Software testing techniquesSoftware testing techniques

Automated software testingAutomated software testing

Presentation on the seminar

Kaunas University of Technology

Topics

• Automated software testing. What? Why?

• Automated vs. Manual

• Common types of automated testing methods

• Automated software testing framework

• Summary

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What is automated software testing?

A process which covers:•the use of software to control the execution of tests

•the comparison of actual outcomes to predicted outcomes

•the setting up of test preconditions

•other test control and test reporting functions.

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Why testing is critical?

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Why automated testing?

• A time savings translates directly into cost savings

• Improves testing productivity

• Improves accuracy

• Increases test coverage

• Does what manual testing cannot do

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Effort and Cost

– Let’s assume 6 test cases

– Effort required to run all 6 manually => 10 min

– Effort required to write unit tests for all 6 cases => 10 min

– Effort required to run unit tests for all 6 cases => < 1 min

– Number of testing iterations => 5

– Total manual testing time => 50 min

– Total unit testing time => 10 min

Release Manual Test Auto TestManual TestCumulative

1 10 10 10

2 10 0 20

3 10 0 30

4 10 0 40

5 10 0 50

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Automated vs. Manual testing

• Not all tests can be automated and most times is difficult to decide what to automate and what to manually test.

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Advantages

Automated Testing Manual Testing• Need to run a set of tests repeatedly

• Test cases have to be run a small number of times

• Helps performing "compatibility testing" (on different configurations and platforms)

• Allows the tester to perform more specific tests

•Long term costs are reduced • Short term testing costs are reduced

• Possible to run regressions on a code that is continuously changing and in shorter time

• The more time tester spends testing a module the grater chance to find real bugs

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Disadvantages & other factors

Automated Testing Manual Testing• It's more expensive to automate (bigger initial investments)

• Manual tests can be very time consuming

• You cannot automate everything, some tests still have to be done manually

• For every release you must rerun the same set of tests which can be tiresome

Other Factors• The performance of your test tools• The knowledge level of your testing team• The continuous growth of software to be tested

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Common types of automated testing methods

• Monkey testing

• Capture / playback

• Code-based (Unit) testing

• Intelligent test automation

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Monkey testing

• Randomly selecting inputs from a large range of values and monitoring if exceptions are thrown.

• For example, a monkey test can enter random strings into text boxes to ensure handling of all possible user input.

• It applies not only for GUI or WEB testing, but also for Unit testing.

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Tools example

Monkey – Android testing tools.

The simplest way to use the monkey is with the following command, which will launch the application and send 500 pseudo-random events to it.

$ adb shell monkey -v -p your.package.name 500

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Capture / playback

• It’s a set of software programs that capture user inputs and stores it into a script for later replay.

+Repeated testing can be performed quickly.+Does not require programming skills.- When the GUI changes, input sequences

previously recorded may no longer be valid.- Difficult to determine location of bugs.

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Tools example

Autohotkey - Free keyboard macro program. Supports hotkeys for keyboard, mouse.

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Code-based (Unit) testing

• Individual units of source code are tested to determine if they fit for use.

• Ideally, each test case is independent from the others

+Bugs can be found in early development stage

+Easy to test boundary cases- Not effective for the integrated system testing

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Unit test-case generation method

• Random

• Genetic

• Other…

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Random

• Input values generated randomly

• Run with generated inputs

• User checks output values (pass/fail) and saves them for later automatic checking (Oracle).

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Genetic

This methods approach is to combine JML (JAVA model language) and genetic algorithms. JUnit is used as a test execution platform.

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Tools examples

Parasoft Jtest is an automated Java testing and static code analysis product

TestGen is a collection of open-source tools that automatically generates unit test cases.

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Intelligent test automation

• A model-based method for generating tests from a description of an application’s behavior (UML)

+Models are simple to modify, so model-based tests are economical to maintain over the life of a project.

- Most of these methods are researched only theoretically.

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OCL + UML

Inputs generator

UML + OCL

Tested software

Oracle

Report

Inputs Constraints

ConstraintsOutputs

pass / fail

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Automated testing framework

• A framework is an integrated system that sets the rules of automation of a specific product.

