Testing

Integration Testing – A Vital Level of Software Testing Process

Integration Testing is an important phase of software testing where the individual modules are combined and are tested together as a group. Thus, it is a process of testing where the parts of software application are tested for their working behavior.
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“Integration Testing” as the name suggests, is the process of testing integrated parts of the software application. Technically speaking, integration testing is testing the combined parts of the application to check that they function correctly when performed together according to their specification.

integration testing

Let’s grasp some knowledge about integration testing

Goal of Integration Testing:

Goal of integration testing is to find and get rid of bugs such as functional, performance and requirement level bugs. Testing is carried to check that every combined parts of the individual are working accurately as they were functioning earlier separately. Testing focuses on delivering high rate of satisfaction and bug free application.

Basic Guidelines for Conducting Integration Testing:

  • Method Used: Black box testing method is used for conducting integration testing and for executing test cases
  • When to perform: It should be performed after unit testing and before system testing
  • By whom to be performed: Done by testers
  • When to start testing: Starts immediately when unit testing is completed and is ready to implement after test cases preparation

Approaches in Integration Testing:

  • Big Bang Testing: Here, developed modules are combined together to form a complete software system for integration testing.
  • Top-Down Testing: In this testing approach, the high level modules are tested first and then the low level modules
  • Bottom-Up Testing: Testing is conducted from low level modules to high level modules.
  • Sandwich Testing: Testing is a combination of top down testing with bottom up testing.

Basic Steps to perform Integration Testing:

Step 1: Create a Test Plan for integration testing
Step 2: Then create Test Cases and Test Data
Step 3: After the components have been integrated, execute the prepared test cases
Step 4: Fix the found bugs and again retest the module
Step 5: Continuously repeat the test cycle until the integrated components meets the given requirements

Conclusion

Integration Testing focuses on testing multiple modules that work together. It is one of the most extensive types of software testing where modules are tested as a group. The inputs of this testing are modules that have been unit tested and it groups them in larger aggregates and applies tests defined in the integration test plan.
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