Area Of Software Testing Research Articles

The application of iterative interval arithmetic in path-wise test data generation

Research of path-wise test data generation is crucial and challenging in the area of software testing, which can be formulated as a constraint satisfaction problem. In our previous research, a look-ahead search method has been proposed as the constraint solver for path-wise test data generation. This paper analytically studies interval arithmetic of the search method in detail, which enforces arc consistency, and introduces the iterative operator to improve it, aiming at detecting infeasible paths as well as shortening generation time. Experiments were conducted to compare the iterative operator with the classical look-ahead operator AC-3, and to compare the test data generation method using the iterative operator with some currently existing methods. Experimental results validate the effectiveness and practical deployment of the proposed iterative method, and demonstrate that it is applicable in engineering.

A revisit of three studies related to random testing

Software testing is an approach that ensures the quality of software through execution, with a goal being to reveal failures and other problems as quickly as possible. Test case selection is a fundamental issue in software testing, and has generated a large body of research, especially with regards to the effectiveness of random testing (RT), where test cases are randomly selected from the software’s input domain. In this paper, we revisit three of our previous studies. The first study investigated a sufficient condition for partition testing (PT) to outperform RT, and was motivated by various controversial and conflicting results suggesting that sometimes PT performed better than RT, and sometimes the opposite. The second study aimed at enhancing RT itself, and was motivated by the fact that RT continues to be a fundamental and popular testing technique. This second study enhanced RT fault detection effectiveness by making use of the common observation that failure-causing inputs tend to cluster together, and resulted in a new family of RT techniques: adaptive random testing (ART), which is random testing with an even spread of test cases across the input domain. Following the successful use of failure-causing region contiguity insights to develop ART, we conducted a third study on how to make use of other characteristics of failure-causing inputs to develop more effective test case selection strategies. This third study revealed how best to approach testing strategies when certain characteristics of the failure-causing inputs are known, and produced some interesting and important results. In revisiting these three previous studies, we explore their unexpected commonalities, and identify diversity as a key concept underlying their effectiveness. This observation further prompted us to examine whether or not such a concept plays a role in other areas of software testing, and our conclusion is that, yes, diversity appears to be one of the most important concepts in the field of software testing.

An UI Layout Files Analyzer for Test Data Generation

Prevention actions (trainings, audits) and inspections (tests, validations, code reviews) are crucial factors in achieving a high quality level for any software application simply because low investments in this area are leading to significant expenses in terms of corrective actions needed for defect fixing. Mobile applications testing involves use of various tools and scenarios. An important process is represented by test data generation. This paper proposes a test data generator (TDG) system for mobile applications using several sources for test data and it focuses on UI layout files analyzer module. The proposed architecture aims to reduce time-to-market for mobile applications. The focus is on test data generators based on source code, user interface layout files (using markup languages like XML or XAML) and application specifications. In order to assure a common interface for test data generators, an XML or JSON-based language called Data Specification Language (DSL) is proposed.Keywords: Mobile Applications, Software Testing, Test Data Generators, Software Quality, Time-to-Market, UI Layout1 IntroductionS oftware testing is an important phase within software development cycle. It is also an expensive phase counting about 40% of total cost associated with software development [1], [2].According to ISO9000 standard [13], quality associated to a deliverable is seen as being the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfill requirements. If requirements are not (completely) met, severe consequences may follow, like intensive rework or even risk of losing business.From an economic point of view, quality measures are indicating application actual metrics (in terms of cost, time and scope) that can be easily compared with planned ones. To fulfill requirements is crucial but way in which these requirements are met in terms of time, cost and application scope is also very important because an application may be delivered in time but with a lot extra work and/or by using lighter inspections, so project may not be so successful due to reduced profits and very possible future implementation costs.When discussing about quality of a software application, usually there are two types of costs assigned [14]:§ poor quality costs - defects that must be repaired by corrective actions;§ good quality costs - code inspections and prevention activities, like planning, training and auditing.As illustrated into Figure 1, any application can reach a great quality level at a reasonable cost by positioning itself just above optimal point indicated by vertical line.Testing methodologies include white-box and black-box approaches [3], [4]. White-box testing considers internal structure of programs. In this case, test data generation uses several coverage criteria (path, statement, branch etc.). Black-box testing does not depend on internal structure of programs. Test data is generated based on program specifications.One area of software testing that can be automated is test data generation. Test data generation based on coverage can use random or optimized inputs, engaging advanced techniques [5], [6].There is a continuous uptrend of mobile application development. Compared with other software solutions, time-to-market for mobile applications tends to be shorter. A mobile application can be used on different versions of target platform, on different hardware configurations (screen size, processor architecture, processor speed, memory capacity etc.), different types of networks (Wi-Fi, mobile) etc. In this respect, mobile applications testing is more challenging than other type of application testing [7], [8], [9]. Every improvement of testing process for mobile applications helps achieving high quality software, reducing development costs and time-to-market. …

