For the fourth assignment in software testing, we had to create a decision table testing. A decision table is a black-box test technique that visually presents combinations of inputs and outputs, where inputs are conditions or cases, and outputs are actions or effects. A full decision table contains all combinations of conditions and actions. Additionally, it shows the causes and effects. Therefore, this technique is also called a cause-effect table. A well-created decision table can help to sort out the right response of the system, depending on the input data, as it should include all conditions. It simplifies designing the logic and thus improves the development and testing of our product. 

The decision table works on input conditions and actions. We create a Table in which the top rows are input conditions, and in the same vein, the bottom rows are resulting actions. Similarly, the columns correspond to unique combinations of these conditions.

Advantages of Decision Table Testing

The system behavior is different for different input, both equivalent partitioning, and boundary value analysis won’t help, but decision table can be used.

It can be easily interpreted and is used for development and business as well.

Help to make effective combinations and better coverage for testing.

Any complex business conditions can be easily turned into decision tables.

In a case we are going for 100% coverage typically when the input combinations are low, this technique can ensure the coverage.

Disadvantages of Decision Table Testing

The number of inputs increases the table will become more complex.

Resources:

https://www.guru99.com/decision-table-testing.html

From the blog CS@Worcester – Tech, Guaranteed by mshkurti and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

For the fourth assignment in the Software Quality Assur&Test class we had to create a program graphs and a DD-Path graph. We had worked during class time in different activities that covered this assignment so I would say I really enjoyed working in this assignment. We had to complete three parts each with a different level of difficulty, but I did only basic and intermediate. I learned to understand more of the way how to create the graphs and what you need to place in the graph and what not.

We have given a java code and I have to create the Program Graph for the play () method. In a Graph, we have a set of nodes (a.k.a vertices) and these nodes relate to each other with the help of some edges. The nodes or vertices are used to store data and this data can be used further. To build the graph is easy but complicated at the same time. All the 27 lines of the code are represented with 27 nodes and some of the nodes have more than one line.

A graph is a data structure that consists of the following two components: 
1. A finite set of vertices also called as nodes. 
2. A finite set of ordered pair of the form (u, v) called as edge. In a Connected Graph, from each node, there is a path to all the other nodes i.e., from each node, you can access all the other nodes of the graph. But in a Disconnected Graph, you can’t access all the nodes from a particular node. Our graph is a combined one.

After finishing the graph, I had to Create the DD-Path Graph for the play () method given above and include the table translating from Program Graph nodes (from your graph above), with the corresponding DD-Path node labeled with a letter. The most difficult part is done in the first part so creating the DD-path and the table it didn’t took me a long time to translate it to what was required. Overall, it was fun assignment and I really enjoyed.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Tech, Guaranteed by mshkurti and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

This week I decided to talk about Nurture Your Passion pattern. I think this pattern apply to a lot of people in different direction.  Our success comes not so much from what we do, but how well we do it. It also illustrates that regardless of your job or your position on the company ladder, you can be successful if you have passion for your work. Regardless of your current job bringing passion to your work can lay a foundation for success. Not just success in your current job, but success for every rung you want to take up the company ladder. You may hate your job now, but the attitude you take towards it can play a pivotal role in your career.

The book describes a case where You work in an environment that stifles your passion for the craft and what solution you can follow.  It is hard for your passion to grow when exposed to such hostile conditions, but there are some basic actions you can take to sustain it. Find something at work that interests you, identify it as something you enjoy, and pour yourself into it. Join a local user group that focuses on something you want to learn more about. Immersing yourself in some of the great literature of our field can carry you through the rough spots when your passion is in jeopardy. Moving into an organization that offers career paths congruent with your own can protect your passion.

These are some good advice you can follow. It is hard to find everything in one place but at least if you do something you like you are going to be happier. Remember passion is an emotion, a state of mind so the first thing you have to do is motivate yourself. Turn to another emotion to find the motivation that you need. Once you have the motivation you can apply the passion. Remember it is not about how you feel about your job. It is about putting passion into your work. Maybe you need to learn new skills, or you just need to fully engage yourself in your work.

References:

Apprenticeship Patterns by Adewale Oshineye; Dave Hoover

From the blog CS@Worcester – Tech, Guaranteed by mshkurti and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Last semester I had to learn a new programming language for a class. It was a short time of period to learn it and I had to use it in a project. I really wanted to learn how to code in R and it was something that I enjoyed it. But the thing that helped me become better in it is practice. Take the time to practice your craft without interruptions, in an environment where you can feel comfortable making mistakes.

The book describes an ideal world where a mentor would assign you an exercise based on her understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. When you finished the exercise, the mentor would work with you to rate your performance using an objective metric and then work with you to devise the next exercise. Even though this is a good practice and would really help a lot of people, we do not live in an ideal world, and must fall back on our own resources to achieve the same effect. So we have to practice to understand our weakness and transform them.

The key to this pattern is to carve out some time to develop software in a stress-free and playful environment: no release dates, no production issues, no interruptions. Now that I’m more free to practice R I can see the benefit of this pattern. I usually find exercises, small projects, books online and practices my knowledge on those. It is more fun and I’m not worried about meeting a deadline or missing any instructions. As Dave Thomas says of practicing, “It has to be acceptable to relax, because if you aren’t relaxed you’re not going to learn from the practice.”

