Topic: Unit Testing - Limitations of unit Testing !!!

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   Unit Testing - Limitations of unit Testing


														Unit testing will not catch every error in the program. By definition, it only tests
														the functionality of the units themselves. Therefore, it will not catch
														integration errors, performance problems or any other system-wide
														issues. In addition, it may not be easy to anticipate all special cases of
														input the program unit under study may receive in reality. Unit testing is only
														effective if it is used in conjunction with other software testing activities.


														It is unrealistic to test all possible input combinations for any non-trivial piece
														of software. Like all forms of software testing, unit tests can only show the
														presence of errors; it cannot show the absence of errors.

														To obtain the intended benefits from unit-testing, a rigorous sense of discipline
														is needed throughout the software development process. It is essential to keep
														careful records, not only of the tests that have been performed, but also of
														all changes that have been made to the source-code of this or any other unit in
														the software. Use of a version control system is essential; If a later
														version of the unit fails a particular test that it had previously passed, the
														version-control software can provide list of the source-code changes (if any)
														that have been applied to the unit since that time.

Author	Message
tanushree Senior Member Joined: 04Apr2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2160	Topic: Unit Testing - Limitations of unit Testing !!! Posted: 08Oct2007 at 12:45am
	Unit Testing - Limitations of unit Testing Unit testing will not catch every error in the program. By definition, it only tests the functionality of the units themselves. Therefore, it will not catch integration errors, performance problems or any other system-wide issues. In addition, it may not be easy to anticipate all special cases of input the program unit under study may receive in reality. Unit testing is only effective if it is used in conjunction with other software testing activities. It is unrealistic to test all possible input combinations for any non-trivial piece of software. Like all forms of software testing, unit tests can only show the presence of errors; it cannot show the absence of errors. To obtain the intended benefits from unit-testing, a rigorous sense of discipline is needed throughout the software development process. It is essential to keep careful records, not only of the tests that have been performed, but also of all changes that have been made to the source-code of this or any other unit in the software. Use of a version control system is essential; If a later version of the unit fails a particular test that it had previously passed, the version-control software can provide list of the source-code changes (if any) that have been applied to the unit since that time. Post Resume: Click here to Upload your Resume & Apply for Jobs

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