SOFTWARE TESTING METHODS

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T here are different methods which can be use for Software testing . T his chapter briefly describes those methods.

Black Box Testing

T he technique of testing without having any knowledg e of the interior working s of the application is Black Box testing . T he tester is oblivious to the system architecture and does not have access to the source code. T ypically, when performing a black box test, a tester will interact with the system's user interface by providing inputs and examining outputs without knowing how and where the inputs are worked upon.

Advantag es Well suited and efficient for larg e code seg ments. Code Access not required. Clearly separates user's perspective from the developer's perspective throug h visibly defined roles. Larg e numbers of moderately skilled testers can test the application with no knowledg e of implementation, prog ramming lang uag e or operating systems.

Disadvantag es Limited Coverag e since only a selected number of test scenarios are actually performed. Inefficient testing , due to the fact that the tester only has limited knowledg e about an application. Blind Coverag e, since the tester cannot targ et specific code seg ments or error prone areas. T he test cases are difficult to desig n.

White Box Testing

White box testing is the detailed investig ation of internal log ic and structure of the code. White box testing is also called g lass testing or open box testing . In order to perform white box testing on an application, the tester needs to possess knowledg e of the internal working of the code. T he tester needs to have a look inside the source code and find out which unit/chunk of the code is behaving inappropriately.

Advantag es As the tester has knowledg e of the source code, it becomes very easy to find out which type of data can help in testing the application effectively. It helps in optimizing the code. Extra lines of code can be removed which can bring in hidden defects. Due to the tester's knowledg e about the code, maximum coverag e is attained during test scenario writing .

Disadvantag es Due to the fact that a skilled tester is needed to perform white box testing , the costs are increased. Sometimes it is impossible to look into every nook and corner to find out hidden errors that may create problems as many paths will g o untested. It is difficult to maintain white box testing as the use of specialized tools like code analyzers and debug g ing tools are required.

Grey Box Testing

Grey Box testing is a technique to test the application with limited knowledg e of the internal working s of an application. In software testing , the term the more you know the better carries a lot of weig ht when testing an application. Mastering the domain of a system always g ives the tester an edg e over someone with limited domain knowledg e. Unlike black box testing , where the tester only tests the application's user interface, in g rey box testing , the tester has access to desig n documents and the database. Having this knowledg e, the tester is able to better prepare test data and test scenarios when making the test plan.

Advantag es Offers combined benefits of black box and white box testing wherever possible. Grey box testers don't rely on the source code; instead they rely on interface definition and functional specifications. Based on the limited information available, a g rey box tester can desig n excellent test scenarios especially around communication protocols and data type handling . T he test is done from the point of view of the user and not the desig ner.

Disadvantag es Since the access to source code is not available, the ability to g o over the code and test coverag e is limited. T he tests can be redundant if the software desig ner has already run a test case. T esting every possible input stream is unrealistic because it would take an unreasonable amount of time; therefore, many prog ram paths will g o untested.

Black Box vs Grey Box vs White Box

S.N. 1 Blac k Box T esting T he Internal Working s of an application are not required to be known Also known as closed box testing , data driven testing and functional testing Grey Box T esting Somewhat knowledg e of the internal working s are known Another term for g rey box testing is translucent testing as the tester has limited knowledg e of the insides of the application Performed by end users and also by testers and developers T esting is done on the basis of hig h level database diag rams and data flow diag rams Partly time consuming and exhaustive Not suited to alg orithm testing Data domains and Internal boundaries can be tested, if known White Box T esting T ester has full knowledg e of the Internal working s of the application Also known as clear box testing , structural testing or code based testing

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Performed by end users and also by testers and developers T esting is based on external expectations - Internal behavior of the application is unknown T his is the least time consuming and exhaustive Not suited to alg orithm testing T his can only be done by trial and error method

Normally done by testers and developers Internal working s are fully known and the tester can desig n test data according ly T he most exhaustive and time consuming type of testing Suited for alg orithm testing Data domains and Internal boundaries can be better tested

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