There are some things that you have to keep in mind when you practice though. Practice makes permanent, so be careful what you practice, and constantly evaluate it to ensure you haven’t gone stale. A good way to ensure you have interesting exercises to use in your practice sessions is to trawl through old books. I personally like to get my information in different sources and then compare. I feel like you learn more this was. Take that knowledge and try to find or devise a new exercise that will have a measurable impact on your abilities. Repeat.

References:

Apprenticeship Patternsby Adewale Oshineye; Dave Hoover, Published by O’Reilly Media, Inc., 2009

From the blog CS@Worcester – Tech, Guaranteed by mshkurti and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Deciding your concentration when you are in college is one of the most important steps that a student can take. Understand that it’s not up to your career counselor, or your professors to decide for you. You can ask for help and opinions but deciding what you want, you have to do it by yourself. Draw your own map talks about how arriving at your next step and charting the course to ultimately arrive at your ideal destination is your responsibility. With your next career step identified, visualize the smaller, interim steps you need to take to move forward. It is vitally important that you take the first step even if it doesn’t seem that significant. That first step will generate the momentum that will help carry you toward your goals. It’s the willingness to take that first terrifying step (and all the other steps later on), even in the absence of a perfect plan, that turns your map from a daydream into reality.

Until late in my senior year I wasn’t sure what I wanted to continue my concentration on. So, what helped me was analyze my strong and weak points. What I enjoyed and what not. What education should I continue after I finished my bachelor and what possibilities are there for both cases. After much thought I decided that the subject that I enjoyed more was big data. A strong background in math and statistics will put you ahead of the pack. Also, the computer languages that I really enjoy are Python and R, which are two important ones in big data. I like to play around with visualization and analyzing datasets. For me, a dataset is more than numbers and characters. I like to discover the hidden connection behind it. This keeps me going and learn more.

 Remember, there isn’t one single path that all apprentices follow. Instead, successful apprentices follow paths that share a certain family resemblance. These resemblances do not happen because apprentices are inexorably shepherded into making the same decisions by their mentors. They happen because each apprentice, consciously or not, chooses their route through life based on an overlapping set of values.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Tech, Guaranteed by mshkurti and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

This week in the Software Quality Assur&Test class we got the third assignment that was about Boundary Values and Equivalence Class Testing. We had worked during class time in different activities that covered this assignment so I would say I really enjoyed working in this assignment. We had to complete three parts each with a different level of difficulty. I learned to understand more of the way testing works and what exactly get tested.

What we covered in this homework:

Boundary testing is the process of testing between extreme ends or boundaries between partitions of the input values.

Robust Boundary Values. Introducing outside of boundary values.

Equivalence Class Testing, which is also known as Equivalence Class Partitioning (ECP) and Equivalence Partitioning, is an important software testing technique used by the team of testers for grouping and partitioning of the test input data, which is then used for the purpose of testing the software product into a number of different classes.

Weak Normal Equivalence Class Testing: In this first type of equivalence class testing, one variable from each equivalence class is tested by the team. Moreover, the values are identified in a systematic manner. Weak normal equivalence class testing is also known as single fault assumption.

Strong Normal Equivalence Class Testing: Termed as multiple fault assumption, in strong normal equivalence class testing the team selects test cases from each element of the Cartesian product of the equivalence. This ensures the notion of completeness in testing, as it covers all equivalence classes and offers the team one of each possible combinations of inputs.

Worst-Case boundary value analysis is a Black Box software testing technique.

In Worst case boundary value testing, we make all combinations of each value of one variable with each value of another variable.

Edge Testing is a combination of Boundary Value Analysis and Equivalence Class Testing.

Weak Robust Equivalence Class Testing: Like weak normal equivalence, weak robust testing too tests one variable from each equivalence class. However, unlike the former method, it is also focused on testing test cases for invalid values.

Strong Robust Equivalence Class Testing: Another type of equivalence class testing, strong robust testing produces test cases for all valid and invalid elements of the product of the equivalence class. However, it is incapable of reducing the redundancy in testing.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Tech, Guaranteed by mshkurti and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

This week I choose to talk about the craft over art pattern. So, what is this pattern about? The book explains that craftsmanship is built upon strong relationships. This pattern is not about doing merely what is expedient. It also encompasses the idea that a useful craft artifact always displays at least a minimal level of quality. When using this pattern, you will have to balance your customer’s desire for the immediate resolution of their problem with the internal standards that make you a craftsman. 
There are many things a developer should keep in mind when he/she develops a program but one thing that we should never forget is that you are primarily building something that serves the needs of others, not indulging in artistic expression. Developers think creatively, experimenting with different solutions to fit user needs and generally are comfortable with design systems. I have been many times in the place where I had to build something that I didn’t feel like it, but it is the customer that you need to satisfy.
Something that I really like from this pattern is when the book explains that You need to do your best work in ways that place the interests of your customers over your desire to display skill or pad your resume, while still adhering to the minimum standards of competence provided by the software development community. Walking the Long Road means you must balance these conflicting demands. If you starve because you are too much of an artist and your creations are too beautiful to be delivered in the real world, then you have left the craft. If your desire to do beautiful work forces you out of professional software development and away from building useful things for real people, then you have left the craft.
When you are making decisions about software, you should guide yourself by always keeping this in mind: How we can help? You can even prioritize feature requests this way. Remember: the purpose of the software is not to show off how intelligent you are.  Your purpose is to help people — Max Kanat-Alexander, Code Simplicity

Reference:

Apprenticeship Patterns by Adewale Oshineye; Dave Hoover

From the blog CS@Worcester – Tech, Guaranteed by mshkurti and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.