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Functional testing goes hand in hand with other test attributes

Functional testing goes hand in hand with other test attributes

Undoubtedly functional testing is one of the areas where the most quality budget it spent. It is often even synonymously looked at with manual testing though automated functional testing is a huge area of focus in recent times. Besides these, the larger connect that functional testing has with other testing attributes is increasingly visible by the day. Performance testing for example is often built on core functional scenarios. Security testing checks for vulnerabilities along functional workflow paths. Usability and Accessibility are strongly interlaced with functionality in ensuring the functionality and interfaces are rendered in the most intuitive manner, accessible to one and all. Localization checks are also largely centred on functionality. Within the functional workflows also, the tester should consider varied standpoints such as architectural functionality, end user focused functionality, competitor driven functionality etc. With all this diversity just within one segment of an application, functional testing is that one core attribute that brings in a binding connect with not just other attributes but also between them. For example, during an accessibility implementation, let’s say on the login page, we also need to consider if the login functionality’s security angle remains intact. This is a simple example of how functionality brings in the binding connect between security and accessibility.

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Functional Testing – Synonymous with manual or automated testing?

Functional Testing – Synonymous with manual or automated testing?

Functional Testing is probably the most known and practiced form of testing in the software quality world. Ever since software testing has been in use, one of the first things the tester validates is to confirm functionality to defined specifications. Of course lately, such verifications have also extended to ensure end user expectations. Anything that does not belong to the functional category goes into the non-functional bucket and off late, this has also been growing in prominence – whether it be UI, performance, security, usability, accessibility and so on. Globalization is one test area that spans both the functional and non-functional test spaces.

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Negative Path Testing – An Important Arm of Functional Testing

Functional testing is a core piece of a software engineering effort. With the advent of mobile and social computing, non- functional testing has also gained prominence in recent times, but at the very core, functional testing still remains one of the top goals of a testing effort in ensuring a quality release to end users. If one were to closely look at what constitutes functional testing, it is not very difficult to point out that it covers both the positive (happy path testing) and the negative (error scenario testing) testing routes. The real question is, given the time constraints we often work within, are both these arms adequately tested for. While the positive testing scenarios are often more straightforward, the negative scenarios need a lot of creativity and simulation. As opposed to merely executing all possible workflows, herein the tester is simulating varied conditions that would trigger errors so as to verify a) if the right errors were thrown out and b) if the user is given the right set of opportunities to recover gracefully from an error. The other angle to consider here, which is slightly more subjective is the emotions of the user, which are often at highs, when negative scenarios/failure conditions are encountered. As a tester, there is thus both an objective negative scenario testing and a subjective user emotional state testing that is involved in this area.

One may often limit negative testing to be purely scenario driven. While this is not fully untrue, negative data generation is also very important while test planning, case generation and execution. A simple scenario can be manipulated to become positive or negative based on the data used – thus testers have to keep in mind that negative testing does not always mean a separate set of scenarios that need to be used. For instance, say the user has to enter input for a login field – instead of my name *Rajini*, I decide to enter, *R12$ini*. This is negative testing that is data driven as opposed to scenario driven. Both types of these negative tests are important to ensure comprehensive functional testing coverage. Besides core functional testing, other places where such negative data is useful include localization functional, database functional, security and accessibility testing attributes.

Negative path testing is not something new for us as testers. However, with all the new testing techniques and tools coming into the picture, it is important for us to refresh some of these basic concepts at the grass root level so we arrive at the right blend of testing practices to bring in comprehensive test coverage and for which, negative path testing is a very important component.