Test data includes all information in an information system needed to test this system to be successful. According to the International Software Testing Qualifications Board, the definition of test data is: ‘Data that is present (e.g. in a database) before a test is performed and affect (or affected by) a component or system under test’. Recently Dutch ICT business magazine Computable published an article on the topic ‘Test data‘, in conjunction with Accenture’s Paul van den Broek and myself.
While system testing is increasingly professionalized, the subject ‘Test data’ remains often underexposed. When there is too little attention for test data during the planning phase, the need for data and administration during the preparation and execution of different tests can vary greatly, and the general description in the test plan is not sufficient enough. The lack of proper planning and approach in test plan or strategy leads to inconsistencies and errors in the data correction, with major consequences for effort and duration. In order to bridge the gap between theory and practice of test levels and data, Accenture developed a model that helps to get grip on the required test data to better control the preparation and execution of a test program. The model consists of a description of test data along two axes: data types and data-life cycle.
Loading ...
