Software Testing

Testing is the process of evaluating a system or its components 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.

Why to Learn Software Testing?

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.

Applications of Software Testing

 Cost Effective Development - Early testing saves both time and cost in many aspects,
however reducing the cost without testing may result in improper design of a software
application rendering the product useless.
 Product Improvement - During the SDLC phases, testing is never a time-consuming
process. However diagnosing and fixing the errors identified during proper testing is a
time-consuming but productive activity.
 Test Automation - Test Automation reduces the testing time, but it is not possible to
start test automation at any time during software development. Test automaton should be
started when the software has been manually tested and is stable to some extent.
Moreover, test automation can never be used if requirements keep changing.
 Quality Check - Software testing helps in determining following set of properties of any
software such as
o Functionality
o Reliability
o Usability
 o Efficiency
o Maintainability
o Portability

When to Start Testing?

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.
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 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

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.

Sr.No. Verification Validation

1 Verification addresses the concern: "Are Validation addresses the concern: "Are you
 you building it right?" building the right thing?"

2 Ensures that the software system meets all Ensures that the functionalities meet the
the functionality. intended behavior.

3 Verification takes place first and includes Validation occurs after verification and mainly
the checking for documentation, code, etc. involves the checking of the overall product.

4 Done by developers. Done by testers.

5 It has static activities, as it includes It has dynamic activities, as it includes

collecting reviews, walkthroughs, and executing the software against the
inspections to verify a software. requirements.

6 It is an objective process and no subjective It is a subjective process and involves

decision should be needed to verify subjective decisions on how well a software
software. works.

Software Testing - QA, QC & Testing

Testing, Quality Assurance, and Quality Control

Most people get confused when it comes to pin down the differences among Quality Assurance,
Quality Control, and Testing. Although they are interrelated and to some extent, they can be
considered as same activities, but there exist distinguishing points that set them apart. The
following table lists the points that differentiate QA, QC, and Testing.

Quality Assurance Quality Control Testing

QA includes activities that ensure the It includes activities that ensure the It includes activities that
implementation of processes, verification of a developed ensure the identification of
procedures and standards in context to software with respect to bugs/error/defects in a
verification of developed software and documented (or not in some cases) software.
intended requirements. requirements.

Focuses on processes and procedures Focuses on actual testing by Focuses on actual testing.
rather than conducting actual testing on executing the software with an aim
the system. to identify bug/defect through
implementation of procedures and
process.

Process-oriented activities. Product-oriented activities. Product-oriented activities.

Preventive activities. It is a corrective process. It is a preventive process.

It is a subset of Software Test Life QC can be considered as the subset Testing is the subset of
Cycle (STLC). of Quality Assurance. Quality Control.

Audit and Inspection

Audit − It is a systematic process to determine how the actual testing process is conducted
within an organization or a team. Generally, it is an independent examination of processes
involved during the testing of software. As per IEEE, it is a review of documented processes
that organizations implement and follow. Types of audit include Legal Compliance Audit,
Internal Audit, and System Audit.
Inspection − It is a formal technique that involves formal or informal technical reviews of any
artifact by identifying any error or gap. As per IEEE94, inspection is a formal evaluation
technique in which software requirements, designs, or codes are examined in detail by a person
or a group other than the author to detect faults, violations of development standards, and other
problems. Formal inspection meetings may include the following processes: Planning,
Overview Preparation, Inspection Meeting, Rework, and Follow-up.

Testing and Debugging

Testing − It involves identifying bug/error/defect in a software without correcting it. Normally
professionals with a quality assurance background are involved in bugs’ identification. Testing
is performed in the testing phase.
Debugging − It involves identifying, isolating, and fixing the problems/bugs. Developers who
code the software conduct debugging upon encountering an error in the code. Debugging is a
part of White Box Testing or Unit Testing. Debugging can be performed in the development
phase while conducting Unit Testing or in phases while fixing the reported bugs.

Software Testing - Types of Testing

This section describes the different types of testing that may be used to test a software during
SDLC.

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 software to ensure the completeness of
testing. Manual testing also includes exploratory testing, as testers explore the software to
identify errors in it.
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.

