Why System Testing is important?

System Testing is a crucial step in Quality Management Process.

........- In the Software Development Life cycle System Testing is the first level where
...........the System is tested as a whole
........- The System is tested to verify if it meets the functional and technical
...........requirements
........- The application/System is tested in an environment that closely resembles the
...........production environment where the application will be finally deployed
........- The System Testing enables us to test, verify and validate both the Business
...........requirements as well as the Application Architecture

Prerequisites for System Testing:

The prerequisites for System Testing are:
........- All the components should have been successfully Unit Tested
........- All the components should have been successfully integrated and Integration
..........Testing should be completed
........- An Environment closely resembling the production environment should be
...........created.

When necessary, several iterations of System Testing are done in multiple environments.

Steps needed to do System Testing:

The following steps are important to perform System Testing:
........Step 1: Create a System Test Plan
........Step 2: Create Test Cases
........Step 3: Carefully Build Data used as Input for System Testing
........Step 3: If applicable create scripts to
..................- Build environment and
..................- to automate Execution of test cases
........Step 4: Execute the test cases
........Step 5: Fix the bugs if any and re test the code
........Step 6: Repeat the test cycle as necessary

What is a ‘System Test Plan’?

As you may have read in the other articles in the testing series, this document typically describes the following:
.........- The Testing Goals
.........- The key areas to be focused on while testing
.........- The Testing Deliverables
.........- How the tests will be carried out
.........- The list of things to be Tested
.........- Roles and Responsibilities
.........- Prerequisites to begin Testing
.........- Test Environment
.........- Assumptions
.........- What to do after a test is successfully carried out
.........- What to do if test fails
.........- Glossary

How to write a System Test Case?

A Test Case describes exactly how the test should be carried out.

The System test cases help us verify and validate the system.
The System Test Cases are written such that:
........- They cover all the use cases and scenarios
........- The Test cases validate the technical Requirements and Specifications
........- The Test cases verify if the application/System meet the Business & Functional
...........Requirements specified
........- The Test cases may also verify if the System meets the performance standards

Since a dedicated test team may execute the test cases it is necessary that System Test Cases. The detailed Test cases help the test executioners do the testing as specified without any ambiguity.

The format of the System Test Cases may be like all other Test cases as illustrated below:

• Test Case ID
• Test Case Description:
• What to Test?
• How to Test?
• Input Data
• Expected Result
• Actual Result

Sample Test Case Format:

Additionally the following information may also be captured:
........a) Test Suite Name
........b) Tested By
........c) Date
........d) Test Iteration (The Test Cases may be executed one or more times)

Working towards Effective Systems Testing:

There are various factors that affect success of System Testing:

1) Test Coverage: System Testing will be effective only to the extent of the coverage of Test Cases. What is Test coverage? Adequate Test coverage implies the scenarios covered by the test cases are sufficient. The Test cases should “cover” all scenarios, use cases, Business Requirements, Technical Requirements, and Performance Requirements. The test cases should enable us to verify and validate that the system/application meets the project goals and specifications.

2) Defect Tracking: The defects found during the process of testing should be tracked. Subsequent iterations of test cases verify if the defects have been fixed.

3) Test Execution: The Test cases should be executed in the manner specified. Failure to do so results in improper Test Results.

4) Build Process Automation: A Lot of errors occur due to an improper build. ‘Build’ is a compilation of the various components that make the application deployed in the appropriate environment. The Test results will not be accurate if the application is not ‘built’ correctly or if the environment is not set up as specified. Automating this process may help reduce manual errors.

What is Regression Testing?

Introduction:

This article attempts to take a close look at the process and techniques in Regression Testing.

What is Regression Testing?

If a piece of Software is modified for any reason testing needs to be done to ensure that it works as specified and that it has not negatively impacted any functionality that it offered previously. This is known as Regression Testing.

When is Regression Testing necessary?

Regression Testing plays an important role in any Scenario where a change has been made to a previously tested software code. Regression Testing is hence an important aspect in various Software Methodologies where software changes enhancements occur frequently.

