Introduction to Software Testing Chapter 1 Introduction Paul

Introduction to Software Testing Chapter 1 Introduction Paul Ammann & Jeff Offutt http: //www. cs. gmu. edu/~offutt/softwaretest/

A Talk in 3 Parts 1. Why do we test ? 2. What should we do during testing ? 3. How do we get to this future of testing ? We are in the middle of a revolution in how software is tested Research is finally meeting practice Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 2

History and Motivation A few spectacular software failures Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 3

The First Bugs Hopper’s “bug” (moth stuck in a relay on an early machine) “an analyzing process must equally have been performed in order to furnish the Analytical Engine with the necessary operative data; and that herein may also lie a possible source of error. Granted that the actual mechanism is unerring in its processes, the cards may give it wrong orders. ” – Ada, Countess Lovelace (notes on Babbage’s Analytical Engine) Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) “It has been just so in all of my inventions. The first step is an intuition, and comes with a burst, then difficulties arise—this thing gives out and [it is] then that 'Bugs'—as such little faults and difficulties are called—show themselves and months of intense watching, study and labor are requisite. . . ” – Thomas Edison © Ammann & Offutt 4

Failures in Production Software n n NASA’s Mars lander, September 1999, crashed due to a units integration fault—over $50 million US ! Huge losses due to web application failures – Financial services : $6. 5 million per hour – Credit card sales applications : $2. 4 million per hour n n n In Dec 2006, amazon. com’s BOGO (Buy One Game, Get One at 50% Off or free) offer turned into a double discount 2007 : Symantec says that most security vulnerabilities are due to faulty software Stronger testing could solve most of these problems Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 5

Airbus 319 Safety Critical Software Control Loss of autopilot Loss of most flight deck lighting and intercom Loss of both the commander’s and the co‑pilot’s primary flight and navigation displays Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 6

Northeast Blackout of 2003 508 generating units and 256 power plants shut down Affected 10 million people in Ontario, Canada Affected 40 million people in 8 US states Financial losses of $6 Billion USD The alarm system in the energy management system failed due to a software error and operators were not informed of the power overload in the system Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 7

Software is a Skin that Surrounds Our Civilization Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 8

What Does This Mean? Software testing is getting more important Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 9

Testing in the 21 st Century n n We are going through a time of change Software defines behavior – network routers, finance, switching networks, other infrastructure n n n Industry is going through a revolution in – is much bigger what testing means to – is more competitive the success of software – has more users products Agile processes put increased pressure on testers Embedded Control Applications Today’s software market : – – – airplanes, air traffic control – PDAs – memory seats spaceships – DVD players watches – garage door openers ovens – cell phones remote controllers Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 10

Testing in the 21 st Century n n n More safety critical, real-time software Enterprise applications means bigger programs, more users Embedded software is ubiquitous … check your pockets Paradoxically (Surprisingly) free software increases our expectations Security is now all about software faults – Secure software is reliable software n The web offers a new deployment platform – Very competitive and very available to more users – Web apps are distributed – Web apps must be highly reliable Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 11

Mismatch in Needs and Goals n Industry wants testing to be simple and easy – Testers with no background in computing or math n Universities are graduating scientists – Industry needs engineers n n Testing needs to be done more rigorously (strictly, carefully) Agile processes put lots of demands on testing – Programmers must unit test – with no training, education or tools ! – Tests are key components of functional requirements – but who builds those tests ? Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 12

Cost of Testing You’re going to spend at least half of your development budget on testing, whether you want to or not !!! n In the real-world, testing is the principle post-design activity n Restricting early testing usually increases cost n Extensive hardware-software integration requires more testing Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 13

Part 1 : Why Test? If you don’t know why you’re conducting a test, it won’t be very helpful n Written test objectives and requirements are rare n What are your planned coverage levels? n How much testing is enough? n Common objective – spend the budget … Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 14

