Visual Basic Software TestingVisual Basic - Software Testing
"Well, at Least It Compiled OK!"
The Value of Software Testing
The Purpose of Testing
The Formal Test Cycle
Unit/Component Testing
Integration Testing
System Testing
User Acceptance Testing
Regression Testing
Code Reviews
Testing Visual Basic Code
Partner with Another Developer
Test as You Go
Create Regular Builds
Write Test Scripts
at the Same Time You Code
Decide Where to Put Test Code
Ensure Source Code
Coverage During Testing
Understand the Test Data
Get the Users Involved
Track Defects
Test Plans
Test Scripts
Stubs and Drivers
Planning a Code Component
Functional Specification
Test Script Specification
Performance Testing
Preparing a Suitable Test
Environment
Test Machine Configurations
A Final Word of Caution
Software development projects come in all shapes and sizes, and they also vary in their nature. In terms of business applications, a standalone telephone directory system for a medium-sized company probably exists at the "relatively simple" end of the spectrum. With an underlying Microsoft Access database and a few data-bound controls, it doesn't take much effort to put together, and because of the extensive use of pretested components it probably wouldn't be too challenging in terms of testing, either. However, at the other end of the spectrum might be a major banking application that facilitates the processing of all branch-level account activity using a remote ActiveX server set via a local Microsoft SQL Server database, and then synchronizes each local set of data with the central bank's DB2 database. A system of this size is a much larger development effort that therefore requires a more thorough and comprehensive planning and design exercise, and the result is of course a greater amount of source code. The implications of a failure in the code could result in a loss of money for the bank, and this in turn leads to a loss of credibility in the business community. It is therefore imperative that the system works as expected.