What are the various software testing terminologies? – Techlaska

Software Testing Terminology

Software testing is a crucial part of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) that ensures the quality and functionality of a software product. Effective communication within a testing team and with other stakeholders requires a strong understanding of the terminology used. This article provides a detailed breakdown of common software testing terms, categorized for easy reference.

Core Concepts

  • Bug/Defect: An error, flaw, or imperfection in the software that causes it to produce unexpected results.
  • Test Case: A set of instructions designed to verify a specific functionality of the software.
  • Test Suite: A collection of test cases grouped together to test a particular module or feature of the software.
  • Test Plan: A document outlining the overall testing strategy, scope, resources, and schedule.
  • Requirement: A documented description of what the software needs to achieve.
  • Quality Assurance (QA): The broader process of ensuring the overall quality of the software, encompassing testing activities but also preventive measures.
  • Quality Control (QC): A subset of QA focused on verifying that the software meets specific quality standards.

Testing Types

  • Black-Box Testing: Testing the software from the user’s perspective, without knowledge of the internal code.
  • White-Box Testing: Testing the software with a thorough understanding of the internal code structure.
  • Functional Testing: Verifying if the software functions as per the defined requirements.
  • Non-Functional Testing: Evaluating qualities of the software beyond core functionality, such as performance, usability, and security.
  • Acceptance Testing: Formal testing conducted by the end-user or customer to determine if the software meets their acceptance criteria.
  • Unit Testing: Testing individual units of code (functions, modules) in isolation.
  • Integration Testing: Testing how different software components interact with each other.
  • System Testing: Testing the entire software system as a whole.
  • Regression Testing: Re-running previously successful test cases after modifications to ensure functionality hasn’t regressed.
  • Smoke Testing: Basic high-level testing conducted before more thorough testing to identify critical issues early on.
  • Sanity Testing: Brief testing to ensure a new build is stable enough for further testing.
  • Exploratory Testing: A session-based, creative approach to test the software based on the tester’s experience and intuition.

Testing Techniques

  • Equivalence Partitioning: Dividing input values into valid and invalid categories for testing.
  • Boundary Value Analysis: Testing software behavior at the edges of defined input ranges.
  • Decision Coverage: Ensuring all decision points (if/else statements) in the code are exercised during testing.
  • Error Guessing: Anticipating potential errors based on experience and designing tests to uncover them.

Additional Terminology

  • Defect Lifecycle: The process a bug goes through, from being identified to being fixed and verified.
  • Test Automation: Using scripts or tools to automate the execution of test cases.
  • Test Data Management (TDM): Creating, managing, and storing data used for testing purposes.
  • Severity: The seriousness of a bug, impacting its priority for fixing.
  • Priority: The urgency of fixing a bug based on its severity and potential impact.
  • Code Coverage: The percentage of code executed during testing.

Conclusion

By understanding this terminology, software testers can effectively communicate with each other, developers, and other stakeholders. This fosters a collaborative environment that leads to the delivery of high-quality software products.

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