Why Test? If you don’t start planning for each test when the functional requirements are formed, you’ll never know why you’re conducting the test n 1980: “The software shall be easily maintainable” n Reliability is a threshold requirements? n Testing is all about Software Quality … n What fact is each test trying to verify? n Requirements definition teams should include testers! Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 15

Cost of Not Testing Program Managers often say: “Testing is too expensive. ” n Not testing is even more expensive n Planning for testing after development is prohibitively expensive (too expensive, unreasonable ) n A test station for circuit boards costs half a million dollars … n Software testing tools cost less than $10, 000, some of which are free (open source testing tools) !!! Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 16

Part 2 : What ? But … what should we do ? 1. Types of test activities 2. Software testing terms 3. Changing notions of testing – test coverage criteria – criteria based on structures Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 17

Types of Test Activities n Testing can be broken up into four general types of activities 1. Test Design 1. a) Criteria-based 2. Test Automation 1. b) Human-based 3. Test Execution 4. Test Evaluation n Each type of activity requires different skills, background knowledge, education and training n No reasonable software development organization uses the same people for requirements, design, implementation, integration and configuration control Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 18

Types of Test Activities – Summary 1 a. Design Criteria Design test values to satisfy coverage criteria or other engineering goals Requires knowledge of discrete math, programming and testing 1 b. Design Human 2. Design test values from domain knowledge and intuition Requires knowledge of domain, UI, testing Automation Embed test values into executable scripts Requires knowledge of scripting 3. Execution Run tests on the software and record the results Requires very little knowledge 4. Evaluation Evaluate results of testing (Expected vs. Actual), report to developers Requires domain knowledge n n These four general test activities are quite different It is a poor use of resources to use people inappropriately Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 19

Other Activities n Test management : – Sets policy, – chooses criteria, – organizes team, – interfaces with development specialist (development team), – decides how much automation is needed, … n Test maintenance : Tests must be saved for reuse as software evolves – Requires cooperation of test designers and automators – Deciding when to trim the test suite is partly policy and partly technical – generally is very hard ! – Tests should be put in configuration control (use of testing tools i. e. Junit) Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 20

Other Activities n Test documentation : All parties should participate n Each test must document 1. “why” – criterion and test requirement is satisfied or 2. a rationale for human-designed tests n Traceability throughout the process must be ensured n Documentation must be kept in the automated tests Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 21

Applying Test Activities To use our people effectively and to test efficiently we need a process that lets test designers raise their level of abstraction Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 22

Model-Driven Test Design model / structure refined requirements / test specs test requirements software artifact DESIGN ABSTRACTION LEVEL IMPLEMENTATION ABSTRACTION LEVEL Pass / Fail Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) test results input values test scripts © Ammann & Offutt test cases 23

Model-Driven Test Design – Steps model / structure analysis domain analysis software artifact refined test requirements / requirements test specs generate criterion test requirements IMPLEMENTATION ABSTRACTION LEVEL DESIGN ABSTRACTION LEVEL k feedbac execute evaluate automate test Pass / Fail results scripts cases Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt input values prefix postfix expected 24

Model-Driven Test Design – Activities model / structure test requirements Test Design refined requirements / test specs DESIGN ABSTRACTION LEVEL software artifact IMPLEMENTATION ABSTRACTION LEVEL input values Test Automation pass / fail Test Evaluation test results Test Execution test scripts test cases 25

Types of Activities in the Book Most of this book is on test design Other activities are well covered elsewhere Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 26

Software Testing Terms n Like any field, software testing comes with a large number of specialized terms that have particular meanings in this context n Some of the following terms are standardized, some are used consistently throughout the literature and the industry, but some vary by author, topic, or test organization n The definitions here are intended to be the most commonly used Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 27

Important Terms Validation & Verification (IEEE) § Validation : The process of evaluating software at the end of software development to ensure compliance with intended usage § Verification : The process of determining whether the products of a given phase of the software development process fulfill the requirements established during the previous phase IV&V stands for “independent verification and validation” Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 28

