Thursday

Introduction to Black Box Testing Techniques

Firstly let us understand the meaning of Black Box Testing.

The term 'Black Box' refers to the software, which is treated as a black box. By treating it as a black box, we mean that the system or source code is not checked at all. It is done from customer's viewpoint. The test engineer engaged in black box testing only knows the set of inputs and expected outputs and is unaware of how those inputs are transformed into outputs by the software.

Types of Black Box Testing Techniques: Following techniques are used for performing black box testing


1) Boundary Value Analysis (BVA)

2) Equivalence Class Testing

3) Decision Table based testing

4) Cause-Effect Graphing Technique


1) Boundary Value Analysis (BVA):

This testing technique believes and extends the concept that the density of defect is more towards the boundaries. This is done to the following reasons

a) Usually the programmers are not able to decide whether they have to use <= operator or < operator when trying to make comparisons.

b) Different terminating conditions of For-loops, While loops and Repeat loops may cause defects to move
around the boundary conditions.

c) The requirements themselves may not be clearly understood, especially around the boundaries, thus causing even the correctly coded program to not perform the correct way.


2) Equivalence Class Testing:
The use of equivalence classes as the basis for functional testing is appropriate in situations like

a) When exhaustive testing is desired.

b) When there is a strong need to avoid redundancy.

The above are not handled by BVA technique as we can see massive redundancy in the tables of test cases. In this technique, the input and the output domain is divided into a finite number of equivalence classes.


3) Decision Table Based Testing:

Decision tables are a precise and compact way to model complicated logic. Out of all the functional testing methods, the ones based on decision tables are the most rigorous due to the reason that the decision tables enforce logical rigour.

Decision tables are ideal for describing situations in which a number of combinations of actions are taken under varying sets of conditions.


4) Cause-Effect Graphing Technique:

This is basically a hardware testing technique adapted to software testing. It considers only the desired external behaviour of a system. This is a testing technique that aids in selecting test cases that logically relate Causes (inputs) to Effects (outputs) to produce test cases.

A “Cause” represents a distinct input condition that brings about an internal change in the system. An “Effect” represents an output condition, a system transformation or a state resulting from a combination of causes.



Note:-If you required anything regarding ISTQB just comment here.
Based on that I will write my blog or if possible I will forward in your email id.

Introduction To Software Testing

Testing is a process used to help identify the correctness, completeness and quality of developed computer software. With that in mind, testing can never completely establish the correctness of computer software.

There are many approaches to software testing, but effective testing of complex products is essentially a process of investigation, not merely a matter of creating and following rote procedure. One definition of testing is "the process of questioning a product in order to evaluate it", where the "questions" are things the tester tries to do with the product, and the product answers with its behavior in reaction to the probing of the tester. Although most of the intellectual processes of testing are nearly identical to that of review or inspection, the word testing is connoted to mean the dynamic analysis of the product—putting the product through its paces.

The quality of the application can and normally does vary widely from system to system but some of the common quality attributes include reliability, stability, portability, maintainability and usability.

Testing helps is Verifying and Validating if the Software is working as it is intended to be working. Thins involves using Static and Dynamic methodologies to Test the application.

Because of the fallibility of its human designers and its own abstract, complex nature, software development must be accompanied by quality assurance activities. It is not unusual for developers to spend 40% of the total project time on testing. For life-critical software (e.g. flight control, reactor monitoring), testing can cost 3 to 5 times as much as all other activities combined. The destructive nature of testing requires that the developer discard preconceived notions of the correctness of his/her developed software.