The National Security Agency recently alerted Microsoft about a major flaw discovered in the Windows operating system. The bug could expose the users to significant breaches, surveillance, or disruption, reported the Washington Post. Post the alert, Microsoft has released a\u00a0security\u00a0patch for the flaw. The bug\u00a0was essentially a\u00a0mistake in the\u00a0computer code that would have affected the Windows 10 OS, which governments and businesses widely use. There could have been serious implications if the wrong forces sensed the bug earlier and exploited the vulnerability to cause serious damage.<\/p>\n
The thing about finding bugs ages after the code has gone live is that it needs to be backdated and fixed to fall back into its place seamlessly. Before embarking on how to do regression testing, it’s better to understand what Regression testing and its types are to ensure that there are as few after-release shocks as possible.<\/p>\n
Regression testing is a black\u2013box testing technique performed by executing code units repeatedly to ensure that the ongoing code modifications do not impact the system\u2019s functionality. Alterations to the application can occur in various forms: new functionality, bug fixes, integrations, functionality enhancements, interfaces, patches,\u00a0etc. Many software development engineers<\/a> would insist that it would suffice as long as essential functions are tested and can deliver results as per\u00a0the\u00a0requirement. While this may be practical, regression testing can prove to be a real blessing at a later stage because rather than guaranteeing the functionality being tested for, it ensures that there are no other nasty surprises.<\/p>\n Even seemingly irrelevant modifications can result in a complete breakdown of existing functionality. This is why regression testing is crucial:\u00a0to ascertain that\u00a0the\u00a0modified code has not impacted ANY part of the system.\u00a0It is advisable to standardize the process of regression testing and ensure that regression tests are executed as often as possible throughout the software development life cycle.<\/p>\n Often, regression testing is done through several phases of testing. It is for this reason that there are several types of regression testing<\/a>, such as:<\/p>\n Comprehensive regression testing is not so much about the number of test cases as it covers the critical conditions. These conditions ensure that the functionality remains, that the bug-fixing has been successfully done, and that a particular functional area can handle unexpected behavior. Purely undertaking regression testing by the number of cases is not very easy, nor is it practical. For example, while one case may cover many conditions, it could also cover only one such condition. Hence, no proper detailed estimate must be considered while executing the regression test<\/a> cases.<\/p>\n A sequence of steps is given below to understand how exactly we can go about\u00a0regression\u00a0testing:<\/p>\n Smoke\/Sanity\u00a0Test\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013<\/strong>\u00a0Primarily done to check that the system is stable, this check is done to confirm that the system works as desired under \u2018normal\u2019 conditions. Rather than finding bugs, the purpose is to ensure the system is stable even before the rest of the testing process is initiated.<\/p>\n Requirements\u00a0Analysis\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013<\/strong>\u00a0Requirements of the modifications or additions of code must be thoroughly analyzed. Often, users report bugs that, when analyzed, are found to be a result of last-minute alterations. Mandatory requirements of the customers must\u00a0, therefore\u00a0be carefully assessed, and test cases for regression are prepared such that the product’s<\/a> core features remain firmly intact.<\/p>\n Test\u00a0Cases\u00a0for\u00a0Critical Functions<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013<\/strong>\u00a0Of the various test cases designed for regression testing, the most critical\u00a0for customers and development teams\u00a0are the\u00a0sanity\u00a0test cases that check the system’s basic functionality. Ordinary setup\u2013related test cases are then checked on priority. The test cases designed for regression testing as the software life cycle progresses are then executed as per bandwidth and need. Integration test<\/a> cases, in particular, are highly important, and there needs to be a series of regression test cases, especially while performing integration testing. For example, a sudden fix at the last moment can break the integration between multiple modules, even in an already-tested application.<\/p>\n Selection of\u00a0Test Cases\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013<\/strong>\u00a0After prioritizing the test cases, they can be selected for execution. These test cases are selected primarily based on the area of frequent defects,\u00a0the features,\u00a0and their criticality. Tests are run aggressively for those units of code that have undergone multiple changes repeatedly.<\/p>\n Regression tests are the ideal cases of automation<\/a> that result in better ROI<\/strong><\/p>\n Cigniti Technologies ensures that its solutions for\u00a0regression testing<\/a>\u00a0enable the desired outcome post-code enhancements. The demand of end-users to modify or upgrade functionality is only dynamically increasing. Software development<\/a> teams undergo several iterations of coding when modifications are made to the existing features. Cigniti\u2019s QA engineers understand and perform impact analysis of the changes made to the test environment.<\/p>\n Cigniti uses a systematic and well\u2013defined approach to perform effective regression testing. Our approach includes:<\/p>\nTypes of Regression Testing<\/h2>\n
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How do we go about Regression Testing?<\/h2>\n
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Conclusion<\/h2>\n
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