Test Data Documentation“Ink is better than the best memory”

INTERNAL

Agenda

– Why Documentation???

– IEEE 829 for Test Case Specification

– What is Test Data?

– Advantages of accurate Test Data and its documentation

– Practice…..

– Test Design Techniques aiding test data identification• Boundary Value analysis• Equivalence Partitioning• State Transition diagram• Decision Table Testing

– Conclusion

INTERNAL - Presentation title goes here. 2

The width of the placeholder can be altered depending on the dimension of your image. Do not increase the height of the image more than this grey box. The right gradient bar should always be aligned with the logo. The left gradient bar can be moved to left-align with the image as shown in this example.

Test Data Documentation The Power of Test Data!!!

Every Discussion on Software development process concludes with a loud and clear but obvious conclusion “We need to adopt the

best practices in the industry”.

Lets start with one today!!!

INTERNAL

Test Data Test data should be developed by a tester and must contain a sample of every category of valid data as

well as many invalid conditions as possible.

FACTS• Preparing proper test data is part of the test setup

– Some data may be used in a confirmatory way, typically to verify that a given set of input to a given function produces some expected result.

– Data may be used in order to challenge the ability of the program to respond to unusual, extreme, exceptional, or unexpected input.

• Test data may be produced in a focused or systematic way as is typically the case in domain testing or by using less-focused approaches

• Test data may be produced by the tester, or by a program or function that aids the tester. This data may be recorded for re-use, or used once and then forgotten.

• The test data may be any kind of input to application, any kind of file that is loaded by the application or entries read from the database tables. It may be in any format like xml test data, system test data, SQL test data or stress test data.

INTERNAL - Presentation title goes here. 4

Why Documentation….???• Documentation can save an organization’s time, efforts and money and helps in acceptance.

• Document what is required for you to understand your work and what you will need to produce to your stakeholders whenever required.

• There are many documents used in software testing life cycle.

• Here I am listing few important software testing documents that we need to use/maintain regularly:1. Test plan2. Test design and Test case specification3. Test Strategy4. Test summary reports5. Weekly Status Report6. User Documents/ manuals7. User Acceptance Report8. Risk Assessment9. Test Log10.Bug reports11.Test data12.Test analysis

INTERNAL - Presentation title goes here. 5

IEEE 829: Test Case Specification Standard

• Test Case Specification specifies the test data for use in running the test conditions identified in the Test Design Specification

Input Specifications• Data Names• Ordering• Values (with tolerances or generation procedures)• States• Timing

– The exact input values that will be input and the values of any standing data that is required,

– The exact output values and changes of value of the internal system state that are expected,

– And any special steps for setting up the tests.

• Lack of test data can become a risk to testing

INTERNAL

Advantages of proper Test data and its documentation• Generating test data for a range of test cases will save time and money

• By efficiently creating suitable test data, accurate verification is possible

• Test Data Documentation helps in enriching it with required manipulation and version control– This test data can be used for further regression saving time and efforts.– This Test Data can be effectively utilized by the users performing the acceptance tests also– This data helps in fixing issues caused due to lack of documents

• Brings a systematic approach for building test data without which,– While writing and executing test cases, there are chances of missing some important test cases – An important test could be missed by improper test data

• Helps to synchronize our quality process with documentation standards and other process of the organization and reduce the defect rejection caused by Test Data issues

• Ensure Test Coverage in terms of more scenarios covered than through the Test procedure specification ensure all combinations of data exist

It’s every testers responsibility to create his/her own test data according to testing needs.

INTERNAL

PRACTICE…..

• Customize a Test Data template to your needs based on your tests.

• Add/insert your own data sets in the available database.

• It’s a good way to design test data, append your new test case data to the existing test bed thus having Comprehensive test data.

• Keep your valuable input data collection intact i.e. keep personal copies of the same data. It may be of any format like inputs to be provided to the application, input files such as word file, excel file or other photo files.

• Before executing any test case on existing data make sure that data is not manipulated or corrupted and application applies to the same.

• Check and update the test data before execution of any test case.

• Record and link test data to the Test Scripts ensuring test coverage

• - more to come

Powerful test data design powered by test data creation - two key elements to guarantee the effectiveness of your testing

INTERNAL

Test Design Techniques aiding test data Identification

1. Boundary Value analysis

2. Equivalence Partitioning

3. State Transition diagram

4. Decision Table Testing

These test design techniques can effectively aid in the test data identification directly or indirectly.

INTERNAL

Equivalence Partitioning

• If software behaves in an identical way for a set of value, then the set is termed as equivalence class or a partition and can be assumed safely that functionality of the software will be same for any data value from the equivalence class or partition.

• It is an attempt to get a good 'hit rate', to find the most errors with the smallest number of test cases.

• A Technique that divides the input data of a software unit into partitions of data.

E.g.: If you are testing for an input box accepting numbers from 1 to 1000 (example will be changed)

1. The valid class ( 1 to 1000)2. The invalid class (< 0)3. The invalid class ( > 1000 )

INTERNAL

Boundary value Analysis

• The boundaries of software component input ranges can be effectively addressed.• Concentrate the testing effort on error prone areas by accurately pinpointing the

boundaries of conditions.

IDENTIFY EQUIVALENCE CLASSES

– For example, if the output specifications for the inventory system stated that a report on inventory should indicate a total quantity for all products no greater than 999,999, then you d add the following classes to the ones you found previously:Test data exactly as the input boundaries of input domain (i.e. 1 and 1000)

1. Test data with values just below the extreme edges of input domains i.e. values 0 and 999.

2. Test data with values just above the extreme edges of input domain i.e. values 2 and 1001.

INTERNAL

State Transition & Decision Tables

• Decision tables help in Cause Effect Analysis• The logic that can be structured is: Cause = Condition Effect is action = Expected Results

State Transition technique includes all the valid and invalid combinations of test data.

These diagrams can be effectively direct our test efforts in identifying the test data and thereby

INTERNAL

Conclusion

Although all of us do accept that comprehensive test data preparation is a time consuming

and tedious task and at times would prove to be impractical, with such a powerful test data, testing can be the Best of it. Lets enjoy being the best testers through Proper Test Data.

INTERNAL

Presenter’s Name: Ashwini Poloju

INTERNAL