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Software Testing - Big-Bang Testing

Software testing has multiple phases starting from unit testing, then integration testing, system testing, and finally the acceptance testing. Big bang testing comes under the umbrella of integration testing. It is performed after integration of all the components at once to check if all of them are working together as a single unit.

What is Big Bang Testing?

The big bang testing is a kind of integration testing which is performed right after the unit testing phase is over, and individual modules of the software are ready and combined at a time. Its objective is to test if all the modules are in conjunction with each other.

The big bang testing is performed just before the software goes for the complete system testing. This type of testing approach is adopted for projects where there is a strict deadline for delivery. Also, in situations where individual components of the software cannot be combined incrementally, the big bang testing is done. It is an optional testing methodology and generally not used for complex projects.

Let us take an example of software having the components C1, C2, C3, C4, and C5. Once all these components are ready, and they are combined together logically all at once. The whole software is then tested to verify if all the components C1, C2, C3, C4, and C5 are working together as a single unit. This is known as the big bang testing.

Features of the Big Bang Testing

The features of the big bang testing are listed below −

It works as a simulation of the complete software. All the modules are combined together and tested simultaneously.
The modules are integrated and tested together hence it is capable of verifying the interfaces, communication, data flow etc among all the modules.
It ensures that none of the modules are skipped from integration, and testing.
It allows early detection of defects in the initial phases of the software development cycle(SDLC).
It can detect additional defects which might have got missed from other testing methodologies.
It takes the help of drivers, and stubs to simulate the working of some of the higher and lower level modules.
It is one of the most fundamental types of integration testing.
This approach has risks involved since all the components of the software need to be ready before starting the testing process.
It is generally not adopted for complex, and complicated software having a large number of modules.
It is performed at the fag end of the development process when all the units of the software are ready. The functionality of the software as a whole is verified.
It is mostly conducted manually because the automation tests for all the modules are not always ready at the same time.
It takes time to complete since we need to wait for all the modules to be ready for integration simultaneously.

Big Bang Integration - WorkFlow Diagram

Big Bang Testing is represented by the following workflow diagram −

Let us understand the workflow of big bang testing with the help of the above example. The modules 1, and 4 are tested individually and can be integrated with the software. The module 6 is to be integrated with the module 5, and both of them have to be tested as a single unit, and then integrated with the software. Similarly, the module 3 is to be integrated with the module 2, and both of them have to be tested as a single unit, and then integrated with the software.

Once all the modules are combined, their functionality and compatibility with each other is verified. Finally, the features of the complete software as a whole is tested.

Advantages of Big Bang Testing

The advantages of the big bang testing are listed below −

It is the most simple type of integration testing where all the units are integrated together at once and then tested to verify if they are working jointly as a single unit.
It is not difficult to apply the big bang testing approach.
All the defects in the software get detected all at once.
It is mostly very useful for smaller projects which do not comprise a large number of modules.
The interfaces among all components in the software are verified as well.
All the probable risks in the software occurring due to integration of various components are identified.
It saves the usage of additional resources required to test each module separately.
It detects the dependencies that exist among different modules.
It makes the testing process faster since we need not configure the test environments for each module.

Disadvantages of Big Bang Testing

The disadvantages of the big bang testing are listed below −

It may delay the release of the software since all the modules need to be ready to start with the big bang testing process.
It is not easy to detect the root cause of a particular defect since all the modules are integrated together already.
If the individual components are not tested, it may degrade the quality of the software.
It may turn out to be unproductive as the big bang testing does not follow an incremental approach. This may lead to defects remaining undetected till the time all the units are combined together and tested.
It is not a scalable technique for the software which are complex, and have dependencies on a large number of modules.
It does not give a proper visibility on the quality of the software till the time all the units have been integrated and verified.
It is a high risk approach since the modules are not integrated incrementally, and hence the bugs are left undetected till the units are integrated.

Conclusion

This concludes our comprehensive take on the tutorial on Software Big-Bang Testing. We’ve started with describing what is a big bang testing, what are the features of the big bang testing, what is the workflow of the big bang testing, what are the advantages of the big bang testing, and what are the disadvantages of the big bang testing. This equips you with in-depth knowledge of Software Big-Bang Testing. It is wise to keep practicing what you’ve learned and exploring others relevant to Software Testing to deepen your understanding and expand your horizons.

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