A brief overview of System Testing and End-to-End testing:
There is a close connection between System Testing and End-to-End Testing, and even seasoned testers might find it difficult to determine which to prioritize. This article aims to compare and distinguish these two forms of testing, starting by explaining the stages that each product development process undergoes.
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Within the software sphere, we frequently encounter a hard choice between speedy software release and maintaining its quality. Perfectly balancing quick release and excellent quality is a challenge as we expect both simultaneously.
Educational Objectives:
- Testing a Software Product
- What Constitutes System Testing?
- Significance of System Testing
- Ideal Time for System Testing
- Exploring End-to-End Testing
- Importance of End-to-End Testing
- Ideal Time for End-to-End Testing
- Contrasting System Testing and End-to-End Testing
- System Testing, End-to-End Testing, or a Combination?
- Our Closing Thoughts
A Comprehensive Test of a Software Product
The lifecycle of any software product commences with the compilation of business requirements from the client. The assigned team carefully scrutinizes these requirements and crafts the technical specifications accordingly.
The following steps mark the software development process, guided by the above specifications:
Step #1: The software product is segregated into different modules and components or units based on the broad product overview. These components are developed individually and undergo their own unit testing.
Step #2: The separately-tested units undergo integration and combined testing to check their functionality and viability.
Step #3: A simulated production environment is chosen to conduct system testing on the integrated product. This stage confirms adherence with functional and non-functional business prerequisites.
Step #4: Acceptance testing is conducted to evaluate client satisfaction before the product is deployed in the production environment.
What Does System Testing Involve?
System testing is performed upon completion of integration testing but prior to acceptance testing, and it covers both hardware and software.
The purpose of system testing is to examine how the interconnected components within a system function in unison and conform to quality standards. The testing includes functional and non-functional assessments of the product as a whole to identify any systemic errors.
Non-functional tests underscore the product under development’s capability to meet business expectations. These tests evaluate characteristics such as response time, compatibility, installation, performance, regression, scalability, security, and more.
System Testing is vital to confirm that the application stands up to market expectations and safeguards the reputation of the company.
To illustrate, consider the example of an online cab booking app like Uber:
Uber’s online platform allows users to reserve cabs by utilizing multiple modules like location tracking, payment gateways, cab fare estimation, and driver profiles. Unit testing examines each of these modules independently.
After each module is tested individually, integration testing is conducted as they are grouped together. System testing plays a critical role in validating customer requirements such as finding the closest cab or facilitating payments through diverse modes.
Why Should We Prioritize System Testing?
System testing is imperative to validate certain factors before progressing to the subsequent levels:
These aspects entail:
- Confirming the software works as a cohesive unit.
- Verifying whether the product addresses all the functional and non-functional requirements.
- Testing the system within an environment that simulates actual production conditions.
- Gauging the system’s reactions to realistic data.
System testing accommodates scenarios derived from business risks, use cases, and overall product behavior. Test cases also venture into the interactions with divergent system resources. Although testers must possess a thorough understanding of the product’s architecture and business requirements, they need not be familiarized with the internals of the code.
A team is generally committed to conducting system testing and assembles test plans and test cases that exclusively cater to this stage in the process. Multiple iterations of system testing could be executed in various environments if deemed necessary.
When Is the Preferable Time for System Testing?
System testing can be initiated when:
- All unit tests are successfully accomplished devoid of defects.
- Every unit-tested component is integrated aptly, and integration testing has been successful.
- A production-like simulated environment is available for system testing.
- The system tester has a holistic understanding of all system aspects and is equipped with the required test artifacts.
What Constitutes End-to-End Testing?
Proper testing protocols are instrumental in ensuring the quality of software. Superior products bring satisfaction to both manufacturers and users. End-to-End testing inspects the entire workflow of an application, including its dependencies on other systems. It ensures that front-end and back-end applications communicate flawlessly through network channels and is occasionally referred to as chain testing.
End-to-End testing does not necessarily concentrate on user interface testing, as system testing does. Instead, it concentrates on verifying the functional integrity of data that acts as the backbone of the interface. Typically, end-to-end Testing is carried out after system testing.
Resuming our Uber example, in the scenario of end-to-end testing, we would authenticate the user’s entire journey:
Executing the app on a user’s mobile device -> Locating a cab for the given location -> Tracking the cab’s location before or during the ride -> Completing the ride and making a payment using one of the provided options -> Lastly, the completion of the credit process in the driver’s account.
By guaranteeing seamless execution of this end-to-end flow, we take significant strides towards ensuring that customers’ needs are catered to and surface any issues that may arise from interactions between multiple systems.
Why Should We Elucidate the Importance of End-to-End Testing?
End-to-End testing is indispensable when the developed product is part of a larger, distributed system. It communicates with other systems under different environments. To ensure accurate interaction across platforms and environments, a comprehensive inspection is required.
The crux of end-to-end testing involves:
- Verifying the interaction between the product under development and any subsystems, irrespective of whether they belong to the same organization or not.
- Reviewing the flow of information from the source systems to the destination systems.
- Authenticating the requirements from an end-user viewpoint.
- Recognizing issues across heterogeneous environments.
Repeatable tests may be necessary to consistently observe the application’s health. At times, conflicts materialize between developers and testers over the impact of minor modifications to the code on different applications. While developers may perceive the changes as trivial, frequent retesting of end-to-end scenarios might indeed be required. This might lead to a delayed delivery and increased costs.
When is the Perfect Time to Commence End-to-End Testing?
End-to-end testing is typically conducted when:
- The product has passed system testing without any issues, covering all functional elements.
- The dependencies required for testing are accessible and have been identified.
- The tester possesses the necessary knowledge and test artifacts.
- The tester has the appropriate tools for examining data flow.
How Does System Testing Differ from End-to-End Testing?
Below are the contrast-points between System Testing and End-to-End Testing:
System Testing | End-to-End Testing |
---|---|
Tests developed product against technical prerequisites based on business needs. | Collaborative testing of developed product with any performance-related systems geared by business requirements. |
Encompasses functional and non-functional testing methodologies. | Covers interface-related testing between source and destination systems. |
Performed during the concluding stages of the software development life cycle. | Carried out following integration testing. |
Examines all installed features of the product to identify unexpected outcomes. | Engages in process flow assessments across front-end, back-end, and middle-tier systems. |
Requires thorough understanding of product’s functionality. | Demands an in-depth understanding of data flows and work flows within the system. |
System tester focuses purely on the product’s current functionality, disregarding the developmental stages. | End-to-end tester should have a firm grasp of all stages of the development life cycle. |
Should We Favor System Testing, End-to-End Testing, or a Combination?
Though System Testing and End-to-End Testing might be confused as synonymous, they are unique forms of testing, each with distinct test coverage. End-to-End Testing examines the flow of activities from the beginning to end, including all system dependencies. System Testing verifies the same features but using diverse inputs, and hence, their test coverage varies.
Wrapping up
A system tester ought to possess the mindset of a genuine user, while an end-to-end-tester needs to comprehend both upstream and downstream systems. Both kinds of testing contribute significantly to the product development cycle and help unearth errors of different varieties.
Having gone through this article, we hope it has provided you with better clarity on which form of testing suits your requirements. Please share your experiences in the comments section below.