Cloud Testing: A State-of-the-Art Review

This paper provides a state-of-the-art review of cloud testing. Cloud computing, a new paradigm for developing and delivering computing applications and services, has gained considerable attention in recent years. Cloud computing can impact all software life cycle stages, including the area of software testing. TaaS (Testing as a Service) or cloud testing, which includes testing the cloud and testing using the cloud, is a fast developing area of research in software engineering. The paper addresses the following three areas: (1) general research in cloud testing, (2) specific cloud testing research, i.e., tools, methods, and systems under test, and (3) commercial TaaS tools and solutions..

Adaptive Random Testing: The ART of test case diversity

Random testing is not only a useful testing technique in itself, but also plays a core role in many other testing methods. Hence, any significant improvement to random testing has an impact throughout the software testing community. Recently, Adaptive Random Testing (ART) was proposed as an effective alternative to random testing. This paper presents a synthesis of the most important research results related to ART. In the course of our research and through further reflection, we have realised how the techniques and concepts of ART can be applied in a much broader context, which we present here. We believe such ideas can be applied in a variety of areas of software testing, and even beyond software testing. Amongst these ideas, we particularly note the fundamental role of diversity in test case selection strategies. We hope this paper serves to provoke further discussions and investigations of these ideas.

Letter from the editors

Hello, scholars, and welcome to volume 39(2) of Data Base! We have lots of interesting perspectives on the world of IT in these pages, and plenty of interesting developments to share with you. In this issue we feature the work of a number of leading scholars, including an article by Miguel Aguirre-Urreta and George Marakas on evolving conceptual modeling methods in the software development process. This critical examination of the extended entity relationship model as an alternative to more mature conceptual modeling formalisms, such as the UML of the object orientation, provides us with important new perspectives on the evolving practice of software engineering. This sort of work fills a niche that Data Base seeks to serve in the emergent area of software design and testing. You'll see more work of this sort very soon in Data Base, as part of a forthcoming special issue on systems testing later in the year. Also in these pages, we feature Arik Ragowsky and David Gefen, with an important article on ERP and the strategic orientation of firms. Data Base is edited in a town that features a number of high profile ERP implementations, and the topic has been of long standing interest to us from both strategic and operational perspectives. These colleagues give us the useful theoretical lens of the Strategic Grid through which to view ERP implementation projects, and this provides a critical contribution to our understanding of the design and implementation of these complex and mission-critical systems in the firm. We also have a fascinating study on virtual teams by Rosalie Ocker and Jerry Fjermestad. This emergent organizational form gets a lot of attention in our research and our teaching, as IT development globalizes. But, how well do we really understand the factors that lead to better performance in teams separated by geographical distances? These virtual teams are supported by information systems implementations designed to support work groups, but deep investigation into the use of such systems and the success factors arising from them remains to be conducted, until now. It appears that in using asynchronous communications, high performing teams don't just exchange ideas and information - they argue about things. They debate, and closely examine pros and cons of various suggestions and proposals as part of solving their workgroup problems and completing their assigned tasks. Such systems-supported teams, it seems, spend far less time brainstorming and exploring dimensions of problems than they do making critical commentaries and debating solutions to the problems, often in classic argumentative styles. In addition to the leading-edge work you find in this issue, you can expect more of the same soon to come in these pages. Your Data Base is engaging innovation and evolution in order to both better serve you as a research outlet and better serve the scientific community of information systems researchers with expanded and innovative venues for scholarly discourse. Watch closely for coming developments; we intend, for example, to begin the practice of actively soliciting measure validation research. It is our view that the reluctance of many information systems journals to welcome and nurture the scale development process, specifically for its own benefits and values, has served to stifle innovation and creativity in the development of new measures for important new constructs in our literature. This, in turn, can only hamper the precision with which we as scholars operationalize these important constructs in our research. Particularly at a time when new measure development techniques and practices are emerging in our literature, it is critical that we welcome and promulgate important work that serves to demonstrate not only the methods for, but also the validated outcomes of, operationalizations of critical information systems constructs. For that purpose, Managing Editor Andy Schwarz soon will be taking an important Senior Editor role specific to the solicitation, review and publication of measure development articles in our pages. As part of that process, we will have a new Managing Editor to introduce to you with the advent of our next issue. There are additional developments yet ahead, including an issue showcasing the research produced by the Chinese chapter of the AIS, an issue dedicated to HCI research, and much more of interest to the scholarly community. We will be informing you of these developments in more detail as they reach fruition. Meanwhile, continue to send us your best work. We are easily accessible at our global online submission and review portal, located through links at http://the-detabase.org, or directly accessed at Editorial Manager via http://www.editorialmanager.com/sigmisdb/. We look forward to hearing from you!

