Software Testing Terms

In the last topic we learned about the testing principles. In this topic we will learn basic terms that we use in software testing. We will see that. First of all, we will talk about the Test Plan. In this we will decide which items should be tested. On which level they must be tested. How the sequence has to be maintained. Which test strategy to be applied and in which test environment we will test. Like you can see the Test Plan Document, what do we mention in that. Scope, Approach, Resources, Schedule, Features that we will be testing, Task Planning and our testing environment. Acceptance and system test planning, that will come in requirements engineering. And Integration and unit testing which will help us in architectural design, to make it better. You can see here that we have taken an example here of a Test Plan. In which we are seeing what will happen in Compatibility Testing. Whichever items are there are specified in the Test Plan. In the test plan introduction, we will mention the process and its related items. Like you can see on the left side, there is a table of contents and on the right side we have properly described it. Now we will talk about the test case.

Pay attention, Test cases are very important in our testing field. In test case we basically note that what input we will give to the system and from that what output we will get, what are its pre-conditions, what will be its expected results and all that information we write in a document and we call this document as Test Case. Test Case is a starting point where the test execution is started. And after adding a few input values we get to know about the system that the output that we are expecting, is really coming with the system or it is not coming. So, Test Case Parameters, this is that thing which we use in a Test Case. In every test case this is not necessary to be used. We will use the basic information. Okay, now let’s take an example of a test case in which what we have given first is, Scenario. Scenario is very important. What is scenario? Scenario is something on which we will write the test case. One condition related to which we will write the test case. Like the 1^st one which is there, verify that the input field can accept a maximum of 10 characters. Let’s take a live example. Like we have a website and it is mentioned there that the username should not be of more than 10 characters. So, what will we do First of all? 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, we will put till 10 and see. Is it acceptable or not? Then what they have written, login application should be maximum of 11 characters. Let’s see it. First, we had 10, now we will put 11. 1,2,3,4, 5,6,7,8,9,10,11. Okay this system is taking it, will it take 12? It is taking 12 and 13 as well. If we are testing with the current requirement or as per the current test case. Will this test case pass or fail? Think, will this pass? No, because what we have been told is only 11 characters. If it is taking 12 or 13, this particular test case will fail. So, you must have understood properly how the test case and how we use the test case to be used in application for the testing. Now we will see about the Test data. Test data is the data which is used to execute the test. The test data should be precise and exhaustive by which all the defects are uncovered. Now you must be thinking what is Test ware. Test ware is a term that is used for all the material which are going to be used for the test. If you see the test data, this is our test data because we are using this data for the testing purpose. So whichever data we are using for testing purposes is called Test Data. Now we will talk about Test scripts. Test scripts are the set of instructions that we will follow when we will perform the test scripts on the system. Test scripts are commonly called test cases. Test log, this sounds familiar. Do you remember there are call logs, SMS logs? What happens in it? What happens in call logs? Take out your phone and see what happens in call logs. There are details, right? There are minor details like what time the call was made, what was the call duration, which person the call was made to? Similarly test log is the same thing. Which test cases have passed and which ones have failed. We will maintain the record of that in one place. So that we can easily see that. After every test case run, we have to update every log. In every test case run, it is possible that few failed test cases pass and few that pass, might fail. We have to update the test case log after running every test case. See, in front of you we have taken a simple example to show how the format of the test log and what all we mention in it? Now we will talk about Test level. Test Level, 1^st of all we will test the Unit Test, small tests are called unit tests, in that what is mentioned is that we will test the individual component. Then the turn comes of Integration Testing. In which, what will we do? We will test the group of components. Like what we did 1^st, we tested A component, we tested B component. Now we will do the interaction of A and B and test it. Then comes System Test where we will apply the system, where this particular application, our software we will be applying to. Is it going with the system?  Take an example of a game. Is the game asking for the requirement of a Graphic Card? Is the game running without the Graphic Card or is it giving an error? And at last the Acceptance Test, which means if the entire system is running fine, we will accept it. So, at the end comes the Acceptance Test. Test Summary, when we perform any test and after that whatever results we get. That we will make in the form of a summary. Which we call a Test Summary. In this all the records will be there like what were the inputs that we gave and what were the actual result that we got and what were the expected results. If you are doing requirement-based testing then in your Test Summary Report, how much is covered against the requirement, that is mentioned. Now comes the stakeholders. What are Stakeholders? Any person or organization has a direct or an indirect relation or they use your system. Those we call as stakeholders.  Which are the categories of stakeholders, one is the end user or the managers of the organization. Second comes the Engineers who have developed the system and third are the customers, who will use this particular system. These different kinds of people are termed as stakeholders.