Best Practices and Methodology for Electronic Software Distribution and Operating System Provisioning in an On Demand Business

78 Best Practices & Methodology for Electronic Software Distribution & Operating System Provisioning

Source Code

The Source Code work product is the actual implementation of the system design

in the chosen programming language. Depending on the language and

environment, there may be several types of code files. In object oriented

programming languages, declarations, and definitions of classes, their attributes

and methods may be spread across several files. The definitions are then

processed by a compiler or precompiler or interpreted to produce the

executables.

Executables

The Executables work product includes the primary software deliverables for any

system development effort. These executables consist of not only the directly

executable files installed on the client’s computer systems (as in EXE files), but

also the installed runtime code libraries (as in DLL files), customizable

executable scripts (as in CMD, EXEC, or shell script files), and any other required

files (such as device drivers, configuration files, images, icons, and audio files).

These executables do not include user support materials but together these

make up the full set of product installation files.

3.4.4 Perform unit testing for developed package or media

The purpose of this activity is to perform unit (or component) testing for the

developed package or media. The unit or component test is performed by the

Building Site staff on the developed package or media in order to identify and

resolve problems before turning over the finished product (package or media) to

the change requester or test site. The unit test plan work product is utilized to

plan and carry out the testing. A test report is generated. If defects are found,

then the package is rebuilt using the previously described activity.

Tasks

The conducting unit test task is performed during the Perform Unit or Component

Testing for Developed Package or Media of the building site activity.

This is performed by the Test Specialist - Technical.

The purpose of this task is to perform a unit (Component) test for the developed

package/media.

A unit (component) test is performed by the building site staff on the developed

package or media in order to identify and resolve problems before turning over

the finished product (package or media) to the change requester or test site.

Chapter 3. Electronic Software Distribution Building Site process 79

Inputs and outputs

Input from any of the following external processes may be required during the

Perform Unit or Component Testing for Developed Package or Media activity of

the Electronic Software Distribution Building Site process:

򐂰 Unit test plan

򐂰 Executables

Output from the Perform Unit or Component Testing for Developed Package or

Media activity of the Electronic Software Distribution Building Site process will

produce a

test report.

The following section is a description of the inputs to and outputs from the

Perform Unit or Component Testing for Developed Package or Media activity that

have not previously been defined in any other section of this IBM Redbook.

Unit test plan

A test plan is created for each level of testing identified as necessary based on

project life cycle testing requirements. Each testing level represents a known

level of physical integration and quality of the system solution under

development. Each plan identifies the scope of testing for that level, functions, or

features to be tested, the testing tasks to be performed, the personnel

responsible for each task, and the business and technical risks that can be

addressed through that level of testing.

The project needs, based on size, complexity, risks and costs, determine the

levels of testing to be used. The following are commonly used levels of tests:

򐂰 Unit test

򐂰 Integration test

򐂰 System test

򐂰 Acceptance test

򐂰 Operability test

򐂰 Systems integration test

For each level of testing, types of testing are selected based on the attributes of

the application or system to be tested. Functional types of tests are used to test

business functions, and structural types of tests are used to test the technical

requirements.

Examples of functional types of tests are:

򐂰 Audit and control

򐂰 Error handling

򐂰 Interface or intersystem

򐂰 Transaction flow

򐂰 Usability