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Anomaly



What is an Anomaly?

In Software testing, Anomaly refers to a result that is different from the expected one. This behaviour can result from a document or also from a testers notion and experiences.

An Anomaly can also refer to a usability problem as the testware may behave as per the specification, but it can still improve on usability. Sometimes, the anomaly can also referred as a defect / Bug.

What is an Anomaly Report?

The following parameters are involved in a typical anomaly report :

  • Defect Identifier

  • Defect summary

  • Defect description

  • Status of Defect

  • Steps to reproduce the defect

  • Severity

  • Priority

  • Bug Logged Date

  • The area where the bug is identified

  • Developers/Testers comments

What are Data Flow Anomalies?

Data Flow Anomalies are identified while performing while box testing or Static Testing. Data flow anomalies are represented using two characters based on the sequence of actions. They are defined (d), killed (k), and used (u). There are nine possible combinations based on these 3 sequence of actions which are dd, dk, du, kd, kk, ku, ud, uk, uu. The below table clearly shows which one of these combinations are accepted and which one of these are suspected to be an anomaly.

CombinationDescriptionAnomaly possibilities
ddDefined the data objects twiceHarmless but suspicious
dkDefined the data object but killed it without using it.Bad Programming Practice
duDefined the data object and using itNOT an Anomaly
kdKilled the Data Object and redefinedNOT an Anomaly
kkKilled the Data Object and killed it againBad Programming Practice
kuKilled the Data Object and then usedDefect
udUsed the Data Object and redefinedNOT an Anomaly
ukUsed the Data Object and KilledNOT an Anomaly
uuUsed the Data Object and used it againNOT an Anomaly
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