Editorial: New Associate Editors Introduction

IT is my pleasure to introduce and welcome three new members of the Editorial Board, Antonia Bertolino, Ross Jeffery, and Patrick McDaniel. Dr. Bertolino will assist us in the areas of software testing and software dependability, as well as other nonfunctional properties, Professor Jeffery in the areas of software engineering process and product modeling and improvement, and in software quality, metrics, and management, and Professor McDaniel in various aspects of software security, such as in network and systems, programming languages, telecommunications, digital rights, and policies. The brief biographies of these new AEs can be found below. I look forward to working with our new AEs. I would also like to thank the following people who have retired from the Editorial Board so far this year: Tom Ball, Bill Frakes, Pankaj Jalote, Robyn Lutz, and Avi Rubin. These colleagues have voluntarily given their time and effort to the task of paper management and peer review, helping to maintain the reputation of the IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering as a fi rst-class journal. I am very grateful for their support. Finally, I would like to use this opportunity to give you news of some changes at TSE. It has been decided that, beginning in January 2008, TSE should go from 12 monthly issues per year to 6 bimonthly issues. The result will be fewer but healthier issues with more papers and content per issue, which will be easier for the IEEE CS to produce and which will help us to reduce our costs. Bimonthly issues will not penalize authors: We already have electronic publication (Rapid Posting) on acceptance and the maximum increase in paper publication delay will be a month. Readers will also not suffer as all subscriptions include both online access and printed copies of the journal. Although this will mean fewer issues per year, the intention is not to reduce the content. On the contrary, TSE has the capacity to publish more papers of the required quality. Despite receiving around one paper submission every day, we continue to provide rigorous review and relatively fast turnaround, with average times from submission to fi rst decision of 4 months and to publication of around 13 months. I encourage all authors in the software engineering fi eld to submit their best work to TSE.

A historical perspective on runtime assertion checking in software development

This report presents initial results in the area of software testing and analysis produced as part of the Software Engineering Impact Project. The report describes the historical development of runtime assertion checking, including a description of the origins of and significant features associated with assertion checking mechanisms, and initial findings about current industrial use. A future report will provide a more comprehensive assessment of development practice, for which we invite readers of this report to contribute information.

Packaging experiences for improving testing technique selection

One of the major problems within the software testing area is how to get a suitable set of cases to test a software system. A good set of test cases should assure maximum effectiveness with as few cases as possible. There are now numerous testing techniques available for generating test cases. However, many are never used, while just a few are used over and over again. Testers use little (if any) information about the available techniques, their usefulness and, generally, how suited they are to the project at hand, upon which to base their decision on which testing techniques to use. Using a characterisation schema is one solution for improving testing techniques selection. The schema helps to choose the best-suited techniques for a given project based on relevant information for the purpose of selection, assuring that testers’ selections are systematic. However, a characterisation schema is only part of the solution. We have found that a critical aspect for making a good selection is the availability of the necessary information and the sources of information that have to be consulted to access this information. Any organisation wishing to use characterisation schemas to select SE techniques needs to first address the issue of packaging the information that the schema contains.

A Characterisation Schema for Software Testing Techniques

One of the major problems within the software testing area is how to get a suitable set of cases to test a software system. This set should assure maximum effectiveness with the least possible number of test cases. There are now numerous testing techniques available for generating test cases. However, many are never used, and just a few are used over and over again. Testers have little (if any) information about the available techniques, their usefulness and, generally, how suited they are to the project at hand upon, which to base their decision on which testing techniques to use. This paper presents the results of developing and evaluating an artefact (specifically, a characterisation schema) to assist with testing technique selection. When instantiated for a variety of techniques, the schema provides developers with a catalogue containing enough information for them to select the best suited techniques for a given project. This assures that the decisions they make are based on objective knowledge of the techniques rather than perceptions, suppositions and assumptions.

Software debugging, testing, and verification

In commercial software development organizations, increased complexity of products, shortened development cycles, and higher customer expectations of quality have placed a major responsibility on the areas of software debugging, testing, and verification. As this issue of the IBM Systems Journal illustrates, there are exciting improvements in the underlying technology on all three fronts. However, we observe that due to the informal nature of software development as a whole, the prevalent practices in the industry are still immature, even in areas where improved technology exists. In addition, tools that incorporate the more advanced aspects of this technology are not ready for large-scale commercial use. Hence there is reason to hope for significant improvements in this area over the next several years.