functional testing |
black-box type testing geared to functional
requirements of an application; this type of testing should
be done by testers. This doesn't mean that the programmers
shouldn't check that their code works before releasing it
(which of course applies to any stage of testing.) |
Black box testing |
not based on any knowledge of internal design
or code. Tests are based on requirements and functionality |
White box testing |
based on knowledge of the internal logic
of an application's code. Tests are based on coverage of code
statements, branches, paths, conditions |
Functional
Testing |
unit
testing |
the most 'micro' scale of testing; to test
particular functions or code modules. Typically done by the
programmer and not by testers, as it requires detailed knowledge
of the internal program design and code. Not always easily
done unless the application has a well-designed architecture
with tight code; may require developing test driver modules
or test harnesses. |
integration
testing |
testing of combined parts of an application
to determine if they function together correctly. The 'parts'
can be code modules, individual applications, client and server
applications on a network, etc. This type of testing is especially
relevant to client/server and distributed systems. |
system testing |
black-box type testing that is based on overall
requirements specifications; covers all combined parts of
a system. |
user
acceptance testing |
determining if software is satisfactory to
an end-user or customer. |
usability testing
|
testing for 'user-friendliness'. Clearly
this is subjective, and will depend on the targeted end-user
or customer. User interviews, surveys, video recording of
user sessions, and other techniques can be used. Programmers
and testers are usually not appropriate as usability testers |
install/uninstall
testing |
testing of full, partial, or upgrade install/uninstall
processes. |
end-to-end testing
|
similar to system testing; the 'macro' end
of the test scale; involves testing of a complete application
environment in a situation that mimics real-world use, such
as interacting with a database, using network communications,
or interacting with other hardware, applications, or systems
if appropriate. |
sanity testing or
smoke testing |
typically an initial testing effort to determine
if a new software version is performing well enough to accept
it for a major testing effort. For example, if the new software
is crashing systems every 5 minutes, bogging down systems
to a crawl, or corrupting databases, the software may not
be in a 'sane' enough condition to warrant further testing
in its current state |
regression testing
|
re-testing after fixes or modifications of
the software or its environment. It can be difficult to determine
how much re-testing is needed, especially near the end of
the development cycle. Automated testing tools can be especially
useful for this type of testing. |
acceptance testing
|
final testing based on specifications of
the end-user or customer, or based on use by end-users/customers
over some limited period of time. |
compatability testing
|
testing how well software performs
in a particular hardware/software/operating system/network/etc.
environment |
NonFunctional
Testing |
performance testing
|
term often used interchangeably with
'stress' and 'load' testing. Ideally 'performance' testing
(and any other 'type' of testing) is defined in requirements
documentation or QA or Test Plans |
stress testing |
term often used interchangeably with 'load'
and 'performance' testing. Also used to describe such tests
as system functional testing while under unusually heavy loads,
heavy repetition of certain actions or inputs, input of large
numerical values, large complex queries to a database system,
etc. |
load testing |
testing an application under heavy loads,
such as testing of a web site under a range of loads to determine
at what point the system's response time degrades or fails.
|
recovery testing |
testing how well a system recovers from crashes,
hardware failures, or other catastrophic problems |
failover testing |
- typically used interchangeably with 'recovery
testing' |
security testing |
- testing how well the system protects against
unauthorized internal or external access, willful damage,
etc; may require sophisticated testing techniques. |
Other
Testing Methods |
exploratory testing |
often taken to mean a creative, informal
software test that is not based on formal test plans or test
cases; testers may be learning the software as they test it.
|
ad-hoc testing |
similar to exploratory testing, but often
taken to mean that the testers have significant understanding
of the software before testing it. |
context-driven testing |
• - testing driven by an understanding
of the environment, culture, and intended use of software.
For example, the testing approach for life-critical medical
equipment software would be completely different than that
for a low-cost computer game. |
comparison testing |
comparing software weaknesses and strengths
to competing products. |
alpha testing |
testing of an application when development
is nearing completion; minor design changes may still be made
as a result of such testing. Typically done by end-users or
others, not by programmers or testers. |
beta testing |
testing when development and testing are
essentially completed and final bugs and problems need to
be found before final release. Typically done by end-users
or others, not by programmers or testers |
mutation testing |
a method for determining if a set of test
data or test cases is useful, by deliberately introducing
various code changes ('bugs') and retesting with the original
test data/cases to determine if the 'bugs' are detected. Proper
implementation requires large computational resources. |