3.9 Testing techniques

3.9 Testing techniques

1. Test Harness

   • Allows some types of testing to be automated
     • is sometimes known as automated test framework
   • Consists of software and test data which run code under different conditions
     • Monitors the actual against expected output

2. Volume Testing

   • Designed to show how the system will perform with different volumes of data
   • Designed to establish the limits of the software under a large volume of data
     • To ensure it meets the specification
     • To check a system can cope with the projected capacity of data that is expected.

3. Scalability testing

   • Performance testing focused on making sure the system is able to cope with increases in workload.
     • Checking it will function correctly when system is scaled up
   • A series of tests carried out as the system is scaled up
     • Until performance levels start to drop at which point test results are analysed.

4. Prototyping

   • Not strictly speaking a testing term
     • It is a useful technique for gathering feedback about the user interface from clients/ users
   • Involves producing working but limited versions of a system at different stages during its development
     • Allowing feedback to be gathered throughout the development process.

5. Multi-platform testing

   • Sometimes known as portability testing
   • Many systems need to operate on a variety of platforms
     • Systems software
     • Hardware
   • Aims to demonstrate that software can be transferred across to specified hardware and software platforms

6. Use of simulated environment

   • Not always feasible to test the system in every environment it could possibly to meet so simulated environments are useful
   • Means that the test conditions can be repeated over and over again
   • Used to see how the system behaves when it is subjected to a series of controlled inputs