What Are Software Testing Test Cases?
In case you are particular in taking up a career in
technology sector, it is preferable that you acquire some
knowledge on the various technological developments that are
happening currently and also the various disciplines. Being
informed about various developments that are happening around
you itself will better your functionality and productivity. One
of the disciplines in software testing is “test cases”. What
are test cases?
A test case is defined as “a set of conditions or variables and
inputs that are developed for a particular goal or objective to
be achieved on a certain application to judge its capabilities
or features”. It might take more than one test case to
determine the true functionality of the application being
tested. The test case consists of a software testing document,
which consists of event, action, input, output, expected
result, and actual result. In short, a test case is an input
and an expected result.
The technology industry has various disciplines. One such
discipline is software testing and software testing test cases
is an integral part of this. The software is the nerve center
of any computer operation and any malfunctioning of the
software will bring catastrophic results. Hence it is essential
that new software is tested thoroughly before it is sent to the
public for use. Nowadays the computer and software are used
practically in all equipments – small, medium or big. They are
used in offices as well as at home. This has become a part and
parcel of every man’s life. There are always new developments
in the equipments as well as software and people are always on
the lookout for new features that may help in improving their
productivity and efficiency. This has brought in a demand of
higher magnitude which has prompted a large number of
entrepreneurs to join the bandwagon of manufacturers to take a
part of the pie. Since the competition is severe the companies
strive for better quality products. This is where software
testing steps in.
The main prerequisite for understanding about the software
testing test cases is to find out first about the software
testing process itself. Any and every new software product is
invariably subjected to some form of software testing process
and the reasons for this are as follows.
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The software system developed should be free from
errors and should not cause any malfunctioning of
the system at the manufacturer’s site |
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The software developed by any individual or
organization is bound to have bugs which cannot be
found at the programming stage. |
Such errors can occur due to miscommunication or no
communication, complexity of software, errors in programming,
changing specifications, time pressures etc. Such errors can
come out during testing and not on live use.
Further, the development of software for various
applications is constantly done by software houses. Different
vendors develop software for the same application which
necessarily means acute competition for the same user. In a
competitive environment like this, it becomes a question of
survival of the fittest. Your product must be the best in
quality to attract consideration. These software products
should also meet the expectations of the targeted audience.
When the software product is under development, the software
testing test cases are given extreme importance. The software
testing process is expected to deliver an error free product as
far as possible, ensure its high credibility and the product
under development is of an acceptable nature to the target
audience. Such a strict requirement needs to be properly and
clearly written down in the test case phase. Any improper
specification at this stage will prevent the main objective
being achieved.
There are a number of websites which give details on
software testing test cases and you are advised to browse
through them on the Internet.
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