Verification and validation § Validation: does the software system meets the user's real needs? Are we building the right software? § Verification: does the software system meets the requirements specifications? Are we building the software right? (c) 2007 Mauro Pezzè & Michal Young Ch 2, slide 29

Validation and Verification Actual Requirements SW Specs Validation Includes usability testing, user feedback (c) 2007 Mauro Pezzè & Michal Young System Verification Includes testing, inspections, static analysis Ch 2, slide 30

Validation and Verification Activities validation verification

Test Engineer & Test Managers n Test Engineer : An IT professional who is in charge of one or more technical test activities – designing test inputs – producing test values – running test scripts – analyzing results – reporting results to developers and managers n Test Manager : In charge of one or more test engineers – sets test policies and processes – interacts with other managers on the project – otherwise helps the engineers do their work Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 32

Test Engineer Activities Test Manager design Test instantiate Designs Executable Tests Test Engineer execute Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) Output © Ammann & Offutt 33

Static and Dynamic Testing n Static Testing : Testing without executing the program – This include software inspections and some forms of analyses(static analysis) – Very effective at finding certain kinds of problems – especially “potential” faults, that is, problems that could lead to faults when the program is modified n Dynamic Testing : Testing by executing the program with real inputs Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 34

Software Faults, Errors & Failures n Software Fault : A static defect in the software n Software Error : An incorrect internal state that is the manifestation of some fault n Software Failure : External, incorrect behavior with respect to the requirements or other description of the expected behavior Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 35

Testing & Debugging n Testing : Finding inputs that cause the software to fail n Debugging : The process of finding (locating) the root cause of a fault given a failure Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 36

Fault & Failure Model Three conditions necessary for a failure to be observed 1. Reachability : The location or locations in the program that contain the fault must be reached 2. Infection : The state of the program must be incorrect 3. Propagation : The infected state must propagate to cause some output of the program to be incorrect Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 37

Test Case n Test Case Values : The values that directly satisfy one test requirement n Expected Results : The result that will be produced when executing the test if the program satisfies its intended behavior Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 38

Observability and Controllability n Software Observability : How easy it is to observe the behavior of a program in terms of its outputs, effects on the environment and other hardware and software components – Software that affects hardware devices, databases, or remote files have low observability n Software Controllability : How easy it is to provide a program with the needed inputs, in terms of values, operations, and behaviors – Easy to control software with inputs from keyboards – Inputs from hardware sensors or distributed software is harder Note: Data abstraction reduces controllability & observability? Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 39

Inputs to Affect Controllability and Observability n Prefix Values : Any inputs necessary to put the software into the appropriate state to receive the test case values n Postfix Values : Any inputs that need to be sent to the software after the test case values n Two types of postfix values 1. Verification Values : Values necessary to see the results of the test case values 2. Exit Commands : Values needed to terminate the program or otherwise return it to a stable state n Executable Test Script : A test case that is prepared in a form to be executed automatically on the test software and produce a report Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 40

Stress Testing Tests that are at the limit of the software’s expected input domain § Examples: § Very large numeric values (or very small) § Very long strings, empty strings § Null references § Very large files § Many users making requests at the same time § Invalid values § etc…. Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 41

Top-Down and Bottom-Up Testing n Top-Down Testing : Test the main procedure, then go down through procedures that it calls, and so on n Bottom-Up Testing : Test the leaves in the tree (procedures that make no calls), and move up to the root. – Each procedure is not tested until all of its children have been tested Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 42

White-box and Black-box Testing n Black-box testing : Deriving tests from external descriptions of the software, including specifications, requirements, and design n White-box testing : Deriving tests from the source code internals of the software, specifically including branches, individual conditions, and statements This view is really out of date. The more general question is: from what level of abstraction do we derive tests? Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 43

