Category Partition Method
The Category-Partition Method for Specifying and Generating Functional Tests.
Content:
• Introduction. • The category-partition method: - characteristics. - the method. - examples. • Other methods.
The goal of functional testing
• To find discrepancies between the actual behavior of the implemented system’s function and the desired behavior as described in the system’s functional specification.
How to achieve this goal ?
• Tests have to be execute for all the system functions. • Tests have to be designed to maximize the chances of finding errors in the software.
Functional test can be derived from 3 sources:
1. The software specification.
2. Design information. 3. The code itself.
Partition - The standard approach
• The main idea is to partition the input domain of function being tested, and then select test data for each class of the partition.
• The problem of all the existing techniques is the lack of systematic.
The category partition method main characteristics:
• The test specification : - is concise and uniform representation of the test information for a function. - it can be easily modified. - it gives the tester a logical way to control the volume of tests.
The category partition method main characteristics (cont.):
• Using generator tool help us : - to provides an automated way to produce thorough tests. - to avoid impossible or undesirable tests. • The method emphasizes both the specification coverage and the error detection aspects of testing.
A strategy for test case generation
1. Transform the system’s specification to be more concise and structured. 2. Decompose the specification into functional unit - to be tested independently.
3. Identify the parameters and environment conditions.
A strategy for test case generation (cont)
4. Find categories that characterize each
parameter and environment condition.
5. Every category should be partitioned into distinct choices .
formal test specification
Content:
• Introduction. • The category-partition method: - characteristics. - the method. - examples. • Other methods.
The goal of functional testing
• To find discrepancies between the actual behavior of the implemented system’s function and the desired behavior as described in the system’s functional specification.
How to achieve this goal ?
• Tests have to be execute for all the system functions. • Tests have to be designed to maximize the chances of finding errors in the software.
Functional test can be derived from 3 sources:
1. The software specification.
2. Design information. 3. The code itself.
Partition - The standard approach
• The main idea is to partition the input domain of function being tested, and then select test data for each class of the partition.
• The problem of all the existing techniques is the lack of systematic.
The category partition method main characteristics:
• The test specification : - is concise and uniform representation of the test information for a function. - it can be easily modified. - it gives the tester a logical way to control the volume of tests.
The category partition method main characteristics (cont.):
• Using generator tool help us : - to provides an automated way to produce thorough tests. - to avoid impossible or undesirable tests. • The method emphasizes both the specification coverage and the error detection aspects of testing.
A strategy for test case generation
1. Transform the system’s specification to be more concise and structured. 2. Decompose the specification into functional unit - to be tested independently.
3. Identify the parameters and environment conditions.
A strategy for test case generation (cont)
4. Find categories that characterize each
parameter and environment condition.
5. Every category should be partitioned into distinct choices .
formal test specification