Why is software testing essential to ensure the most stable final product possible? Software testing is the cornerstone that guarantees the quality, reliability and security of an application’s development. They are, therefore, verification tests that are executed in order to find errors as efficiently and as early as possible. The results are then used to provide stakeholders with information on the quality of the product under test. Such tests can be based, as we will see below, both on the software composition or its internal structure, and on the intended business purpose of the software, i.e. its functional aspect.

Testing is much more than running tests to find bugs

The testing or execution of software tests requires a highly qualified professional team behind it. To operate a product and validate a specific result we need to understand its context; to understand the application from a global perspective, exploring and experimenting. Therefore, we need to create the necessary conditions for the correct evaluation of the product and be able to communicate effectively the experience obtained. Only in this way will our customers be able to make the right decisions once the test results have been reported to them.

Verification and validation: fraternal twins (but not identical twins) of testing

When talking about software testing, there are two key concepts that underpin the discourse. It is important to bear in mind that they are not synonymous. They are verification vs. validation.

  • Verification is a process of checking the design results and comparing them with the specified software requirements. So it is a process of examining the product in its development phase. It is concerned with the requirements of the software.
  • Validation involves examining the software specifications in relation to the user’s needs. It is the set of processes that ensure the “traceability” of the software to those needs. It is applied at the end of the software development process. It is concerned with the requirements of the end customer.

Types of software testing and techniques

Software testing can be broadly divided into four main groups in a rather graphic way.

  • Black box testing. “What thesystem does”. They consider the behaviour of the software from an external perspective. They do not involve delving into the guts of the software, so to speak. They are directed at running test cases on the functional requirements to determine if the results are acceptable. This is the most common type of test: to provide input values to the system, perform actions within it and wait for the system to show the result. As it is not possible to see what is going on inside the system and only the incoming andoutgoing information can be seen, this is why it is called “black box”. In this sense, we can talk about functional tests (Security Tests or Interoperability Tests) as well as non-functional tests (such as Performance, Load, Stress, Usability or Reliability). Non-functional testing addresses precisely this notion of “how the system works”.
  • White box testing or structural testing. “What the system looks like on the inside. These are tests that do analyse and examine the guts of the application. They are aimed at scrutinising the internal structure of the software. The tester is in charge of choosing specific inputs to go through specific code paths in order to determine the appropriate outputs. This type of test case requires a high level of programming knowledge. They are generally used at the level of each system function in isolation. The main disadvantage to this internal logic approach can be summarised as “there are too many possible paths”.
  • Grey box tests are those that combine the two perspectives described above: black box and white box. In these tests, the internal structure is partially known. They aim to find defects or errors that may arise due to misuse or incorrect structure.
  • Regression tests. These are tests derived specifically from the implementation of changes. Highly interesting and necessary. They consist in retesting a component once it has been modified, in order to discover whether defects that may have been added as a result of these changes do indeed appear. As they are quite stable, this type of testing is often automated to contribute to greater efficiency. Regression testing is therefore applied to previously existing functionalities, usually because they have been modified or fixed. A fix may well lead to new bugs being added. Hence the need to apply these tests.

SIPSA: specialists facing the main challenges of software testing

We are all increasingly aware that software testing is neither whimsical nor optional. The absolute necessity of testing the quality ofthe final product is unquestionable. Therefore, having tools, solutions and specialised resources is therefore synonymous with security and reliability. At SIPSA we are happy to answer any questions you may have about software testing. We have been providing professional IT solutions and services since 1985, aware of the importance of being at the forefront of technological innovation, and supporting companies on their way to solving information and communication problems. ¡Do not hesitate to contact us!