Course details

Testing and Dynamic Analysis

ITS Acad. year 2023/2024 Summer semester 5 credits

Current academic year

Test Specification. Coverage criteria for source code (EC, NC, EPC, PPC). Logic coverage criteria (PC, CC, MCDC). Input space partitioning. Input space coverage criteria. Black-box dynamic analysis. Tracing of shared resource usage. Testing multi-threaded applications. Testing network applications. Testing GUI. Performance testing. Test management.

Guarantor

Course coordinator

Language of instruction

Czech, English

Completion

Credit+Examination (written)

Time span

  • 26 hrs lectures
  • 26 hrs projects

Assessment points

  • 60 pts final exam (written part)
  • 40 pts projects

Department

Lecturer

Instructor

Learning objectives

To provide an overview of the verification stage of development of a software system, the main focus is on dynamic analysis of software. To get practical skills with software testing required by a QA engineer. Mastering development of automatic tests of different aspects of verified programs. To get the basic knowledge of test planning and management.
The student knows fundamental techniques of software testing. The student is able to develop effective test suites of a software product. The student can analyse source codes, knows typical locations in a source code which are sensitive to be flawed. The student can analyse the behaviour of a program with finite or infinite runs with no explicit knowledge of the source code. The student can test and/or analyse program communications, program performance, usage of shared resources, manipulation with data storages, and a function of the graphical user interface. The student is able to find bugs in programs in a systematic way. The student knows the fundamentals of test planning and management. Student acquaints with English terminology in the subject. The student will learn through project exercise on how to analyse a software product to raise its quality. The student gains a knowledge of how to create a test suite and how to find bugs in programs.

Why is the course taught

Software quality assurance is a necessary part of each development cycle of a software product. Software testing is the front line of quality assurance. In the age of making more complex software designs, more emphasis is given to automation of all development stages, software testing including. Students will be acquainted with problems of systematic software testing and learn basic approaches to its automation. Graduates of the course will have main competences of a quality engineer.

Recommended prerequisites

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

formal languages and compilers, algorithms, operating systems

Study literature

Fundamental literature

  • Ammann, P., Offutt, J.: Introduction to Software Testing. Cambridge University Press, 2008, 322 s. ISBN 978-0-511-39330-3.

Syllabus of lectures

  1. Role of testing and dynamic analysis in the development of a computer-based system. Introduction to terms in testing. Models of the testing process. Test requirements, test specification, and test plan. Test-driven development.
  2. Subsystem testing. Coverage criteria for source code. Control flow graph. Graph coverage criteria. Data flow coverage criteria.
  3. Relation of a graph coverage and the source code. Relation of a data flow coverage and the source code.
  4. Logic coverage criteria.
  5. Input domain modelling. Input space coverage criteria.
  6. Syntax-based testing.
  7. Test case development based on specification requirements of a system. Testing according to V-model.
  8. Combining test cases. Test-based bug localization. Bug-reporting.
  9. Black-box dynamic program analysis. Analysis based on tracing library and system calls. Constructing data and control flow graph. Constraints of the event sequence.
  10. Virtualization in dynamic analysis. Analysis of shared resource usage. Coverage criteria based on shared resource usage.
  11. Testing multi-threaded applications.
  12. Testing network applications. Testing the graphical user interface and its automation. Testing non-functional requirements.
  13. Performance testing. Test planning and management. A brief introduction to static analysis.

Syllabus - others, projects and individual work of students

  1. Design of a test suite satisfying specified test criteria for a given software project.
  2. Implementation of an automated test suite.

Progress assessment

Students can obtain up to 40 points from 2 projects and up to 60 points from the final exam.
Realization and defence of projects in due dates.

Exam prerequisites

For receiving the credit and thus for entering the exam, students have to earn at least 15 points from all projects.

Course inclusion in study plans

  • Programme BIT, 2nd year of study, Elective
  • Programme BIT (in English), 2nd year of study, Elective
  • Programme IT-BC-3, field BIT, 2nd year of study, Elective
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