About Test Data

Hey folks,

It’s so long time, to write blog on testing field back. Here I try to cover all about test data.

Test Data

A set of data created for testing new or revised applications.

Test data should be developed by the user as well as the programmer, tester and must contain a sample of every category of valid data as well as many invalid conditions as possible

Tester should check and update the test data before execution of any test case

Why Required

If you are writing a Test case then you need input data for executing that test case. If you don’t have the systematic approach for building test data while writing and executing test cases then there are chances of missing some important test cases. Preparing proper test data is a core part of “project test environment setup”. Preparation of test data is part of preparing a Test bed activity. Tester cannot pass the bug responsibility saying that complete data was not available for testing. Tester should create his/her own test data additional to the existing standard production data. Your test data set should be ideal in terms of cost and time.

Format of Test Data

The test data may be any kind of input to application, any kind of file that is loaded by the application or entries read from the database tables. It may be in any format like xml test data, system test data, SQL test data or stress test data.

Tips For Test Data

1.       Good practice for every tester keep/make their own set of test data. Sometimes on same build many testers work, so they have same access on the test data files and change the data as per their requirement. So better, keep a personal copy of your own data. It may be of any format like inputs to be provided to the application, input files such as word file, excel file or other photo files

2.       Always keep your test data up to date. Sometimes, test data is not updated so long times.

3.       Before filing the bug, please make sure that your existing test data is not corrupted for executing the test case on application.

4.       Try to make test data as per real time use of application

5.       Test data can be said to be ideal if for the minimum size of data set all the application errors get identified.

6.       Try to prepare test data that will incorporate all application functionality, but not exceeding cost and time constraint for preparing test data and running tests.

How to prepare test data that will ensure complete test coverage?

Design your test data considering following categories:

1.       No data: Run your test cases on blank or default data. See if proper error messages are generated.

2.       Valid data set: Create it to check if application is functioning as per requirements and valid input data is properly saved in database or files.

3.  Invalid data set: Prepare invalid data set to check application behavior for negative values, alphanumeric string inputs.

• Illegal data format: Make one data set of illegal data format. System should not accept data in invalid or illegal format. Also check proper error messages are generated.
• Boundary Condition data set: Data set containing out of range data. Identify application boundary cases and prepare data set that will cover lower as well as upper boundary conditions.
• Data set for performance, load and stress testing: This data set should be large in volume.
• This way creating separate data sets for each test condition will ensure complete test coverage.

In this article, I took the help from one stop testing site, As I can gather all the information at one place at time, I use some of the part from there