Uncovering a Bug in Software – A vital and fundamental skill. Isn’t it?
For Software Testers or QA Engineers, each individual minute must be dedicated to identifying flaws in applications. This is a necessity!
Recommended IPTV Service Providers
- IPTVGREAT – Rating 4.8/5 ( 600+ Reviews )
- IPTVRESALE – Rating 5/5 ( 200+ Reviews )
- IPTVGANG – Rating 4.7/5 ( 1200+ Reviews )
- IPTVUNLOCK – Rating 5/5 ( 65 Reviews )
- IPTVFOLLOW -Rating 5/5 ( 48 Reviews )
- IPTVTOPS – Rating 5/5 ( 43 Reviews )
You may perceive detecting a Major Bug such as a System Crash to be a rewarding task! Nonetheless, I don’t share that sentiment. Your objective should be to uncover the most elusive bugs which often lead users astray.
Identifying such subtle bugs is the most challenging aspect of the job, but it also gives you a sense of fulfillment in your work. Additionally, it deserves acknowledgement by senior colleagues. I am going to relay my experience dealing with one such subtle bug that proved not only challenging to detect but equally difficult to replicate.
I was tasked with testing a module from my search engine project. I perform many of the tasks related to this project manually owing to the complexity associated with automation. The module in question concerned traffic and revenue stats from various affiliates and advertisers. Testing such reports is always a demanding task.
When I ran this report, the data seemed to be properly processed initially, but upon testing again after a while, the results appeared to be misleading. This variance in results was both odd and perplexing.
There was a Cron job (an automated script triggered after reaching a certain condition or after a specified time interval) put in place to process the log files and update the database. Multiple Cron jobs were operating on log files and the database to ensure synchronization of all data.
Two distinct Cron jobs were running simultaneously on a single table, each with their own unique time intervals.
A column within the table was getting mistakenly overwritten by the other Cron job, causing some inconsistencies in the data. It took us a substantial amount of time to diagnose the issue due to the extensive database processes and differing Cron jobs.
The crux of it is to strive to identify hidden bugs in the system that surface under specific conditions and cause significant impact on the system. You can accomplish this with some techniques and strategies.
These are a few practical Tips:
#1) Fully understand the entire software or module before commencing testing.
#2) Develop effective Test Cases prior to initiating testing. Focus on the functional test cases that expose the application’s most significant risks.
#3) Generate ample Test Data before executing tests. This dataset should encompass the test case conditions as well as the database records if you plan to test a database linked application.
#4) Conduct repeated tests using diverse Test Environments.
#5) Strive to discern the resulting pattern and subsequently compare your findings with these patterns.
#6) Once you’ve completed most of the test cases and you’re feeling rather drained, engage in some Monkey Testing.
#7) Utilize patterns from previous Test Data to analyze the current batch of tests.
#8) Try out some Standard Test Cases which helped uncover bugs in different applications. For instance, if you’re testing an input text field, try inserting some HTML tags as inputs and observe the output on the display page.
#9) Lastly, the most effective trick is to be extremely persistent in your search for the bug. Test with the sole intention of breaking the application!
We will feature additional pointers in our forthcoming posts. In the interim, please feel free to share more suggestions in the comments section below.