Mumbai University > Information Technology > Sem 8 > Software Testing and Quality Assurance

Marks: 10 Marks

Year: May 2016

1.)Validation testing begins at the culmination of integration testing, when individual component have been exercised ,the software is completely assembled as a package, and interfacing errors have been uncovered and corrected.

2.)At the validation or system level, the distinct between conventional and object-oriented software disappears.

3.)Testing focuses on user-visible actions and user-recognizable output from the system.

4.)Validation can be defined in many ways, but a simple definition is that validation succeeds when software functions in a manner that can be reasonably expected by the customers.

5.)At this point a battle hardened software developer night protest:"Who or what is the arbiter of the reasonable expectations?"

6.)Reasonable expectations are defined in the software requirements specification- a document that describes all user-visible attributes of the software.

7.)The specification contains a section called validation criteria. Information contained in that section forms the basis for a validation test approach.

8.)Validation Test Criteria:

i.)Software validation is achieved through a series of tests that demonstrate conformity with requirement.

ii.)A test plan outlines the classes of tests be conducted, and a test procedure defines specific test cases.

iii.)Both the plan & procedure are designed to ensure that all functional requirements are satisfied, all behavioral characteristics are achieved, all performance requirements are attained, documentation is correct and usability and other requirements met(e.g: transportability, compatibility, error recovery, maintainability).

iv.)After each validation test case has been conducted, one of the two possible conditions exist:

• The function or performance characteristic conforms to specification& is accepted, or

• Deviation or error discovered at this stage in a project can rarely be corrected prior to scheduled delivery.

v.)It is often necessary to negotiate with the customer to establish a method for resolving deficiencies.

9.)An important element of the validation process is a configuration review. The intent of the review is to ensure that all elements of the software configuration have been properly developed, are cataloged and have the necessary details to bolster the support phase of the software lifecycle.

10.)The configuration review, sometimes called an audit.

i.)It is virtually impossible for a software developer to foresee how the customer will really use a program.

ii.)Instruction for use may to minister pressed; strange combinations of data may be regularly used; output that seemed clear to the tester may be unintelligible to a user in the field.

iii.)When custom software is built for one customer a series of acceptance tests are conducted to enable the customer to validate all requirements conducted by the end - user rather than software engineers, an acceptance test can range from an informal "test drive" to a planned and systematically executed series of tests.

iv.)In fact, acceptance testing can be conducted over a period of weeks or months, thereby uncovering cumulative errors that might degrade the system over time.

v.)If the software is developed as a product to be used by many customers, it is impractical to perform formal acceptance tests with ease one.

vi.)Most software product builder use a process called alpha & beta testing to uncover errors that only end user seems able to find.

vii.)The alpha test is conducted at the developer's side by end users.

viii.)The software is used in a natural setting with the developer "looking over the shoulder" of typical users and recording errors and usage problems.

ix.)Alpha test are conducted in a controlled environment.

x.)The beta test is conducted at end user's side, unlike alpha testing, the developer is generally not present.

xi.)Thus, the beta test is a "live" application of the software in an environment that cannot be controlled by the developer.

xii.)The end-user records all problems(real or imaginary) that are encountered during beta testing and reports these to the developer at regular intervals.

xiii.)As a result of problems reported during beta tests, software engineers make modifications and then prepare for release of the software product to the entire customer base.

11.)Alpha testing

The following diagram explains the fitment of Alpha testing in the software development life cycle.

• In the first phase of alpha testing, the software is tested by in-house developers during which the goal is to catch bugs quickly.

  • In the second phase of alpha testing, the software is given to the software QA team for additional testing.

12.)Beta testing

i.)The following diagram explains the fitment of Beta testing in the software development life cycle:

ii.)There are number of factors that depends on the success of beta testing:

• Test Cost

• Number of Test Participants

• Shipping

• Duration of Test

• Demographic coverage

13.)Difference between Alpha and Beta testing: