INF3121: Lesson 3

Static Techniques

Reviews, static analysis and dynamic testing have the same objective – identifying defects. They are complementary. Compared to dynamic testing, static techniques find causes of failures (defects) rather than the failures themselves.

1. Static techniques and the test process

Dymanic testing: requires the execution of software (gjennomføring av programvare)

Static testing: manual examination and automated analysis of the code or documentation.

Reviews: A way of testing software products (including code) and can be performed well before dynamic test execution.

Reasons to make reviews: Defects detected during reviews early in the life cycle are often cheaper to remove than those detected while running tests.

Tools: The main manual activity is to examine a work product and make comments about it.


Objects of reviews: Any software product can be reviewed:
- requirement specifications
- design spesicifations
- code
- test plans, test spesification, test cases, test scripts
- user guides
- web pages

Benefits:
- Early defect detection and correction
- development productivity improvements
- reduced development timescales
- reduced testing cost and times
- lifetime cost reduction
- fewer defects and improved communication

Typical defects: (easier to find in reviews than in dynamic testing)

- deviations from standard (avvik fra standar)

- requirement defects

- design defects

– insufficient maintainability (utilstrekkelig vedlike)

- incorrect interface specifications (feilaktige grensesnitsspesifikasjoner)

2. Review process