|
|
Pair-Wise Testing: Moving from Theory to Practice We've all heard the phrase, "You can't test everything." This axiom is particularly appropriate for testing multiple combinations of options, selections, and configurations. To test all combinations in some of these instances would require millions of tests. A systematic way to reduce the number of tests is called pair-wise testing. Gretchen Henrich describes the process of integrating this technique into your test practices and offers her experiences testing multiple releases of a product using pair-wise testing. She discusses her company's migration from a textbook orthogonal array approach, to free "all-pairs" software, and finally to a commercial tool that also creates the test data for pair-wise testing.
- Automatically create test designs and even test data based on all pairs of inputs
|
Gretchen Henrich, LexisNexis
|
|
|
Automation Tools and Exploratory Testing: Can The First Support the Second As a tester you might wonder if automated testing tools are capable of supporting exploratory testing. Based on her experience as a test engineer and an automated tools specialist, Mieke Gevers introduces the basics of exploratory testing and then discusses the support from and limits of automation tools when doing this type of testing. She demonstrates how automated testing used with exploratory testing can provide quality improvements and cost savings at the same time. Learn the benefits of automating exploratory testing while looking at several real-world success stories.
- What is exploratory testing and how is it used in practice
- The value of exploratory testing compared to scripted testing
- Automation tools used to support exploratory testing
|
Mieke Gevers, Segue Software Inc
|
|
|
The ROI of Test Automation It is widely known that software inspections are a cost-effective approach for finding defects in source code as well as other project documents such as requirements specifications. You can take your inspection process to the next level by using inspections and the resulting data for process improvement throughout your software organization. Lawrence Day presents a basic process flow for inspecting source code and documentation and the keys to implementing a cost-effective inspection approach. Then, he offers a proven approach for using the inspection data to identify process and product improvement opportunities. By viewing inspections a part of your development process, you'll learn to see inspections as a valuable improvement tool.
|
Michael Kelly, Liberty Regional Agency Markets
|
|
|
Automated API Testing: A Model-Based Approach API testing is difficult, even with automated support. However, with traditional automated testing solutions, the cost to create and maintain a test suite can be more than the savings realized from automated test execution. By creating a model of the API to test and generating the test scripts automatically from the model, test automation becomes more cost-effective. Kirk Sayre describes how to create models of APIs; how to take the expected use of the API under test into account with Markov chains; how to augment the models with the information needed to generate automated test scripts; and how to use and interpret test results. You'll see concrete examples of automated model-based testing of APIs written in Java, PHP, and C.
- Create a model of an API for use in model-based testing
- The basics of testing using Markov chain usage models
|
Kirk Sayre, The University of Tennessee
|
|
|
Getting a Grip on Exploratory Testing Many testers have heard about exploratory testing, and everyone does some testing without a script or a detailed plan. But how is exploratory testing different from ad-hoc testing? In this interactive session, James Lyndsay demonstrates the approaches to exploratory testing he often uses at work. With specially built exercises, he explains his thought process as he explores the application. He analyzes applications by looking at their inputs and outputs and by observing their behaviors and states. He employs both cultural and empirical models to establish a basis for observing whether a test succeeds or fails. Through this process, you will gain insights about how to improve your own exploratory style.
- Using active play to parse and understand a sample application
- Analysis of inputs, outputs, and their linkage to enhance explorations
|
James Lyndsay, Workroom Productions
|
|
|
Lessons Learned from End-to-End Systems Testing End-to-end testing of large, distributed systems is a complex and often expensive task. Interface testing at this high level involves multiple sub-systems and often requires cooperation among many groups. From mimicking real-world production configurations to difficult project management and risk issues, Marc Bloom describes the challenges and successes he's experienced at Capital One in performing end-to-end testing. Learn how to define and scope end-to-end system testing and develop a customized framework for repeatable test execution. Find out ways to support knowledge sharing across different test teams to improve the coverage and efficiency of your interface testing.
- The benefits and value added of comprehensive end-to-end testing
- Guidelines for developing an end-to-end test plan and implementing it
|
Marc Bloom, Capital One Financial Corp
|
|
|
Testing Dialogues- Management Issues Looking for a way to gain feedback from you testing peers
on real-world issues? Testing dialogues are a unique
platform for you to share your ideas and learn from
experienced testers from around the world. Facilitated by
Johanna Rothman and Esther Derby, these two-hour track
sessions take on both test management and technical issues. You'll share your expertise and experiences, learn from others' challenges and successes, and generate new topics in real-time. Discussions are structured in a framework so that participants will receive a summary of their work product after the conference.
|
Johanna Rothman, Rothman Consulting Group, Inc.
|
|
|
Beyond GUI: What You Need to Know about Database Testing Today's complex software systems access heterogeneous data from a variety of back-end databases. The intricate mix of client-server and Web-enabled database applications are extremely difficult to test productively. Testing at the data access layer is the point at which your application
communicates with the database. Tests at this level are vital to improve not only your overall test strategy, but also your product's quality. Mary Sweeney explains what you need to know to test the SQL database engine, stored procedures, and data views. Find out how to design effective automated tests that exercise the complete database layer of your applications. You'll learn about the most common and vexing defects related to SQL databases and the best tools available to support your testing efforts.
|
Mary Sweeney, Exceed Training
|
|
|
Test Automation with Open Source Tools using An Agile Development Process Test automation, open source tools, and agile methods are three important trends in software development. By employing and integrating all three, a project team at Comcast was able to quickly build and deliver a critical application to its customers. Pete Dignan and Dan Lavender discuss the rationale behind the decision to follow an XP-like process in this case study. They explain how the
|
Peter Dignan, ProtoTest LLC
|
|
|
Are You Hiring Yesterday's Testers? Testing a risky software-intensive system is sometimes just as difficult as creating the system itself. And developing unit tests for each path or object individually is not sufficient testing for most applications. The more complex the system, the more varied the required skills needed for testing, including analysis, design, and programming. If testers are excluded from key discussions or prevented from obtaining the tools and product expertise they need to do their jobs, you have a group of second-class testers who can't adequately test your product. Johanna Rothman discusses high-value activities first-class testers can provide their organizations. You'll learn how to upgrade your test team through selective hiring, improved training, skills-development methods, and much more. Walk away with new ideas and insights about how to take your team and yourself to the next level.
|
Johanna Rothman, Rothman Consulting Group, Inc.
|
