7 Types of Software Errors

7 Types of Software Errors That Every Tester Should Know https://www.softwaretestinghelp.
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7 Types of So�ware Errors That

Every Tester Should Know
Last Updated: June 7, 2018
It’s time again for a post on software testing basics. This
post is on types of software errors that every testers should Top FREE Training
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In this article, we will be discussing common kinds of
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so�ware errors and how to identify them during testing with
some examples and simple exercises. HP LoadRunner
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So�ware Errors and Bugs

As de�ned in Wikipedia “An error is a deviation from
accuracy or correctness” and “A so�ware bug is an error,
�aw, failure, or fault in a computer program or system that
causes it to produce an incorrect or unexpected result, or to
behave in unintended ways “.
So, the following can be inferred:
Error is a variance of the actual result from the

expected result.
Errors are a category of software bugs.
Errors can be introduced as result of incomplete or
inaccurate requirements or due to human data entry
problems.
Common Categories of So�ware Errors:
2 of 21 16-Jan-19, 2:57 AM
#1) Functionality Errors:
Functionality is a way the software is intended to behave.

So�ware has a functionality error if something that you
expect it to do is hard, awkward, confusing, or impossible.
Check this screenshot:
Expected Functionality for Cancel button is that the ‘Create

new project’ window should close and none of the changes
should be saved (i.e. no new project must be created). If the
Cancel button is not clickable then it is a functionality error.
3 of 21 16-Jan-19, 2:57 AM
#2) Communication Errors:
These errors occur in communication from software to end-

user. Anything that the end user needs to know in order to
use the so�ware should be made available on screen.
Few examples of communication errors are – No Help

instructions/menu provided, features that are part of the
release but are not documented in the help menu, a button
named ‘Save’ should not erase a �le etc.
#3) Missing command errors:
This happens to occur when an expected command is

missing. See this screenshot:
4 of 21 16-Jan-19, 2:57 AM
This window allows the user to create a new project.

However, there is no option for the user to exit from this
window without creating the project. Since ‘Cancel’
option/button is not provided to the user, this is a missing
command error.
#4) Syntactic Error:
Syntactic errors are misspelled words or grammatically

incorrect sentences and are very evident while testing
so�ware GUI. Please note that we are NOT referring to
syntax errors in code. The compiler will warn the developer
5 of 21 16-Jan-19, 2:57 AM
about any syntax errors that occur in the code
Note the misspelled word ‘Cancel’:
Note the grammatically incorrect message:
#5) Error handling errors:
Any errors that occur while the user is interacting with the
so�ware needs to be handled in a clear and meaningful
manner. If not, it is called as an Error Handling Error.
Take a look at this image. The error message gives no

indication of what the error actually is. Is it missing
mandatory �eld, saving error, page loading error or is it a
system error? Hence, this is an ‘Error Handing Error’.
When possible, further steps should be listed for the user to

follow.
If the software has certain mandatory �elds that need to be

�lled before they can save the information on a form, the
6 of 21 16-Jan-19, 2:57 AM
validation messages should be clear and indicative of the

action that is required by the user.
Here are other examples:
#6) Calculation Errors:
These errors occur due to any of the following reasons:
Bad logic
Incorrect formulae
Data type mismatch
Coding errors
Function call issues , etc.
In 1999, NASA lost its Mars climate orbiter because one of

the subcontractors NASA employed had used English units
instead of the intended metric system, which caused the
orbiter’s thrusters to work incorrectly. Due to this bug, the
orbiter crashed almost immediately when it arrived at Mars.
#7) Control �ow errors:
The control �ow of a software describes what it will do next

and on what condition.
7 of 21 16-Jan-19, 2:57 AM
For example, consider a system where user has to �ll in a

form and the options available to user are: Save, Save and
Close, and Cancel. If a user clicks on ‘Save and Close’ button,
the user information in the form should be saved and the
form should close. If clicking on the button does not close
the form, then it is a control �ow error.
An Exercise:
Let’s identify what error categories the following fall into:
Exercise #1:
These are Error Handling Errors.
Exercise #2:
This is a Missing command error. Cancel button is required

but is missing. Also, both buttons ‘Proceed’ and ‘Delete’ are
redundant and perform the same function.
Exercise #3
8 of 21 16-Jan-19, 2:57 AM
This is Syntactic Error.
Next step:
Reporting an error once identi�ed is essential. For best

results, report immediately.
Include the description, priority, severity, the triggers and

steps to recreate the scenario, screen captures (if any) in the
bug report.
For more information on writing effective defect reports,

check this post.
Conclusion
Defect identi�cation, categorization, reporting and eventually
removal are all part of Quality Control activities.
But, Prevention is better than cure. The very crux of Software

Quality Assurance is to establish monitoring and inspecting
processes at each stage of the Software Development Life
Cycle.
The aim is to detect errors as early as possible. This is

because the costs to �nd and �x errors increase dramatically
as software development progresses. Hence identifying errors
early on is essential.
Fixing an error is the cheapest during the requirement

analysis stage, gets progressively expensive with each stage
and is most expensive in the post release maintenance
phase.
As QA engineers, we may or may not be directly involved in

requirements de�nition. We also may have little or no direct
9 of 21 16-Jan-19, 2:57 AM
control on the quality of the requirements.
Therefore, it is essential that we are able to identify, seek

and report any errors that we come across during testing
phase.
About the author: This useful article is written by Neha B.

