The software
applications driving the modern digital ecosystem, in conjunction with the
hardware systems, are dependent on various third-party applications and
platforms. The omnichannel footprint of software means each module (and the
interface between modules) needs to function smoothly to deliver the expected
outcomes. This is ensured by conducting software
integration testing.
One of the
important characteristics of a software application are the seamless flow of
information between its two ‘units’ or ‘modules’. However, the flow of
information could be interrupted by the presence of glitches, which if not
identified and corrected in time can make the application faulty. Thus, software integration testing
helps to expose
faults that lie at the interface between two integrated units. Once the
individual units or modules are tested, the integration of interfaces gets
validated.
To draw an analogy to this type of testing, let us consider two groups of friends who have
been invited to a party. To find out if they can get along, they should be
subjected to an ‘integration test.’ This is done by bringing them to a single
room and observe how they interact. In a similar vein, to check if each unit of
software functions seamlessly, they need to be integrated and tested. Thus,
integration testing, as part of the software testing services, checks
if all unit’s function in harmony. It ensures if the modules developed by
different developers are working towards a singular objective.
Various types of
software integration testing
The various ways
to test the integration of modules are as following:
Big Bang: As one of the most common ways to test the integration of software modules,
the big bang involves smashing and testing all the units together. This may
keep the tester in good stead if all the tests are completed or the software
project is relatively small. However, it can have its cons as well. For
example, in case a glitch is identified, it would be difficult for testers to figure
out the right module or unit responsible for it. To find the erring module,
testers have to detach a few of them and repeat the testing till they identify
the glitch. Since this approach requires the modules to be ready before
testing, it can extend the turnaround time for product release.
Incremental: Here, two or more logically aligned units are tested as part of a single
batch. Thereafter, other similarly aligned units are checked eventually
ensuring the interface of every single unit with another is validated. It
combines both the bottom-up or top-down approaches.
Hybrid, Mixed, or
Sandwich: This approach combines both bottom-up and top-down type of integration
testing. Here, the top and lower modules are tested simultaneously for
integration thereby deriving the best results. This approach can come in handy
for large projects.
Best practices
for integration testing
Since most
software development processes are moving towards Agile or DevOps, it needs to
be seen how integration testing
can fit into a CI/CD environment. The software
testing services for integration should have the following best
practices.
Execute
integration testing before unit testing: The waterfall
model of software product testing
has led us to believe that fixing a glitch later in the SDLC can be costly.
This is due to the fact that one doesn’t move to the next stage until the
completion of the present phase. This approach, however, can be turned on its
head in an Agile environment. This is because Agile offers the flexibility to
change the business logic in an SDLC.
Do not confuse
unit testing with integration testing: Unit testing
targets the basic code and needs to be run frequently to detect bugs. On the
other hand, integration testing is much more time consuming and should not be
part of every build cycle. However, it may be included in the daily build.
Extensive logging
of processes: Identifying and mitigating bugs in a
unit test are easy. However, given the scope and complexity of integration
tests spanning a number of modules, doing the same is difficult. The need is to
keep a record of processes to better analyze the reasons for failure.
Conclusion
Integration
testing may be expensive and time-consuming but is essential to deliver quality
products in the DevOps and Agile-driven environments.
This article is originally
published on dev.to.
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