Testing methods in software engineering

What are the different techniques of Software Testing? Software techniques can be majorly classified into two categories:. Skip to content. Change Language. Related Articles. Table of Contents. Improve Article. Save Article. Like Article. Previous Types of Software Testing. Next Software Engineering Seven Principles of software testing. Recommended Articles. Article Contributed By :. Integration testing is also known as "module" or "program" testing.

Modules of the software are tested for defects to verify their function. Integration testing identifies errors when the modules integrate. Different methods for integration tests include "bottom-up", "top-down" and "functional incremental". System testing tests components of a project as a whole in different environments. System testing falls under the black box method and is one of the final tests in the process. It will determine if the system is prepared to meet business and user needs.

There are generally two type of acceptance testing. The software runs as if live end-users were using it. Developers make notes of any issues and begin to rectify bugs and other problems. Also under the scope of black-box testing, in acceptance testing, clients test software to find out if the developer has fully developed the program to fit their desired specifications. Beta testing, or field testing, lets clients test the product on their sites in real conditions. Clients may offer a group of end-users the opportunity to test the software via pre-release or beta versions.

Beta testing aims to get actual user feedback, which is sent to the developer. Different types of software tests are designed to focus on specific objectives. The test engineer and the configuration manager use installation testing to ensure the end-user can install and run the program. It covers areas like installation files, installation locations and administrative privileges.

Developmental testing implements a range of synchronized strategies to detect and prevent defects. It includes static code analysis, peer code reviews, traceability and metrics analysis. The aim is to reduce risks and save costs.

User experience comes under the spotlight with usability testing. It measures how easy the GUI is to use. It checks the accuracy and efficiency of functions and the emotional responses of the test subjects. A sanity test indicates if the software is worth the time and cost to continue further tests. Sanity testing is done during the software release phase, where smoke testing is done to see if the software will run enough to be testable.

Smoke testing reveals fundamental failures that are serious enough to prevent release. When developers test a new build, it is called a "build verification" test. When the system undergoes modification, regression testing monitors unexpected behavior.

It points out adverse effects on modules or components. This shows developers how robust the program is at error management.

When hardware or other functions fail, recovery testing shows how well the software can recover and continue operating. White-box testing is also called glass testing or open-box testing. In order to perform white-box testing on an application, a tester needs to know the internal workings of the code.

Grey-box testing is a technique to test the application with having a limited knowledge of the internal workings of an application. In software testing, the phrase the more you know, the better carries a lot of weight while testing an application. Mastering the domain of a system always gives the tester an edge over someone with limited domain knowledge. Unlike black-box testing, where the tester only tests the application's user interface; in grey-box testing, the tester has access to design documents and the database.

Having this knowledge, a tester can prepare better test data and test scenarios while making a test plan. The following table lists the points that differentiate black-box testing, grey-box testing, and white-box testing.

Arnab Chakraborty. Zach Miller. John Shea. Daniel IT. Software Testing - Methods Advertisements.