Confirmation Testing in Software Testing

Confirmation testing is a type of test that confirms the functionality of an application or system. This type of testing can be conducted as part of regression testing to ensure that changes have not introduced new errors, or it can be performed at any point in the development process to verify how an app performs with different data sets.

The goal is to check for and confirm any areas where the software may behave incorrectly under certain circumstances. It’s important to identify and document these points so they are known during future work on this area.

What is confirmation testing?

Confirmation testing is a black box test, which means that the tester doesn’t try to figure out how the application or system works but instead tests it from an external point of view. It’s called a black box because you don’t look inside the software; you test its inputs and outputs. Confirmation testing can be combined with other black box testing methods, such as input validation and boundary value analysis.

Confirmation testing can be used to test any aspect of the software. This includes functions, features, user interfaces (UI), code modules, etc.

The tester aims to confirm that a specific action has an expected outcome using predefined (and sometimes changing) inputs and parameters. The process is usually set up to use a manual testing approach, but some tools allow for automated tests to be built.

When to Perform Confirmation Testing?

Testing with confirmation methods begins after the software has been deployed and you know which areas need to be tested. Since this method doesn’t determine how the application or system works, it can be used with any deployed software and is available for testing.

Testing strategy options vary depending on a project’s size, complexity, and uncertainty.  Confirmation tests are typically conducted throughout the development life cycle, such as when a bug or defect fixes or new features are released. You might even want to run these tests if you have identified a specific high-risk issue that needs testing.

Role of Confirmation Testing in Bug Fix?

The aim of confirmation testing is to confirm functionality and bug fixes, but it can also be used as part of regression testing to check for new errors after a project has been modified or updated. This is why it’s important to identify areas where the software might behave incorrectly and document these points so they are known for future reference.

Checking a few simple items or sections of the software is one way to run confirmation testing. This can be done by the testing team when a new feature has been added, at the end of development, or during beta testing before release. You can also systematically check that different features still perform as expected.

Is confirmation testing or retesting the same?

A confirmation testing test is also referred to as retesting. It was done to check which defects were found in a previous failed build and what test cases were passed in a new build. This explains whether problems previously reported have been successfully corrected or not. If they fix that issue, several bugs will be listed in the Bug Tracking System. The process has happened repeatedly on every new Agile sprint on the way to the end of the Agile sprints. The bug monitoring system also checks out bug reports in previous software versions.

Is Confirmation testing the same as Regression testing?

No. Regression testing is any software testing that aims to reveal software bugs or issues previously discovered and fixed by the testing team. confirmation software testing can be part of a regression tests suite, but it’s not the same.

Confirmation techniques are black-box methods relying on inputs and functional outputs. In regression testing, testers use more white-box techniques to think about how an application or system works. It’s important to know that regression testing doesn’t assure that the software is still working properly; it only shows whether it has been broken again or tests for new errors.

Some people use “confirmation” and “regression” interchangeably for simplicity. But it’s important to understand that they are not the same thing.

What’s Not Confirmation Testing?

Some people see regression testing, which tests a feature or functionality after it has been changed, as confirmation testing. However, regression testing is performed on changes in the software.  The main difference between regression and confirmation software testing is that during the former process, you are only interested in whether something already tested still works correctly. In the latter, you ensure that new features continue to work correctly and are free of defects in the new version.  Also, when performing regression testing, you only need to verify that one change didn’t break anything, whereas during confirmation testing, you may need to test all your requirements against multiple test cases.

Confirmation testing is just ensuring the project’s requirements have been met.

Confirmation Test Planning and Execution Steps:

• Determine what needs to be confirmed. Check out which requirements have been built into the software, especially if specific items known as risks or issues are identified for testing. These are areas where bugs or flaws may still exist due to coding errors or changes in the software. Test cases can also be designed around issues already occurring during testing iterations.
• Identify how you will confirm requirements. If there are known risks with the software that need testing as part of a ” regression test,” you can create test cases that directly address these issues. For example, if a known bug with the software didn’t work correctly when the user logged in using an account in one particular country, you could write a specific test case to verify this functionality.
• Select what tests to run. If you’re using test-driven development or some other form of agile software development, you’ll likely have done a lot of testing during the design and coding process. During this phase, you can write test cases for many situations that have already been identified.
• Create your Confirmation Test Plan.  This document should specify which tests to run in order to confirm the requirements. It should also state how you will execute those tests, including any specific tools or procedures that need to be followed, including when and where testing will occur.
• Execute your test cases. This is where your software’s potential risks are tested using various techniques. Each type of testing has its own process for performing each test case.
• Perform defect analysis and reporting. If you find any problems during the confirmation tests, write them down in a ” bug list” so they can be fixed. Then, you can also use these as inputs for your project’s risk management plan.

Confirmation Testing Techniques

There are two approaches to confirm requirements via testing:  in-depth testing and usability testing.  These can be performed by testers, the development team, or even users.  Both techniques allow you to integrate requirements verification into your overall software development process, helping teams deliver higher-quality code faster with less risk.

In-Depth Testing

This is a big-picture approach to testing. You examine the overall system or application in depth rather than the individual pieces. This type of testing can be either functional or non-functional.  Functional tests verify that an application meets its objectives and performs certain tasks successfully. Non-functional tests ensure that an application or system meets certain performance, scalability, and reliability standards.  In both cases, these tests are usually performed by technical experts.

Usability Testing

This rather informal approach is used to determine whether the software works effectively from the end-users’ perspective. It can focus on how easy it is to use the software, how fast it performs tasks, and how intuitive it feels. Either testers or end-users can do this approach. For example, one tester might ask five users to perform certain tasks on the application to see whether any interface problems exist.

You can use a variety of techniques to confirm that the software is working properly, such as:

• Checking For Errors in Input Validation
• Input Validation
• Boundary Value Analysis
• State Transition Testing
• Equivalence Partitioning
• Data-Flow Testing
• Decision Table Testing
• Control Flow Graph Testing,
• Cause-Effect Graph Testing
• State Transition Diagram Testing (Table)
• User Interface (UI) Walkthrough
• Data-Driven Security Defects
• Web Security Threat Vulnerability
• Green-Screening
• Control Flow Testing
• Data-flow testing, aka Data Derivative Analysis  (Table)

Conclusion

Confirmation testing is a set of tests performed to confirm whether the product meets its requirements. If you plan on doing any testing for your project, it’s worth considering.   But be warned: it cannot be done before a deadline; it should be planned and executed throughout the project. confirmation software testing can help you identify certain issues that have gone undetected by other testing techniques, and it’s often used to ensure that a product or system meets its basic requirements.  Remember, though:  confirmation testing isn’t just for the end of your project – it should be used throughout.

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