Essentials of Software Testing

Ralf Bierig · Stephen Brown · Edgar Galván · Joe Timoney

Aug 2021 · Cambridge University Press

About this ebook

Software testing can be regarded as an art, a craft, and a science. The practical, step-by-step approach presented in this book provides a bridge between these different viewpoints. A single worked example runs throughout, with consistent use of test automation. Each testing technique is introduced in the context of this example, helping students see its strengths and weaknesses. The technique is then explained in more detail, providing a deeper understanding of underlying principles. Finally the limitations of each technique are demonstrated by inserting faults, giving learners concrete examples of when each technique succeeds or fails in finding faults. Coverage includes black-box testing, white-box testing, random testing, unit testing, object-oriented testing, and application testing. The authors also emphasise the process of applying the techniques, covering the steps of analysis, test design, test implementation, and interpretation of results. The book's web site has programming exercises and Java source code for all examples.

About the author

Dr Ralf Bierig is a Senior Lecturer at Maynooth University. He received his undergraduate degree from Furtwangen University in Germany and completed his PhD at The Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland. He gained experience as a Senior IT Consultant in the car industry in Germany and worked as a postgraduate researcher in academia in the UK, the USA, Austria, and in Thailand before moving to Ireland. He has taught software testing for four years, and many related topics in computer and information science, e.g. software engineering, web development, interactive information retrieval, interaction design, and human-computer interaction. He is an active researcher in the wider area of interactive information retrieval and human-computer interaction.

Dr Stephen Brown is a Senior Lecturer at Maynooth University. He graduated from Trinity College Dublin with BA, BAI, and MSc degrees. He then spent 10 years in industry, with Digital Equipment Corporation, in Ireland, the USA, and the UK. Following a period as a Research Fellow (TCD) on the EU-funded ADVANCE project, he moved to Maynooth where he completed his PhD degree (UCC) He has lectured in many topics, including software testing, software engineering, databases, programming, computing ethics, wireless sensor networking, computer architecture. He is an active researcher in wireless networking.

Dr Edgar Galvan is a Senior Researcher in the Department of Computer Science, Maynooth University and the co-head of the Naturally Inspired Computation Research Group. Prior to this he held multiple senior positions in University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin and Inria-Paris Saclay. Dr Galvan has been independently ranked as one of the all-time top 1% researchers in Genetic Programming, according to University College London. He has published more than 80 peer-reviewed publications in top-tier journals and conference venues.

Dr Joe Timoney joined the Department of Computer Science at Maynooth University in 1999. He teaches on undergraduate programs in Computer Science and in Music Technology. His research interests are based in the areas of Software Engineering and Audio signal processing, with a focus on musical applications. He has supervised a number of PhD students. In 2003 he spent a 3-month research visit at ATR laboratory in Kyoto, Japan, and in 2010 to the College of Computing at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. He also is a keen DIY electronics enthusiast and has built a number of electronic instruments.