More About Testing Types n Load Test – Load Testing is a method of testing used to identify the performance of critical situations and the maximum workload the application can handle. – It is important, specially, for multi-user applications or web applications, where it is necessary to determine the application behavior under normal and peak load conditions. n Regression Testing – Regression testing is the process of testing changes to software programs to make sure that the older code still works with the new changes (for example, bug fixes or new functionality) that have been made. Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 44

More About Testing Types n Exploratory Testing – Exploratory testing is a type of testing in which the tester does not have specifically planned Test Cases, – It does the testing to explore the software features and to discover unknown bugs. n Smoke Tests – Smoke tests are used as an acceptance test prior to introducing new changes to the main testing process. – A smoke test is usually the first test made after modifications to provide some assurance that the system under test will not catastrophically fail. Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 45

Testing at Different Levels This view obscures underlying similarities 46 © Ammann & Offutt § Acceptance testing: Is the software acceptable to the user? § System testing: Test the overall functionality of the system § Integration testing: Test how modules interact with each other § Module testing: Test each class, file, module or component § Unit testing: Test each unit (method) individually Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1)

Changing Notions of Testing n Old view of testing is to test at specific software development phases – Unit, module, integration, system … n New view is to test in terms of structures and criteria – Graphs, – logical expressions, – syntax, – input space, etc. Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 47

Find a Graph and Cover It n Tailored to: – a particular software artifact • code, design, specifications – a particular phase of the lifecycle • requirements, specification, design, implementation n This viewpoint obscures underlying similarities n Graphs do not characterize all testing techniques well n Four abstract models suffice … Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 48

New : Criteria Based on Structures : Four ways to model software 1. Graphs 2. Logical Expressions 3. 4. Input Domain Characterization Syntactic Structures Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) (not X or not Y) and A and B A: {0, 1, >1} B: {600, 700, 800} C: {swe, cs, isa, infs} if (x > y) z = x - y; else z = 2 * x; © Ammann & Offutt 49

Coverage Overview Four Structures for Modeling Software Graphs Logic Input Space Syntax Applied to Source FSMs Specs Source 50 Specs Design Use cases Applied to DNF Source Models Integ © Ammann & Offutt Input Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1)

Test Coverage Criteria A tester’s job is simple : Define a model of the software, then find ways to cover it g Test Requirements (TR) : Specific things that must be satisfied or covered during testing g Test Criterion (TC): A collection of rules and a process that define test requirements Testing researchers have defined dozens of criteria, but they are all really just a few criteria on four types of structures … Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 51

Coverage n Infeasible test requirements : test requirements that cannot be satisfied – No test case values exist that meet the test requirements – Dead code – Detection of infeasible test requirements is formally undecidable for most test criteria n Thus, 100% coverage is impossible in practice Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 52

Two Ways to Use Test Criteria 1. Directly generate test values to satisfy the criterion 1. Often assumed by the research community 2. Most obvious way to use criteria 3. Very hard without automated tools 2. Generate test values externally and measure against the criterion usually favored by industry – sometimes misleading – if tests do not reach 100% coverage, what does that mean? Test criteria are sometimes called metrics Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 53

Generators and Recognizers n Generator : A procedure that automatically generates values to satisfy a criterion n Recognizer : A procedure that decides whether a given set of test values satisfies a criterion n Both problems are provably undecidable for most criteria It is possible to recognize whether test cases satisfy a criterion far more often than it is possible to generate tests that satisfy the criterion Coverage analysis tools are quite plentiful n n Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 54

Comparing Criteria with Subsumption n Criteria Subsumption : A test criterion C 1 subsumes C 2 if and only if (iff) every set of test cases that satisfies criterion C 2 also satisfies C 1 n Must be true for every set of test cases n Example : If a test set has covered every branch in a program (satisfied the branch criterion), then the test set is guaranteed to also have covered every statement Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 55

