All unit tests are, in essence, regression tests. Regression testing, as contrary to unit testing, is concerned with verifying the overall functionality of software or an application after modifications have been made to the source code.
Unit testing describes what?
By definition, unit testing evaluates just a discrete portion of code to determine its behavior. When a test fails, you'll know exactly where the problem is in your code.Implementing "test while you code" is recommended as one of the best practices for unit testing. This method may help you better understand what unit testing is all about. Visualize this suggestion as a tree with many branches. Each avenue represents a different kind of blunder that may occur. Writing more code without first testing it increases the number of possible error conditions. With unit testing, you can be certain that specific sections of code will be checked at the appropriate time throughout development.
Regression Testing: Remember what Is It?
A software product's functioning should not be compromised by a single line of code, hence regression testing is performed after each code modification. This sort of testing involves re-testing the application's core functionality after modifications have been implemented to ensure that it continues to operate as expected. The following example illustrates the concept of regression testing: If the test doesn't pass, it means the app isn't behaving as expected.Every piece of software goes through a process of iterative development, and with that comes inevitable code modifications. No one can predict how a modification to the code would effect a dependent feature until after it has been implemented. Due to this reason, Regression Testing must be integrated into the software development life cycle to address this uncertainty and guarantee a high-quality final result.
As regression testing implies re-testing the software, some people may get it confused with the retesting process. It is worth mentioning that re-testing is the process that typically happens during regression testing, as it tests defects that have been already detected.
When Should You Conduct Regression Testing?
When there are changes to the system's specs or code structure, regression testing must be run to confirm that the changes haven't broken any interdependent or unrelated parts of the product.Testing for quality assurance (QA) is done to make sure your IT solutions are error-free and will still satisfy your customers. Software must be tested in this way before it can be released, and it must also be tested anytime new features are added to the build and bugs, flaws, and other problems are fixed.
What is the Process for Running a Regression Test?
It is important to note that certain criteria must be met before a regression test is conducted.
- First, there must be indications of a bug in the code.
- When the reports are verified and the problematic code is located, it is additionally analysed to determine the root cause of the issues.
- The next logical step would be to make the necessary adjustments and repairs to the trouble spots.
- As soon as any and all defects have been fixed, the next step is to run the Regression test. To do this, we will choose and perform relevant tests.
The tests are divided into two groups here.
- Covering every changed section of code with a comprehensive set of tests.
- Tests of possible problem areas brought on by the mentioned alterations.
What's the Distinction Between Regression and Unit Tests?
1.The development phase
During software or application development is another scenario when regression testing and unit testing diverge. Whenever a developer makes a modification to a piece of software or an application, they must run unit tests to check that the updated functionality works as intended.Before a new feature is made public, regression testing is conducted, which may include unit, integration, or other forms of testing. After the modules have been tested individually, the whole system should be tested to ensure proper functionality.
2.Objectives of the Test
The goals of regression testing and those of unit testing are distinct, despite their superficial similarities. During unit testing, developers inspect subsystems of an application or piece of software to make sure they function properly.
When developers are done with an individual feature, regression testing is carried out. Software testers make sure that the new capability does not break any previously working parts of the program. As a result, you can be certain that everything is in working order and ready for release thanks to regression testing.
3.Required software code to be tested
As the name implies, unit testing focuses on a single component at a time for maximum efficiency. Meanwhile, regression tests to see whether any of the modifications made affected the system's overall functioning.
When and Why Is It Necessary to Use Regression and Unit Testing?
Regression testing assures that there will be no post-release performance concerns for users. At TestQuality, we are sure you can see where this is going: when customers have a bad time, businesses of all sizes suffer economic consequences. To make sure the program performs as expected is another another justification for doing regression testing.
In the long term, money may be saved by doing unit tests. When you test your code early on in the development process, you reduce the likelihood that you'll have to make adjustments to resolve errors after the product has been released. When problems arise later and need to be fixed, it might delay the project and cost more money and time. Clearly, therefore, the time spent on unit testing is well spent.
What Regression Testing Techniques can you use with TestQuality?
One of the main TestQuality app features is Cycles, which are collections of tests and folders that you want to run repeatedly, perhaps you want to specify a particular environment or a particular tester, Cycles are part of your test plan and are used to achieve a particular testing goal. In that sense, some Typical Regression Test Methods you can put into practice with the help of TestQuality and its Cycles featured tool:Selective Regression Testing
Selective regression testing is the method of choice when just a limited portion of your product must be evaluated for potential bugs. By using this method, you can see how the updated code interacts with the rest of the program, which may provide light on how well the updated functionality is implemented.
Test Prioritazion
As the name implies, this method prioritizes running the most important regression tests first. The severity of the problem, the importance of the feature, and how often it is used by customers are all factors in determining the case's priority. After verifying that critical use cases have been tested and found to be bug-free, you may shift your focus to medium- and low-priority use cases.
Retest it All
To put this strategy into action, you'll need both time and means. When a new update is put into the program, the "Retest it all" strategy proposes reusing all the test cases to guarantee that all aspects of the product are checked. Since a result, this approach is only viable for substantial software revisions, as testing the whole product is both time-consuming and expensive. In this aspect, TestQuality's Cycles, saves time by managing groups of tests or by adding configurations to a Cycle.
TestQuality's Cycles
In this TestQuality video we will cover How Cycles feature Tool Works and How to add Test to a Cycle or update the configurations to a Cycle and even How to Log an existing Defect within a Test Cycle.
Find the following time stamps within the video:
- Introduction to TestQuality Cycles
- How to Add Tests to a Cycle
- Using the Filter to add Tests to a Cycle
- Overview tab of a Cycle: Propieties, Labels, Settings
- Adding Tests to a Test Run within a Cycle
- Adding Configurations to a Cycle
- Logging an Existing Defect within a Cycle
TestQuality Cycles offers a very simple way to run a group of Tests that you want to run repitedly.
TestQuality helps you build better software with fully integrated and easy to use Test Management for high-performance teams. The fastest way to build, run, and manage test cases, plans, runs, and cycles. Easily understand the quality and performance of your tests and with powerful test analytics.
Add TestQuality to your workflow today
TestQuality can simplify test case creation and organization, it offers a very competitive price but it is free when used with GitHub free repositories providing Rich and flexible reporting that can help you to visualize and understand where you and your dev or QA Team are at in your project's quality lifecycle. But also look for analytics that can help identify the quality and effectiveness of your test cases and testing efforts to ensure you're building and executing the most effective tests for your efforts.
