Software Testing - Static Testing

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Software testing involves verification to ensure that it is working as expected. Static testing is done to detect defects without actually executing the developed code of the software.

What is Software Static Testing?

The software static testing is also known as the verification or non-execution testing. It is carried out in the early stages of the software development life cycle(SDLC) to lessen the probability of finding defects later in the production. It is easier to find the root cause of the bugs, and to fix them during early phases of the SDLC(which is also referred to as the verification process). The issues which remain undetected at the time of dynamic testing are caught at the time of static testing.

The software static testing is conducted either manually or with the help of some tools. It helps to improve the quality, and maintainability of the software which ultimately helps to save cost in the long run.

Need of Software Static Testing

The need of the software static testing are listed below −

• The software static testing is done to ensure that the software is devoid of defects from the very beginning of the SDLC. This is because as the size of the software increases, it becomes more difficult to isolate and fix defects.
• It is more expensive to carry out the dynamic testing rather than the static testing.
• It requires less time to carry out the static testing than the dynamic testing.
• The software static testing detects defects at the earlier stages in the SDLC than the dynamic testing. Hence they are more easy and cheap to fix than those detected at the dynamic testing phase.
• The software static testing reduces the probability of finding errors at the production level.

Objectives of Software Static Testing

The objectives of the software static testing are listed below −

• The objective of the software static testing is to detect bugs in the initial phases of the SDLC.
• Since the bugs are detected early, they are easier to find their root causes, and to fix them during the software static testing phase.
• Since the bugs are detected early, it requires less time, effort, and cost to resolve them.
• The software static testing enhances the software quality, and ensures that it adheres to all the coding standards, and guidelines.
• It helps to minimize the cost of dynamic testing by identifying defects in advance.

Features of Static Testing

The features of the software which are tested during the static testing phase are listed below −

• The software static testing ensures that the unit test cases are effective, complete, and is written as per the standards.
• The software static testing ensures that the business requirements are clear and unambiguous.
• The software static testing evaluates all the use cases which represent the actual communications with the software.
• The software static testing verifies that the prototype is created as per the software design and functionality.
• The software static testing ensures that the system requirements are clear and unambiguous.
• The software static testing analyzes the test data and confirms that they cover all combinations of scenarios.
• The software static testing confirms that every requirement is attached to at least one test case.
• The software static testing acts as a training guide to describe all the software features, and user guidelines.
• The software static testing examines the performance test cases and confirms that they touch upon every important performance metrics.

Different Software Static Testing Techniques

The different software static testing techniques are called the review, and the static analysis. The types of reviews can be given by a simple diagram −

• Informal
• Walkthrough
• Review
• Inspection

The static analysis consists of the items listed below −

• Data Flow
• Control Flow
• Cyclomatic Complexity

How is Software Static Testing Performed?

The software static testing performed by following the steps listed below −

Step 1 − The software static testing begins with planning of the test objectives, scope, and test strategy. It includes the identification of modules to be verified, the test methods, and the tools to be used.

Step 2 − In this step, the different artifacts like the test cases, requirement and design documents, source code etc are prepared.

Step 3 − The static analysis is done to verify the code and to check if it is as per the standards, quality, secure, and compliances with the help of multiple tools and not by running the code.

Step 4 − The code review is done with the help of a small team of experts to find faults in the code, and identify errors in any methods used

Step 5 − The defects detected at the static testing are reported and documented.

Step 6 − The report on the software static testing is generated to assess the software quality.

Advantages of Software Static Testing

The advantages of the software static testing are listed below −

• The software static testing helps in the early identification of defects which can be resolved very fast, with less effort, and cost.
• The software static testing detects common errors namely syntax error, null pointer exception etc.
• The software static testing makes the code more structured and maintainable. Thus it enhances the code quality.
• The software static testing provides a quick feedback to the software during all its development stages.
• The software static testing determines the actual location of the defects.

Disadvantages of Software Static Testing

The disadvantages of the software static testing are listed below −

• The software static testing does not detect bugs which appear only at the runtime, for example memory leaks, performance problems etc.
• The software static testing can be more productive only if the reviewer is experienced, and has the correct knowledge, and skills.
• The software static testing takes time for large and complicated projects.
• The software static testing is dependent on human intervention as it is performed with the help of the manual reviews and inspections.

Best Practices to be Followed for Software Static Testing

The best practices to be followed for the software static testing are listed below −

• The purpose and objective of the software static testing should be identified from the very first of the project.
• The checklist items for reviews and coding standards which are as per the industry standards should be identified.
• The software static testing should be concentrated on the high risks sections of the software code.
• All the team members should have the knowledge on how to perform the static testing.
• All the review activities should be managed and tracked.
• All the activities, and communication carried out during the software static testing phase should be formal.

Different Tools Used for Software Static Testing

The different tools used for the software static testing are listed below −

• Checkstyle
• Soot
• SourceMeter
• Lint
• SonarQube

Differences Between Software Static and Dynamic Testing

The differences between the software static and dynamic testing are listed below −

Conclusion

This concludes our comprehensive take on the tutorial on Software Static Testing. Weve started with describing what is software static testing, what is the need of the software static testing, what are the objectives of the software static testing, what features of the software are tested during the static testing, what are the different software static testing techniques, how is the software static testing performed, what are the advantages of the software static testing, what are the disadvantages of the software static testing, what are the best practices to be followed for the software static testing, what are the different tools used for the software static testing, and what is the difference between the software static and dynamic testing. This equips you with in-depth knowledge of Software Static Testing. It is wise to keep practicing what youve learned and exploring others relevant to Software Testing to deepen your understanding and expand your horizons.