Domain Testing
Domain testing is the most frequently described test technique. Some authors
write only about domain testing when they write about test design.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
The basic
notion is that you take the huge space of possible tests of an individual
variable and subdivide it into subsets that are (in some way) equivalent. Then
you test a representative from each subset.
SCENARIO TESTING
Scenario tests are realistic, credible and motivating to stakeholders,
challenging for the program and easy to evaluate for the tester. They provide
meaningful combinations of functions and variables rather than the more
artificial combinations you get with domain testing or combinatorial test
design.
REGRESSION TESTING
Regression testing is a style of testing
that focuses on retesting after changes are made. In traditional regression
testing, we reuse the same tests (the regression tests). In risk-oriented
regression testing, we test the same areas as before, but we use different
(increasingly complex) tests. Traditional regression tests are often partially
automated. These note focus on traditional regression.
Regression testing attempts to mitigate two
risks:
-
A change that was intended to fix a bug failed.
-
Some change had a side effect, unfixing an old bug or
introducing a new bug
Regression testing approaches differ in
their focus. Common examples include:
Bug regression: We retest a specific
bug that has been allegedly fixed.
Old fix regression testing: We
retest several old bugs that were fixed, to see if they are back. (This is
the classical notion of regression: the program has regressed to a
bad state.)
General functional regression: We
retest the product broadly, including areas that worked before, to see whether
more recent changes have destabilized working code. (This is the typical
scope of automated regression testing.)
Conversion or port testing: The
program is ported to a new platform and a subset of the regression test suite is
run to determine whether the port was successful. (Here, the main changes of
interest might be in the new platform, rather than the modified old code.)
Configuration testing: The program
is run with a new device or on a new version of the operating system or in
conjunction with a new application. This is like port testing except that the
underlying code hasn't been changed--only the external components that the
software under test must interact with.
Localization testing: The program is
modified to present its user interface in a different language and/or following
a different set of cultural rules. Localization testing may involve several old
tests (some of which have been modified to take into account the new language)
along with several new (non-regression) tests.
Smoke testing
also known as build verification testing:A relatively small suite of
tests is used to qualify a new build. Normally, the tester is asking whether any
components are so obviously or badly broken that the build is not worth testing
or some components are broken in obvious ways that suggest a corrupt build or
some critical fixes that are the primary intent of the new build didn't work.
The typical result of a failed smoke test is rejection of the build (testing of
the build stops) not just a new set of bug reports.
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