Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 7
Functional Testing
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
to examine the benefits of use case driven functional testing
to extend the effectiveness of functional testing by regression testing
to discover the depth of functional testing afforded by white box testing
to discover the depth of functional testing afforded by black box testing and how it
differs from white box testing
7.1 INTRODUC TION
Recalling our SPRAE testing approach in Chapter 3, the preparation for and execution
of tests to validate software behavior are critical next steps in premeditation. The
planning part of premeditation was accomplished in Chapters 4 and 5. Specifi cation
was accomplished in Chapter 6. The remainder of premeditation will be accomplished
in Chapters 7-9.
Starting with this chapter, the next three chapters discuss testing techniques that
validate the behavior of software as the software matures. Behavior in this context
means that a tester provides an input to the software and observes the software's
behavior (output). To make the software behave in an expected manner, the tester
must execute the software code in a controlled testing environment. These execution
testing techniques are fundamentally different in objective and approach from static
testing where no code is executed.
The objective of functional testing is to validate the software behavior
against the business functionality documented in the software requirements and
specifi cations. Business functionality is generally defi ned as those activities that
support routine daily business. Functional testing is achieved by a series of tests that
exercise increasingly more of the software that directly enables users to accomplish
this routine daily business.
Software Testing: Testing Across the Entire Software Development Life Cycle,
by G. D. Everett and R. McLeod, Jr.
Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
99
 
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