Software Testing - Structural Testing

Software testing goes through different phases of testing namely the black box testing, white box testing, and the gray box testing. The software structural testing is conducted to verify the interior architecture of the software. Mostly this type of testing is performed by the developers who are associated with the software development process.

What is Software Structural Testing?

The structural testing is done to verify the internal designs, and implementations of the software. It is mostly carried out by the developers themselves. It validates the various parameters of the software based on its types. Its functionalities are just the opposite of behavioral testing.

Types of Software Structural Testing

The different types of the software structural testing are listed below −

1. Control Flow Testing

It is a kind of structural testing of the code. The testers performing this type of testing should be aware of the internal code, design, logic, algorithm, architecture etc. Sometimes it is mostly performed by the developers themselves. The complete implementation logic, and how the different components of a software are integrated are verified in this approach.

2. Data Flow Testing

It is another kind of structural testing of the code. It uses the control flow graph to identify the paths where the variables are defined, and later used. It is performed with the objective to identify problems such as incorrect definitions, unused variables etc. Using this technique, we can ensure that the variables are handled correctly, and properly used in the code.

3. Slice Based Testing

This type of testing was introduced by Weiser, and Gallagher for the better maintenance of the software. It helps to debug, maintain, and understand the code. It segregates the code into various slices, and later verifies them.

4. Mutation Testing

It is also referred to as code mutation testing. It is an important concept under the structural testing technique. At this time of testing, minor code updates are incorporated to check the efficiency of the existing test cases, or to detect weaknesses in the test data.

Advantages of Software Structural Testing

The advantages of the software structural testing are listed below −

• The structural testing ensures extensive, and thorough testing of the software.
• The structural testing identifies defects from the early stages of the software development life cycle (SDLC).
• The structural testing identifies the dead code in the software.
• The structural testing is mostly automated, and hence does not consume much time.

Disadvantages of Software Structural Testing

The disadvantages of the software structural testing are listed below −

• The structural testing can be performed by individuals who are experienced, and have the programming expertise.
• The structural testing requires the knowledge of the tools which can be used for this type of testing.
• The structural testing is an expensive process.

Tools used for Software Structural Testing

The different tools used for the software structural testing are listed below −

• Cucumber
• JUnit
• JBehave

Conclusion

This concludes our comprehensive take on the tutorial on Software Structural Testing. Weve started with describing what is software structural testing, what are the different types of the software structural testing, what are the advantages of software structural testing, what are the disadvantages of software structural testing, and what are the different tools used for the software structural testing. This equips you with in-depth knowledge of Software Structural Testing. It is wise to keep practicing what youve learned and exploring others relevant to Software Testing to deepen your understanding and expand your horizons.