Published on December 2nd, 2019 | by Ali Dino
04 Levels of Software Testing & Advantages
Before the release of a product in the industry, it has to undergo different levels of software testing for ensuring that it is working in a proper manner, Software testing is known to be primarily divided into four levels which include integration testing, unit testing, user acceptance testing, and system testing.
Unit testing
Component testing or unit testing is regarded as the initial phase of the software testing process. A unit is recognized to be the independent or testable component of any software.
The software developers perform unit testing before handing the software to the quality assurance of testing text for the execution of different formal tests. The ultimate goal of unit testing is ensuring that each unit of the software is functioning, according to the specifications.
Besides this, the cost of fixing the errors and bugs in the later phases is known to be higher, in comparison to the earlier tests. Unit testing plays an integral role in reducing the costs by finding different issues at the earlier phase. As a software testing company uses white box testing at this phase.
Integration testing
Unit testing is the next step in unit testing. In this specific phase, all the units are known to be integrated together and then tested. It is recognized to b a form of testing which is performed for finding different depicts in the interacts as well as the interfaces which exist between different integrated units. Black box testing is generally used during this phase. However, in several cases, a combination of white and black testing is done together.
There are primarily four integration testing approaches which include
Big Bang
In this approach, all the modules and components are known to be integrated together for the completion of the software. Next to this, integration testing is done.
Top-down
In this process, the process is conducted from the highest level module to the lower level one. For this method, a Test stub is required. A stub is recognized to be a module that will be replacing sub-modules temporarily in case they are not present during the early stage for integration.
Bottom-up
Bottom-up testing contributes to being a process in which the lowest level components are known to be tested at first after which the progressive level components need to be tested. Drivers are necessary for this process for the stimulation of the primary modules that are not available in the earlier stage.
Sandwich
Hybrid testing or sandwich testing is recognized to be a kind of integration testing which is regarded as the combination of bottom-up and top-down testing.
System testing
System testing is recognized to be a kind of black-box testing process and here the knowledge of the internal code is not necessary. Such kind of testing is executed in an environment which resembles the production environment closely for offering an efficient and trustworthy outcome. It is a vital stage as it helps in evaluating the technical, business and functional requirements.
User acceptance testing
User acceptance testing is recognized to be the final stage of software testing. Such kind of testing is known to be performed by the end-users for ensuring that it is capable of handling essential tasks in real-world scenarios, according to the specifications. If the software passes the stage successfully, it indicates that the end-user has already accepted it before the release of the product.
There are different kinds of user acceptance testing which include
Alpha and beta testing
The ultimate goal is validating the fitness for use of the product by the users of the business. The user acceptance test is known to be performed by the application managers and users.
Contract acceptance testing
It is a prerequisite to test the developed software against specific specifications and criteria which are agreed upon and predefined in the contract. The project team defines the relevant specifications and criteria.
Benefits of software testing
Modern software apps are interconnected and integrated with several systems. This makes the workflow of the product really complex. In case the system that lies outside the enterprise environment encounters any error or failure. It might have an impact on the working of the software with which they are integrated.
In such kind of scenario, software testing provides accurate testing of the product by testing it at different layers, from the front end through the back-end, the interfaces as well as the final endpoints.
In software testing, the software is tested as well as validated at different layers such as a business layer, data layer, presentation layer, and integration layer. It helps in ensuring the complete correctness as well as the health of the software. In addition to this, it also verified the performance and functioning of the software before it is launched in the market.
In software testing, the application or software is tested rigorously after each sprint and iteration. Hence, there will be negligible chances of risks and failure in the software. As the software is tested thoroughly, you will be capable of delivering a high quality of the product in the market.
Software testing decreases the chances of breakdowns frequently and reduces testing efforts. A wide array of business organizations opt for software testing for bringing a reduction in the error recurrence, indicating that the software does not need to undergo repeated testing. It reduces the time and costs of software testing which are helpful in achieving improved productivity in different other processes.
Software testing plays an integral role in scaling and testing the product across a plethora of various devices, systems, servers, layers, APIs, database interactions, and communication. In addition to this, end to end software testing is useful in responding to the changing requirements of the business. It is useful in adding better agility to the whole testing project.
Software testing is recognized to be a process of identifying different faults or bugs in the existing product before it is launched in the market. Software testing provides a much-required assurance that works suitably and the performance is not going to get affected owing to integration.