Software Testing Foundations : A Study Guide for the Certified Tester Exam

by Spillner, Andreas; Linz, Tilo; Schaefer, Hans

• ISBN13: 9783898643634
• ISBN10: 3898643638
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-05-04
• Publisher: Oreilly & Associates Inc

Summary

Professional testing of software is becoming a more and more important task, requiring a good education. The "Certified Tester" program offers a world wide standardized training and further education scheme for software testers.This book provides the necessary basic knowledge and explains the concepts with a running case study. The book extensively covers the most important methods for testing software and for checking the documents produced and used during software development.It includes: Fundamentals of testing Testing throughout the software life cycle Static testing techniques Dynamic testing techniques and test design Test management Tool support for testingNot only testers, but programmers as well should have this basic knowledge. The book is designed for self-study. The contents comprise the necessary curriculum to pass the Certified Tester (Foundation Level) examination as defined by the International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB). It conforms to the ISTQB Foundation Level Syllabus version 2005 and also covers the latest topics such as the test-first approach and risk based testing.From the foreword: "This book will provide you with a solid practical foundation for your work and study of testing. Software and system testing suffers from a serious gap between best practices and common practices. If you're someone who is making a living from doing testing but haven't gotten around to reading a book, why not start with this one?" (Rex Black, President of the ISTQB)

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
The Basics of Software Testing	p. 5
Terms and Motivation	p. 6
Error and Bug Terminology	p. 7
Testing Terms	p. 8
Software Quality	p. 10
Test Effort	p. 12
The Fundamental Test Process	p. 16
Test Planning and Control	p. 18
Test Analysis and Design	p. 20
Test Implementation and Execution	p. 23
Evaluation of the Test Exit Criteria and Reporting	p. 26
Test Closure Activities	p. 28
The Psychology of Testing	p. 29
General Principles of Testing	p. 31
Summary	p. 33
Testing in the Software Lifecycle	p. 35
The General V-model	p. 35
Component Test	p. 38
Explanation of Terms	p. 38
Test Objects	p. 38
Test Environment	p. 39
Test Objectives	p. 41
Test Strategy	p. 44
Integration Test	p. 45
Explanation of Terms	p. 45
Test Objects	p. 47
Test Environment	p. 48
Test Objectives	p. 48
Integration Strategies	p. 50
System Test	p. 53
Explanation of Terms	p. 53
Test Object and Test Environment	p. 54
Test Objectives	p. 55
Problems in System Test Practice	p. 55
Acceptance Test	p. 56
Testing for Acceptance According to the Contract	p. 57
Testing for User Acceptance	p. 58
Operational (Acceptance) Testing	p. 58
Field Testing	p. 59
Testing new Product Versions	p. 59
Software Maintenance	p. 59
Release Development	p. 61
Testing in Incremental Development	p. 62
Generic Types of Testing	p. 63
Functional Testing	p. 64
Non-functional Testing	p. 66
Testing of Software Structure	p. 68
Testing related to Changes and Regression Testing	p. 68
Summary	p. 70
Static Testing	p. 73
Structured Group Examinations	p. 73
Foundations	p. 73
Reviews	p. 74
The General Process	p. 75
Roles and Responsibilities	p. 79
Types of Reviews	p. 81
Static Analysis	p. 87
The Compiler as Static Analysis Tool	p. 89
Examination of Compliance to Conventions and Standards	p. 89
Data Flow Analysis	p. 90
Control Flow Analysis	p. 91
Determining Metrics	p. 92
Summary	p. 94
Dynamic Analysis - Test Design Techniques	p. 97
Black Box Testing Techniques	p. 101
Equivalence Class Partitioning	p. 101
Boundary Value Analysis	p. 112
State Transition Testing	p. 118
Cause-Effect Graphing and Decision Table Technique	p. 125
Use Case Testing	p. 129
Further Black Box Techniques	p. 131
General Discussion of the Black Box Technique	p. 132
White Box Testing Techniques	p. 133
Statement Coverage	p. 134
Branch Coverage	p. 136
Test of Conditions	p. 138
Path Coverage	p. 142
Further White Box Techniques	p. 146
General Discussion of the White Box Technique	p. 146
Instrumentation and Tool Support	p. 147
Intuitive and Experience Based Test Case Determination	p. 147
Summary	p. 150
Test Management	p. 155
Test Organization	p. 155
Test Teams	p. 155
Tasks and Qualifications	p. 158
Test Planning	p. 160
Quality Assurance Plan	p. 160
Test Plan	p. 161
Prioritizing Tests	p. 162
Test Exit Criteria	p. 164
Cost and Economy Aspects	p. 165
Costs of Defects	p. 165
Costs of Testing	p. 166
Test Effort Estimation	p. 168
Definition of Test Strategy	p. 169
Preventative vs. Reactive Approach	p. 169
Analytical vs. Heuristic Approach	p. 170
Testing and Risk	p. 171
Test Activity Management	p. 173
Test Cycle Planning	p. 173
Test Cycle Monitoring	p. 174
Test Cycle Control	p. 176
Incident Management	p. 177
Test Log	p. 177
Incident Reporting	p. 177
Incident Classification	p. 180
Incident Status	p. 181
Requirements to Configuration Management	p. 184
Relevant Standards	p. 186
Summary	p. 187
Test Tools	p. 189
Types of Test Tools	p. 189
Tools for Test Management and Control	p. 189
Tools for Test Specification	p. 192
Tools for Static Testing	p. 193
Tools for Dynamic Test	p. 194
Tools for Non-Functional Tests	p. 199
Selection and Introduction of Test Tools	p. 199
Cost Effectiveness of Tool Introduction	p. 200
Tool Selection	p. 202
Tool Introduction	p. 203
Summary	p. 204
Appendix	p. 205
Test Plan according to IEEE Std. 829	p. 207
Important information on the curriculum and on the Certified Tester exam	p. 213
Exercises	p. 215
Glossary	p. 219
Literature	p. 251
Index	p. 259
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.