She is currently working as a Quality Assurance Manager and
specialize in leading and managing In-house and Offshore QA
teams.
Do let us know other types of so�ware errors that you know

or encountered with.
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50 thoughts on “7 Types of So�ware
10 of 21 16-Jan-19, 2:57 AM
Errors That Every Tester Should Know”
Darshan Satish
Reply
Great article, Almost all types of important errors

covered,
saurabh warghade
Reply
Nice post.
All the basic errors has been covered
kirti
Reply
good basics testers should know
bhawana kumari
Reply
At one of the interview i got this question, Write as

many as test cases for – If you are a new customer
and you want to open a credit card account then
there are three conditions �rst you will get a 15%
discount on all your purchases today, second if you
are an existing customer and you hold a loyalty card,
you get a 10% discount and third if you have a
coupon, you can get 20% off today (but it can’t be
used with the ‘new customer’ discount). Discount
amounts are added, if applicable.
Can somebody please help me with it.
11 of 21 16-Jan-19, 2:57 AM
Diana Valderrama
Reply
Para colgar en el portal de aplicaciones
Mangaladevi P K
Reply
Good one. Thanks for the article
Pradeep k
Reply
This are common bug every tester �nd this on �rst

time
it is low priority and low severity ..
saurabh warghade
Reply
Hi, bhawana kumari

Below are some scenarios that might be help you..
1. To verify whether user will get 15% discount on all

today’s purchase items
2. To verify whether user will get 15% discount again
on tomorrow on all purchase items
3. To verify whether existing customer having loyalty
card should get 10% discount
card get more 10% discount all purchase items
card get less than 10% discount all purchase items
6. To verify whether existing customer having coupon
should get 20% discount on all today’s purchase
items
7. To verify whether that new customer having
12 of 21 16-Jan-19, 2:57 AM
coupon should not get 20% discount on all today’s

purchase items.
Pragnesh
Reply
How To do Web Site Test Without Kay Bord Or Mouse
Nivedita Patil
Reply
Very good article. Really helpful for all testers.

I have seen experienced testers are also not aware
about all these details though �nding defects from
application is their daily job.
Its helpful for beginner as wel as experienced one!
Arun
Reply
Its useful for us thanku
Abhijeet
Reply
Everyone should know these basic checklist.
Ritesh
Reply
Fab!!!
13 of 21 16-Jan-19, 2:57 AM
supiya
Reply
very good article
JohnNickson
Reply
We all know that if any problem occurs or any pop

up comes on our screen we automatically say that it
is an error but we can’t identify what kind of error it
is this blog helps me a lot in identifying errors, it’s
very helpful thanks to the software testing help.
Doron Cherkovsky
Reply
There are few other errors that are not listed here:
1. Requirements error: – wrong , incomplete
requirement, requirement contradicting with other
requirements, requirement implemented incorrectly,
requirement that can not be traced to any source
2. Design Error: The design do not correspond to
requirements.
3. Tasking and Timing errors: Task priority not
assigned correctly, Task lock, Task can’t complete
the assigned work due to timing restrictions.
4. BIT error: false alarm, wrong display…
5. Memory leck, data overwritting on existing data
6. Program cresh (instead of degraded performance)
due to wrong treatment when errors are encounter.
14 of 21 16-Jan-19, 2:57 AM
Neel
Reply
Basics!!!!simply great
Shivika
Reply
Very informative and a tester can easily relate to

this.
Bookmarked it, to refer for my next testing release. :)
Bhuvnesh
Reply
Neha great article!!!
Rashika
Reply
Awesome :)
AJ
Reply
Good one :)
prakash.R
Reply
Its very useful for beginner’s those who are willing

to learn basics of testing… thanks for posting…
15 of 21 16-Jan-19, 2:57 AM
Krunal
Reply
Awesome !! As usual … Great for us as a new tester

… Noted .
karthik
Reply
good article
Neha
Reply
Thank you dear readers for your positive feedback

and comments.
Thanks
Neha
Neha
Reply
Hi Doron
Thank you for adding on the list of errors.