• This system integrates the function libraries, test data sources, object details and various reusable modules.

• The framework provides the basis of test automation and simplifies the automation effort.

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Common types of frameworks

• Data-driven testing

• Keyword-driven testing

• Hybrid testing

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Data-driven testing

• Data-focused automation• User defines just data sets to run tests with• Data is defined in external data source and de-

coupled from script• Good fit for a single application testing, featuring

multi-environment, big datasets, and rarely changing Test Cases

+ -

Good usability and re-usability

Quality and coverage strongly depends on the automation skills of implementing person

Good test flow coverage Continuous maintenance issues due to a big amount of the code

Multi-environment support Manual validation is required 24

ExampleData set

Test script

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Keyword-driven testing

• Good fit for a multi-application testing featuring multi-environment, big datasets, and a big number of short and straight Test Cases

• Users de-compose test cases into reusable action keywords

• Non-coders are able to author automated test cases with action keywords

+ -

Test development doesn’t require programming skills

Due to keywords limit doesn’t allow covering very complicated Test Cases

Good test flow coverage Meta-language specific training is required for staff

Compact code Manual validation is required26

Example

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Hybrid testing

• Combines the best of data-driven and keyword-driven testing:– User defines data sets to run tests with– User also defines flow control through action keywords– Data is separated from script and stored in external data

source with action keywords

+ -

Test Plan / Test Scenario creation doesn’t require programming or training on the Testing Tool

Requires initial investment for design and implementation of the framework

Compact code and scalable architecture

Built-in strict validation 28

Framework components

• Test generation (data and script generators).Tools might create specialized data such as randomized email messages, or populate databases etc.

• System configuration. Tools might preserve or reproduce system parameters.

• Test execution. Tools might operate the software itself, either simulating a user working through the GUI and using an alternative testable interface.

• Oracles. An oracle is any mechanism by which we detect failure or success. Tools might automatically detect certain kinds of error conditions in a product.

• Activity recording & coverage analysis. Tools might watch testing as it happens and retrospectively report what was and was not tested.

• Test management. Tools might record test results, organize test ideas or metrics.

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General framework structure

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Common functional automated test tools

Tool + -

IBM / Rational Functional Tester (RFT)

•Built as Eclipse plug-in with full IDE, Java support and source management

•Supports Web-based applications, .Net, Java, Siebel, SAP®, PowerBuilder, AJAX, Adobe Flex, Adobe PDF documents

•Full GUI Object Map repository

•License cost

HP / Mercury Quick Test Pro (QTP)

•Supports Web 2.0, GWT, Dojo, YUI, Silverlight, Flex, Ajax, JAVA, .NET applications

•Full GUI Object Map repository•Seamless integration with

QualityCenter

•No IDE (changing in release 10)

•License cost•VisualBasic

scripting is limited

Selenium RC & IDE

•Good browser support•Good language support (JAVA,

Ruby, C#)•Can be easily extended as JUnit

suite•Open-source (no license cost)

•No GUI Object repository

•Only web-based application support

•Tool support is limited

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Tools examples

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Summary

• Automated testing improves productivity, accuracy, increases test coverage, saves time and cost

• Need to decide what to automate and what to manually test

• The framework provides the basis of test automation and simplifies the automation effort.

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More information

• http://www.slideshare.net/lfingerman/test-automation-best-prcatices-with-soa-test-approach

• http://opuntia.cs.utep.edu/utjml/utest.html• http://www.slideshare.net/yogindernath/understanding-of-

automation-framework-presentation• http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/591.html• http://www.satisfice.com/presentations/agileauto.pdf• http://automation-beyond.com/2009/05/30/test-automation-

practices-recordplayback/• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_automation• http://www.slideshare.net/directi/automated-testing-vs-manual-

testing-391121

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Thank you!Thank you!

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Question ???Question ???

• What is the benefit of automated testing?

• What are the common types of automated testing methods?

• What are the common types of frameworks?

• What components come to framework?

• What are the examples of automated testing tools?

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