Test Coverage Criteria n n n Traditional software testing is expensive and laborintensive Formal coverage criteria are used to decide which test inputs to use More likely that the tester will find problems Greater assurance that the software is of high quality and reliability Test Coverage Criteria is A goal or stopping rule for testing Criteria makes testing more efficient and effective But how do we start to apply these ideas in practice? Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 56

Part 3 : How ? Now we know why and what … How do we get there ? Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 57

Testing Levels Based on Test Process Maturity § Level 0 : There’s no difference between testing and debugging § Level 1 : The purpose of testing is to show correctness § Level 2 : The purpose of testing is to show that the software doesn't work § Level 3 : The purpose of testing is not to prove anything specific, but to reduce the risk of using the software § Level 4 : Testing is a mental discipline that helps all IT professionals develop higher quality software Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 58

Level 0 Thinking n Testing is the same as debugging n Does not distinguish between incorrect behavior and mistakes in the program n Does not help develop software that is reliable or safe This is what we teach undergraduate CS majors Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 59

Level 1 Thinking n n n Purpose is to show correctness Correctness is impossible to achieve What do we know if there are no failures? – Good software or bad tests? n Test engineers have no: – Strict goal – Real stopping rule – Formal test technique – Test managers are powerless This is what hardware engineers often expect Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 60

Level 2 Thinking n Purpose is to show failures n Looking for failures is a negative activity n Puts testers and developers into an adversarial (oppositional) relationship n What if there are no failures? This describes most software companies. How can we move to a team approach ? ? Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 61

Level 3 Thinking n Testing can only show the presence of failures n Whenever we use software, we incur some risk n Risk may be small and consequences unimportant n Risk may be great and the consequences catastrophic n Testers and developers work together to reduce risk This describes a few “enlightened” software companies Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 62

Level 4 Thinking A mental discipline that increases quality n Testing is only one way to increase quality n Test engineers can become technical leaders of the project n Primary responsibility to measure and improve software quality n Their expertise should help the developers This is the way “traditional” engineering works Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 63

How to Improve Testing ? n Testers need more and better software tools n Testers need to adopt practices and techniques that lead to more efficient and effective testing – More education – Different management organizational strategies n Testing / QA teams need more technical expertise – Developer expertise has been increasing dramatically n Testing / QA teams need to specialize more – This same trend happened for development in the 1990 s Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 64

Four Roadblocks to Adoption 1. Lack of test education Bill Gates says half of MS engineers are testers, programmers spend half their time testing Number of UG CS programs in US that require testing ? 0 Number of MS CS programs in US that require testing ? 0 Number of UG testing classes in the US ? ~25 2. Necessity to change process 3. Usability of tools Adoption of many test techniques and tools require changes in development process This is very expensive for most software companies Many testing tools require the user to know the underlying theory to use them Do we need to know how an internal combustion engine works to drive ? Do we need to understand parsing and code generation to use a compiler ? 4. Weak and ineffective tools Most test tools don’t do much – but most users do not realize they could be better Few tools solve the key technical problem – generating test values automatically Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 65

Summary n More testing saves money – Planning for testing saves lots of money n Testing is no longer an “art form” – Engineers have a tool box of test criteria n When testers become engineers, the product gets better – The developers get better Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 66

Open Questions n Which criteria work best on embedded, highly reliable software? – Which software structure to use? n How can we best automate this testing with robust tools? – Deriving the software structure – Constructing the test requirements – Creating values from test requirements – Creating full test scripts – Solution to the “mapping problem” n Empirical validation n Technology transition n Application to new domains Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 67

Summary of Today’s New Ideas n n n Why do we test – to reduce the risk of using the software Four types of test activities – test design, automation, execution and evaluation Software terms – faults, failures, the RIP model, observability and controllability Four structures – test requirements and criteria Test process maturity levels – level 4 is a mental discipline that improves the quality of the software Earlier and better testing can empower the test manager Introduction to Software Testing (Ch 1) © Ammann & Offutt 68