Condition Testing
• Loop Testing
• Path Testing
• Modified Path Testing (McCabe Path)
• Dataflow Testing
• Transaction Flow Testing

19 Software Testing Methodologies

 Act of Measurement

Measurement is the first step that leads to control and

eventually to improvement. If you can’t measure
something, you can’t understand it. If you can’t
understand it, you can’t control it. If you can’t control it,
you can’t improve it.
H.James Harrington

• Measure
• Understand
• Control
• Improve
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 Millers Test Coverage Metrics
Metric Description of Coverage
C0 Every Statement
C1 Every DD-Path (DD-Path = Decision to Decision Path)
C1p Every predicate to each outcome
C2 C1 coverage + loop coverage
Cd C1 coverage + every dependent pair of DD-paths
CMCC Multiple Condition Coverage
Cik Every program path that contains up to k repetitions of a
loop (usually k=2)
Cstat “Statistically significant” fraction of paths
Cinfinity All possible execution paths

21 Software Testing Methodologies

 Software Testing
Methodologies
BITS Pilani Prashant Joshi
 BITS Pilani
Pilani Campus

Topic 6.3: Examples

 Example

1 input(a, n)
2 max=a[1];
3 min=a[1];
4 i=2;
5 while i<n do
6, 7 if max<a[i] then max=a[i]
8, 9 if min>a[i] then min=a[i]
10 i=i+1;
11 output(max, min)

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 Example: d-u paths
Variable max Variable min Variable i
<2, 6> <3,8> <4,5>
<2, 11> <3,11> <4,6>
<7,6> <9,8> <4,7>
<7,11> <9,11> <4,8>
1 input(a, n) <4,9>
2 max=a[1]; <4,10>
3 min=a[1]; <10,5>
4 i=2; <10,6>
5 while i<n do
<10,7>
6, 7 if max<a[i] then max=a[i]
8, 9 if min>a[i] then min=a[i]
<10,8>
10 i=i+1; <10,9>
11 output(max, min) <10,10>

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 Example: Solution

Test #1: n=2, a=(2,4)

Path: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 5 11
Test #2: n=1, a=(5) 211
Test #3: n=3, a=(2, 4, 3) 76
Test #4: n=3, a=(5, 1, 2) 98
Test #5: n=2, a=(5,1) 911

Complete other du pairs

26 Software Testing Methodologies
 Software Testing
Methodologies
BITS Pilani Prashant Joshi