Regression testing is the process of testing changes to computer programs to make sure that the older programming still works with the new changes. Regression testing is a normal part of the program development process. Test department coders develop code test scenarios and exercises that will test new units of code after they have been written. Before a new version of a software product is released, the old test cases are run against the new version to make sure that all the old capabilities still work. The reason they might not work because changing or adding new code to a program can easily introduce errors into code that is not intended to be changed.
During regression testing usually you do not run all the tests at once. At different stages of the quality assurance process, you need to execute different tests in order to address specific goals. A related group of tests is called a test cycle, and can include both manual and automated tests
To decide which test cycles to build, refer to the testing goals you defined at the beginning of the process. Also consider issues such as the current state of the application and whether new functions have been added or modified.
Following are examples of some general categories of test cycles to consider:
-
sanity cycle checks the entire system at a basic level (breadth, rather than depth) to see that it is functional and stable. This cycle should include basic-level tests containing mostly positive checks.
-
normal cycle tests the system a little more in depth than the sanity cycle. This cycle can group medium-level tests, containing both positive and negative checks.
- advanced cycle tests both breadth and depth. This cycle can be run when more time is available for testing. The tests in the cycle cover the entire application (breadth), and also test advanced options in the application (depth).
regression cycle tests maintenance builds. The goal of this type of cycle is to verify that a change to one part of the software did not break the rest of the application. A regression cycle includes sanity-level tests for testing the entire software, as well as in-depth tests for the specific area of the application that was modified.
After every test run one analyze and validate the test results. And have to identify all the failed steps in the tests and to determine whether a bug has been detected, or if the expected result needs to be updated.
|
