Test Case Design Using Classification Trees

Abstract

The systematic test is an inevitable part of the verification and validation process for software. The most important prerequisite for a thorough software test is the design of relevant test cases, since they determine the kind and scope and hence the quality of the test. The classification-tree method and the graphical editor CTE (classification-tree editor) support the systematic design of black-box test cases. The classification-tree method is an approach to partition testing which uses a descriptive tree-like notation and which is especially suited for automation. Method and tool have already been tried out successfully on actual examples in various divisions of the Daimler-Benz Group. Three steps were found to be most important in the test case design for real-world applications: (1) Selecting test objects, (2) Designing a classification tree and (3) Combining classes to form test cases. In this paper a strategy to accomplish these steps systematically is outlined. 1 1