My article focuses on error encountered mostly
while doing black box testing. Errors listed by you
would be frequently encountered by testers doing
white box testing and provide a good context about
the commonly occurring errors.
Thanks
Neha
16 of 21 16-Jan-19, 2:57 AM
Ancy jose
Reply
NICE ONE
Ido Ferdian
Reply
good article.
Absolutely, need to be documented properly after

testing to save time at any time if needed.
Neha B STH Author

Reply
Thank you dear readers for the positive feedback.
Uyen Pham
Reply
Thanks for your post :)
Carlomagni�cent
Reply
Good info, it helped me pretty much, 1000 thanks.
Swati
Reply
Really Helpful…
17 of 21 16-Jan-19, 2:57 AM
Cecil
Reply
Great article!
Neha B STH Author

Reply
Thank you dear readers for your valuable feedback.
Amit
Reply
Super informative..Terri�c work!
Neha STH Author

Reply
Thank you dear readers for your positive feedback.
Sithara
Reply
Very helpful article.Thank you so much for posting.
SHARAF
Reply
THANKS.A LOT
Tina Guha
Reply
One low priority error but still very frequent is Typo
18 of 21 16-Jan-19, 2:57 AM
errors.
Neha STH Author

Reply
Thank you dear readers for your positive feedback!
LaylaB
Reply
Tank you . very hoppfull artucle
LaylaB
Reply
It is very important.
nissar
Reply
Thank You So much for writing this article on error, it

is helpfull.
Regards
Nissar
kalyani
Reply
Good one.
Neha STH Author

Reply
19 of 21 16-Jan-19, 2:57 AM
Thank you dear readers . Glad you liked the article!
Mahesh Makvana
Reply
What is a sticky bug?
anjali
Reply
hi..
anjali
Reply
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djddjdjfjfjnfnfjfjfnfnfnfnfnfnfjfhdjdjdjdhdjdjdjdjdjdjdjd
jdndjdjdjdjdjdjdjdjdjdjdjdjdjdjdjdjjfjdjdjrjjdjdjdjdhfhdhd
hdjdjsijenebrjdjdndjskosidjebdjdjdjjdbdhfjdhdhdhdjdh
dbhdhebbdhdjdhbdhddj
Neha STH Author

Reply
Hi Mahesh
Sorry, I do not follow. I have not heard the term

‘sticky bug’ before. Please provide some more details
or the context where this term is used.
Thanks
Neha
Sahil
Reply
20 of 21 16-Jan-19, 2:57 AM
It is very useful to all the students that study in

school and college because it’s help all the basic
concept are clear for limitations and error.
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7 Types of Software Errors That Every Tester Should Know https://www.softwaretestinghelp.

So�ware Custom Search SEARCH

Tutorials  Courses  Manual Testing

7 Types of So�ware Errors That

Free DevOps Training

What You Will Learn: [show]

So�ware Errors and Bugs

So, the following can be inferred:

Error is a variance of the actual result from the

Common Categories of So�ware Errors:

#1) Functionality Errors:

Functionality is a way the software is intended to behave.

Check this screenshot:

Expected Functionality for Cancel button is that the ‘Create

#2) Communication Errors:

These errors occur in communication from software to end-

Few examples of communication errors are – No Help

#3) Missing command errors:

This happens to occur when an expected command is

This window allows the user to create a new project.

#4) Syntactic Error:

Syntactic errors are misspelled words or grammatically

about any syntax errors that occur in the code

Note the misspelled word ‘Cancel’:

Note the grammatically incorrect message:

#5) Error handling errors:

Take a look at this image. The error message gives no

When possible, further steps should be listed for the user to

If the software has certain mandatory �elds that need to be

validation messages should be clear and indicative of the

Here are other examples:

#6) Calculation Errors:

These errors occur due to any of the following reasons:

In 1999, NASA lost its Mars climate orbiter because one of

#7) Control �ow errors:

The control �ow of a software describes what it will do next

For example, consider a system where user has to �ll in a

These are Error Handling Errors.

This is a Missing command error. Cancel button is required

This is Syntactic Error.

Reporting an error once identi�ed is essential. For best

Include the description, priority, severity, the triggers and

For more information on writing effective defect reports,

But, Prevention is better than cure. The very crux of Software

The aim is to detect errors as early as possible. This is

Fixing an error is the cheapest during the requirement

As QA engineers, we may or may not be directly involved in

control on the quality of the requirements.

Therefore, it is essential that we are able to identify, seek

About the author: This useful article is written by Neha B.

Do let us know other types of so�ware errors that you know

 Basics of Software Testing, Bug Defect tracking

50 thoughts on “7 Types of So�ware

Errors That Every Tester Should Know”

Great article, Almost all types of important errors

good basics testers should know

At one of the interview i got this question, Write as

Can somebody please help me with it.

Para colgar en el portal de aplicaciones

Good one. Thanks for the article

This are common bug every tester �nd this on �rst

Hi, bhawana kumari

1. To verify whether user will get 15% discount on all

coupon should not get 20% discount on all today’s