Software Testing Tools

The following tools can be used for automation testing −

 HP Quick Test Professional

 IBM Rational Functional Tester
 SilkTest
 TestComplete
 Testing Anywhere
 WinRunner
 LoadRunner
 Visual Studio Test Professional
Software Testing - Methods
There are different methods that can be used for software testing. This chapter briefly describes
the methods available.

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

Well suited and efficient for large code segments. Limited coverage, since only a selected number of
test scenarios is actually performed.

Code access is not required. Inefficient testing, due to the fact that the tester
only has limited knowledge about an application.

Clearly separates user's perspective from the developer's Blind coverage, since the tester cannot target
perspective through visibly defined roles. specific code segments or errorprone areas.

Large numbers of moderately skilled testers can test the The test cases are difficult to design.
application with no knowledge of implementation,
programming language, or operating systems.

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, it Due to the fact that a skilled tester is needed to
becomes very easy to find out which type of data perform white-box testing, the costs are increased.
can help in testing the application effectively.

It helps in optimizing the code. Sometimes it is impossible to look into every nook
and corner to find out hidden errors that may create
problems, as many paths will go untested.

Extra lines of code can be removed which can bring It is difficult to maintain white-box testing, as it
in hidden defects. requires specialized tools like code analyzers and
debugging tools.

Due to the tester's knowledge about the code,

maximum coverage is attained during test scenario
writing.

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.

Advantages Disadvantages

Offers combined benefits of black-box and white-box Since the access to source code is not available, the
testing wherever possible. ability to go over the code and test coverage is
limited.

Grey box testers don't rely on the source code; instead The tests can be redundant if the software designer
they rely on interface definition and functional has already run a test case.
specifications.

Based on the limited information available, a grey-box Testing every possible input stream is unrealistic
tester can design excellent test scenarios especially because it would take an unreasonable amount of
around communication protocols and data type time; therefore, many program paths will go
handling. untested.

The test is done from the point of view of the user and
not the designer.

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

The internal workings of an The tester has limited knowledge of Tester has full knowledge of
application need not be known. the internal workings of the the internal workings of the
application. application.
Also known as closed-box testing, Also known as translucent testing, as Also known as clear-box
data-driven testing, or functional the tester has limited knowledge of testing, structural testing, or
testing. the insides of the application. code-based testing.

Performed by end-users and also Performed by end-users and also by Normally done by testers and
by 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 known and the tester can
the application is unknown. flow diagrams. design test data accordingly.

It is exhaustive and the least time- Partly time-consuming and The most exhaustive and time-
consuming. exhaustive. 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- Data domains and internal Data domains and internal
and-error method. boundaries can be tested, if known. boundaries can be better tested.

Software Testing - Levels

There are different levels during the process of testing. In this chapter, a brief description is
provided about these 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

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.

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.

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.

Sr.No. Integration Testing Method

1
Bottom-up integration
This testing begins with unit testing, followed by tests of progressively higher-level
combinations of units called modules or builds.

2
Top-down integration
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.

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.

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.

Acceptance Testing
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. 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 reduce how the
application will perform in production. There are also legal and contractual requirements for
acceptance of the system.

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 are
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.
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.

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

Load Testing
It is a process of testing the behavior of 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

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.

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.

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.

Security Testing

Security testing involves testing 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
 Session management issues
 Cross-site scripting attacks
 Directory traversal attacks
Portability Testing
Portability testing includes testing software with the aim to ensure its reusability and that it can
be moved from software as well. Following are the strategies that can be used for portability
testing −
 Transferring 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 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.

Software Testing - Documentation

Testing documentation involves the documentation of artifacts that should be developed before
or during the testing of Software.
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
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
 A schedule of tasks and milestones to be achieved
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.

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
 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 single software which are collectively known as test suites.

Traceability Matrix
Traceability Matrix (also known as Requirement Traceability Matrix - RTM) is a table that is
used to trace the requirements during the Software Development Life Cycle. It can be used for
forward tracing (i.e. from Requirements to Design or Coding) or backward (i.e. from Coding to
Requirements). There are many user-defined templates for RTM.
Each requirement in the RTM document is linked with its associated test case so that testing can
be done as per the mentioned requirements. Furthermore, Bug ID is also included and linked
with its associated requirements and test case. The main goals for this matrix are −

 Make sure the software is developed as per the mentioned requirements.

 Helps in finding the root cause of any bug.
 Helps in tracing the developed documents during different phases of SDLC.