Testing Types and Techniques

Testing Types and Techniques

Testing types

Testing types refer to different approaches towards testing a computer program, system or product. The two types of testing are black box testing and white box

testing, which would both be discussed in detail in this chapter. Another type, termed as gray
box testing or hybrid testing is evolving presently and it combines the features of the two types.

Testing Techniques
Testing techniques refer to different methods of testing particular features a computer program, system or product. Each testing type has its own testing techniques

while some techniques combine the feature of both types. Some techniques are
· Error and anomaly detection technique
· Interface checking
· Physical units checking
· Loop testing
· Basis Path testing/McCabe’s cyclomatic number
· Control structure testing
· Error Guessing
· Boundary Value analysis
· Graph based testing
· Equivalence partitioning
· Instrumentation based testing
· Random testing
· Domain testing
· Halstead’s software science
· And many more

Some of these and many others would be discussed in the later sections of this chapter.

Difference between Testing Types and Testing Techniques
Testing types deal with what aspect of the computer software would be tested, while testing techniques deal with how a specific part of the software would be tested.

That is, testing types mean whether we are testing the function or the structure of the software. In other words, we may test each function of the software to see if it is
operational or we may test the internal components of the software to check if its internal workings are according to specification.

On the other hand, ‘Testing technique’ means what methods or ways would be applied or calculations would be done to test a particular feature of a software

(Sometimes we test the interfaces, sometimes we test the segments, sometimes loops etc.)