Tool Support for Testing

Question 1

What is CAST?

Answer 1

Computer Adied Software Testing.

Question 2

What is a Test Tool?

Answer 2

A software product that support one or more test activities.

Question 3

What can Test Tools be used for?

Answer 3

Directly in testing tasks, to help manage the test process, to monitor and report, and to help testing.

Question 4

Why would a Tester use a Test Tool?

Answer 4

To improve efficiency of testing, to support manual activties, to automate repetitive tasks, to increase abilities of testing.

Question 5

What are Test Management Tools?

Answer 5

Tools that provide interfaces for executing tests, tracking efects, and managing requirements.

Question 6

What are Requirements Management Tools?

Answer 6

Store business requirements and allow to identify incostintent, overlapping, missing requirements. They allow to have unique identifiers, descriptions, attributes, and links between requirements.

Question 7

What are Incident Management Tools?

Answer 7

Tool that store and manage incident report, such as defects. They support the logging of incidents. Mayb be bundled with other test management tools.

Question 8

What are configuration management tools?

Answer 8

Used for storage and version management of testware and related software.They store version, build, configuration, and more.

Question 9

What are Review Tools?

Answer 9

Tools that assist with the review processes, checklists, review guidelines, and defects. Used to store and communicate reviewers comments.

Question 10

What are Static Analysis Tools?

Answer 10

Tools that help devs and testers to find defects in source code prior to dynamic testing.

Question 11

What are modelling tools?

Answer 11

These tools are used to validate software models by enumerating incositencies and finding defects.

Question 12

What are test design tools?

Answer 12

Allow to generate executable tests, test inputs, or test oracles automatically from requirements, design models, or code.

Question 13

What are data preparation tools?

Answer 13

Allow to manipulate databases, files, or data transmissions to set up test data to be used during the execution of tests.

Question 14

What are test execution tools?

Answer 14

Enable tests to be executed automatically or semi automatically using stored inoputs and expected outcomes, using a scripting language.

Question 15

What is Test Harness/Unit Test Framework tools?

Answer 15

Allow to simulate the envrionment or parts of a system to be tested. Used when software may not have a user interface or to run groups of exisiting automated test scripts.

Question 16

What is a stub?

Answer 16

Used to stimulate routines which have not yet been written, and can print or display the values passed to them.

Question 17

What are simulators?

Answer 17

Used to support tests where code or other systems are either unavailable or impracticable.

Question 18

What is a test harness?

Answer 18

Used to test when inerfaces may not yet exist.

Question 19

What are test comparator tools?

Answer 19

Used to compare actual results vs. expected results and analyse difference.

Question 20

What are coverage measurement tools?

Answer 20

Tools that measure the percentage of specific upe of code structures that have been exercised by a set of dynamic tests. (what code has been executed).

Question 21

What are security tools?

Answer 21

Used to evaluate the security charateristics of software such as the ability of the software to protect data.

Question 22

What are dynamic analysis tools?

Answer 22

They provide run-time information on the state of software under test.

Question 23

What are performance, load, stress testing tools?

Answer 23

They monitor the performance, check how a softare deals with more load.

Question 24

What are monitoring tools?

Answer 24

Tools continuosly analysing and verifying and reporting os usage of specific system resources (CPU).

Question 25

What are data quality assessment tools?

Answer 25

These tools assess data quality and integrity for data-centric projects such as data conversion/migration projects and data warehouse.

Question 26

What are possible benefits of using tools?

Answer 26

Reduce repetitive work, esnure greater consitency, improve accuracy, provide objective assesment, maintain historical data.

Question 27

What are potential risks of using tools?

Answer 27

Unrealistic expectations for the tool, costs, over-reliance on the tool, neglecting version control, no support.

Question 28

What are some contraints of test execution tools?

Answer 28

Some tools capture the users actions and then use them to test. There is significant effort to achieve benefits.

Question 29

Constraints of static analysis tools?

Answer 29

Large quantity of warning messages.

Question 30

Constraints with test management tools?

Answer 30

These tools need to interface with other tools or spreadsheets to produce useful information.

Question 31

What are some considerations when introducing a tool?

Answer 31

Tools are costly and must be treated like any other business project, with clear business objective and an estimate of cost-benefit.

Question 32

What should be done before introducing a tool?

Answer 32

A proof of concept or pilot to ensure the tool is going to generate benefits.

Question 33

What are deployment success factors?

Answer 33

Roll out incementaly, adapt and improve processes, provide training, define usage guidelines, monitor use and benefits, provide support, gather lessons learnt.