- February 8, 2022
- QA & testing
- Zmitser Hryhoryeu
There are several integration testing strategies in software testing requiring your attention. Usually, a software product consists of several such modules…
Software Integration Testing Systems
There are several integration testing strategies in software testing requiring your attention. Usually, a software product consists of several such modules built by different developers. The idea of software integration testing is to identify bugs in the interaction between these software elements and is primarily aimed at checking the data exchange between these modules themselves.
From this article, you will learn:
✔️ Peculiarities of integration checking;
✔️ What types of software integration testing are usually involved;
✔️ The pros and cons of the most widely used testing methods;
✔️ Non-obvious traps in integration testing.
Why Should Integration Testing in Software Development be Done?
Every single unit should undergo certain stages of testing, but despite this, defects can remain for several reasons. Here are some benefits of software integration testing:
✔️ Taking into account that various modules are usually built by different specialists, their programming logic and the vision, in general, may differ;
✔️ Improper exception processing can cause problems;
✔️ Interfaces of program modules and the database can contain errors.
Thus, integration testing in software testing plays a huge role. Keep reading to learn about the types and methods of this QA check.
What Benefits Do Businesses Gain from Integration Testing?
The distinguishing feature of integration testing is focusing mainly on interfaces and data flow between modules. But this is not the only advantage. Below are the main disadvantages of testing app units as a whole.
Enhancing the code coverage
Identifying system-level issues
Simplifying further integration
Speeding up the development process
Best Types of Integration Testing Systems for Software
Big bang method
The essence of this approach lies in integrating all available units and testing them all together.
Such a strategy has the following advantages:
✔️ One of the best solutions for small systems;
✔️ This strategy has been used for numerous apps and proved its efficiency.
At the same time, the big bang approach is not applicable for any software due to several reasons:
✔️ Some errors, especially in larger systems, can be missed;
✔️ As this approach needs the availability of all units, the test can be started only after developing every single module;
✔️ Integration testing time often depends on the acceptance test;
✔️ Risky modules are not subjected to additional testing;
✔️ Peripherals related to the modules cannot be tested independently.
Top-down strategy
This is an incremental method that involves testing in the direction of high-level units to low-level ones. Modules undergo testing one by one and then are integrated for final checking the app’s functionality.
Pros of top-down testing:
✔️ Detecting and localizing bugs cause fewer challenges;
✔️ It becomes possible to get an early prototype;
✔️ Critical modules are given priority;
✔️ Design flaws can be fixed first.
Cons of top-down strategy:
✔️ Checking low-level components may take more time. This causes delays in providing test results or some gaps in the testing;
✔️ Too many stabs involved may complicate the process.
Bottom-up approach
The code examination of this type is conducted in the opposite direction. First, low-level components have to be checked, and then it goes to high-level ones.
Among the advantages of this method, the following points should be highlighted:
✔️ There are fewer challenges associated with finding and localizing faults;
✔️ Troubleshooting requires less time and effort.
Meanwhile, there are still some issues:
✔️ Critical components can be tested only at late stages. Fixing them may require extra time;
✔️ This is not the best choice for software containing a lot of low-level modules and/or you need an early prototype.
Hybrid strategy
What You Should Also Know About Integration Testing
It is not enough just to employ software integration testing methods to make the most of this stage. The following aspects are essential:
✔️ Determining the scope of work to choose the right strategy for integration tests. The main thing is to make sure that the strategy covers the entire application;
✔️ Carefully checking the software architecture to determine critical modules that require special attention;
✔️ Any received test data should not be ignored. It is always necessary to report even the slightest issues for their further solving;
✔️ The option to communicate with the software developers is often required when carrying out Integration testing. This helps to get a more accurate understanding of the interfaces and peculiarities of the application.
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How to Properly Perform Software Integration Testing
Basic stages of integration testing include:
✔️ Creating the testing plan is a detailed guide for testers;
✔️ Formulating test data and building test cases using the specified tools;
✔️ Implementing scripts for launching test cases;
✔️ Carrying out test cases and fixing errors;
✔️ Repeating the test cycle until successful integration.
The procedure of integration testing differs insignificantly from the process of checking each component separately. Before starting the process, a list of all app components should be prepared.
The result may look as follows:
✔️ rendering logic;
✔️ database;
✔️ the display of content;
✔️ authentication mechanism;
✔️ language, etc.
Components that you probably cannot control also should be introduced. Next, being guided by the user-oriented approach to security and integration testing after finding weak points of the app, it becomes possible to solve the detected issues in the shortest time.
Most Important Integration Testing Tools
Selenium
AssertJ
Pytest
REST-Assured
Mockito
RFT
JUnit
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Final Thoughts
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FAQ
Can you provide an example of software integration testing in simple words?
Sure 🙂 Let’s take a simple video-streaming app as an example. It has the following features: Signup/login, Subscription plans, and the Streaming video page. After downloading the app, a user sees the signup/login forms to enter their data. Once the authorization is completed, the list of subscription plans is automatically shown. A user should only select a plan, complete the online payment, and enjoy watching video content.
But various hidden bugs and errors may occur. Any of them creates a barrier for a user to pay for a subscription. Thus, even the smallest fault may lead to losses for the company. Integration testing is essential to identify and fix such errors to let users enjoy the content.