Any Software Development Project is invariably faced with requests for changing Design, code, features or all of them.

Some Development Methodologies embrace change.

For example ‘Extreme Programming’ Methodology advocates applying small incremental changes to the system based on the end user feedback.

Each change implies more Regression Testing needs to be done to ensure that the System meets the Project Goals.

Why is Regression Testing important?

Any Software change can cause existing functionality to break.
Changes to a Software component could impact dependent Components.

It is commonly observed that a Software fix could cause other bugs.

All this affects the quality and reliability of the system. Hence Regression Testing, since it aims to verify all this, is very important.

Making Regression Testing Cost Effective:

Every time a change occurs one or more of the following scenarios may occur:
- More Functionality may be added to the system
- More complexity may be added to the system
- New bugs may be introduced
- New vulnerabilities may be introduced in the system
- System may tend to become more and more fragile with each change

After the change the new functionality may have to be tested along with all the original functionality.

With each change Regression Testing could become more and more costly.

To make the Regression Testing Cost Effective and yet ensure good coverage one or more of the following techniques may be applied:

- Test Automation: If the Test cases are automated the test cases may be executed using scripts after each change is introduced in the system. The execution of test cases in this way helps eliminate oversight, human errors,. It may also result in faster and cheaper execution of Test cases. However there is cost involved in building the scripts.

- Selective Testing: Some Teams choose execute the test cases selectively. They do not execute all the Test Cases during the Regression Testing. They test only what they decide is relevant. This helps reduce the Testing Time and Effort.

Regression Testing – What to Test?

Since Regression Testing tends to verify the software application after a change has been made everything that may be impacted by the change should be tested during Regression Testing. Generally the following areas are covered during Regression Testing:

- Any functionality that was addressed by the change

- Original Functionality of the system

- Performance of the System after the change was introduced

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3 Functionalities from real world: Facebook example

-> Posting

->Add/Delete Friend

->Inbox

1. Posting

Test Scenarios :

->Post a message.

->Delete a post.

->Post an Add.

->Post a Picture.

->Post a Photo.

->Tag people in your post.

->Add location to post .

->Post a video.

-----------------------------------------------------

Test Cases:

->Post a message:

- Post message on single friend's wall.

- Post message on multiple friend's wall.

- Post message under the limit .

- Post message more than the limit.

->Post a Add:

- Post add on single friends wall.

- Post add on multiple friend's wall.

- Post add under the limit.

- Post add more than the limit.

->Post a picture:

- Post picture on single friend's wall.

- Post picture on multiple friend's wall.

- Post pictures under the limit.

- Post pictures more than the limit.

->Post a photo:

- Post photo on single friend's wall.

- Post photo on multiple friend's wall.

-Post photos under the limit.

- Post photos more than the limit.

->Tag people in your post:

- Tag a single person.

- Tag multiple people.

- Tag people under the limit .

- Tag people more than the the limit.

- Untag one person.

- Untag multiple people.

->Add location to the the post:

- Add single location.

-Add multiple locations.

- Add locations under the the limit .

- Add locations more than the limit.

->Delete a post:

- Delete a single post.

-Delete multiple posts.

- Delete post under the limit.

- Delete post more than the limit.

- Here post implies a photo, an add , a message, a picture , and a video.

- Delete location.

- Delete multiple location.

2. Add/ Delete Friend:

Test senarios:

-> Add a friend.

-> Delete a friend.

-----------------------------------------------------

Test Cases :

-> Add a friend:

- Add a single friend.

- Add multiple friends.

- Add multiple friends under the limit.

- Add multiple friends more than the limit.

-> Delete a friend:

- Delete a single friend.

- Delete multiple friends.

- Delete multiple friends under the limit.

- Delete multiple friends more than the limit.

3.Inbox:

Test scenarios/ Test Cases:

->Primary Message.

->Social Message.

->Promotional Message.

->Marked the Message as Draft.

->Mark the Important Message..

->Marked the Spam Message.

->Delete Message.