20
DecWe live in an era of technology where software programs and applications have become an important part of our lives. When a software program is created, it is not simply released, but it has to go through different types of software testing before the final deployment. The software testing process validates or verifies a software product from technical and functional prospects.
The software testing ensures the product is working the same way for which purpose it was designed. Additionally, software testing helps to identify errors, gaps in opposing to the actual requirements. There are different types of software testing that are either performed individually or they can be used in combinations based on requirements.
In this blog, our main focus of discussion is Regression Testing. If you are planning to learn regression testing fundamentals at the beginner level or want to appear for an interview, then this blog is written for you. Other than this, you would also check regression testing interview questions answers to increase your chances of getting selected by top MNCs.
The major topics covered in the blog include:
Let us discuss each of regression testing fundamentals in detail below.
What is Regression Testing?
Regression testing is performed to check that a code change does not impact the existing functionality of the product. In simple words, Regression testing means retesting the unchanged part of an application. Also, the test cases are executed again to verify that the product is behaving like previous and new bugs are not introduced in the product.
Regression Testing Highlights:
When to perform Regression Testing?
This is a logical question because a product takes several weeks or months sometimes for the next release cycle. So, it would be great incorporating regression testing in your daily release cycles. It can be performed weekly when functional testing for the product is over.
Most of the times, a product is retested because application code is changed occasionally not daily. The major objective of the regression testing is to make the new build or new version more functional without any bugs.
Can Regression testing be performed manually?
Software testing is all about the execution of test cases, and the test execution is so simple that we don’t need any special tools to perform it. So, it is just a misconception that regression testing should always be performed via automation.
Read: Unit Testing Interview Questions and Answers
It can be done manually when your test cases change frequently. For the build, if test cases are fixed, then automation testing can be a good choice here.
Challenges in Regression Testing
Regression Testing is a vital process in software engineering, but it comes with some challenges as given below.
Best Practices for Regression Testing
Here are some best practices to keep in mind when you perform regression testing on a software build.
Regression Testing Tools
If your software build requires frequent changes, then costs for regression tests will increase significantly. In such cases, the manual execution of test cases increases and cost investment too. For the test cases that remain the same for some builds, automation testing is a smart choice.
Following are the QA tools that are suitable for both regression testing and functional testing. However, when you add automation tools for regression tests, make sure that tool allows you to add or update test cases frequently. Three popular regression testing tools in 2019 are given as:
Retest vs. Regression Testing
What are the similarities?
What are the differences?
So, it is clear from the discussion neither one nor another but the combination of both testing techniques makes a dynamic duo.
Read: Software Testing Engineer Career Path: Role & Job Responsibilities
Automated Regression Testing in Agile
The Agile approach is common is software testing based on iterative and incremental methodologies. The product is developed in short iterations that last for 2-4 weeks (Sprint). Testers should design test suite at the initial phase that is updated with each Sprint. The automated regression testing in agile is divided into two categories as given below.
Sprint Level Regression
This regression is performed on new features or enhancement made in the latest Sprint. Testers should select test cases from the test suite based on new added functionalities or enhancements.
End-to-End Regression
This regression includes all test cases that need to be executed for testing the whole product and covers all core functionalities of a product.
Agile methodology has short sprints, and it goes on, it is highly required automating the test suite executed over again and again within a short period. Automating the execution of test cases reduces the overall testing time and defect slippage.
Why the Regression Test?
Regression testing is done when developers add new code or new features to the system. There are plenty of dependencies in newly added and existing functionalities. And it is true that when one bug is fixed several new bugs are introduced without your knowledge.
It is necessary to check either new code complies the older ones so that the unmodified code is not affected. Mostly, the testing team has the task to check last-minute changes in the system. Here, it is necessary to complete the testing process on time by covering all major system aspects.
Regression testing is considered more important for continuous changes in the system that should not negatively affect the existing code. Regression testing is done to find bugs due to the newly added code. If testing is not done, the product may get critical issues that eventually lead the customer into trouble.
Example: Take the example of a website where the cost of the product is not displayed correctly if it is not fixed soon then the customer has to bear the loss. So, Regression Testing plays an important role here and much required for any software product or web application.
Type of Regression Testing
There are three types of Regression Testing, these are Unit Regression, partial regression, and the complete regression.
Read: ETL Testing Tutorial Guide for Beginners
How much Regression Testing is Required?
It depends on the scope of newly added features. If the scope is large, then the application area getting affected is also very large. Here, testing should be performed thoroughly including all application test cases. For this purpose, testers need input from developers about the scope and nature of the product.
Be careful while selecting regression test cases to cover maximum functionality in a limited number of test cases. These test cases need continuous improvements based on newly added functionalities. It is difficult performing regression testing when the scope of application is huge. So, selective test cases should be tested to save time and reduce costs.
Regression Testing Techniques
How to select the Regression Test Suite?
Most of the bugs in a software build occur due to changes in the code. It is necessary to fix those bugs to maintain the functionality of a product. This is the reason why regression testing is considered so important for any software product. Here are important facts to keep in mind while selecting the regression test suite:
How to perform the Regression Testing?
Now, when you know almost everything about Regression testing, it is the right time to discuss how to perform the Regression Testing. Regression testing can be done manually, but it usually takes time. To save your time and associated costs, the regression testing is often automated. Here are some important steps involved in performing the regression testing successfully:
Every time a software product undergoes a change or a new version is released, the following steps you should carry out to perform the Regression testing.
Final Words:
Regression Testing is a crucial step in software testing that makes sure that changes to the code either small or big will not affect the product functionality anyhow. There are a lot of automation tools available to make things easy for you. However, the selection of tool major depends on project requirements and your budget. The tool should have the ability to update the test suite as required.
With this discussion, we hope the topic is clear in depth now. Don’t forget to add comments how did you tackle your regression testing tasks? To know more on different types of testing in Software engineering, join QA certification program at JanBask Training and explore your knowledge base now.
Read: Manual Testing Tutorials For Beginners
JanBask Training is a leading Global Online Training Provider through Live Sessions. The Live classes provide a blended approach of hands on experience along with theoretical knowledge which is driven by certified professionals.
AWS
DevOps
Data Science
Hadoop
Salesforce
QA
Business Analyst
SQL Server
Search Posts
Trending Posts
Top 30 Core Java Interview Questions and Answers for Fresher, Experienced Developer 23.7k
Difference Between AngularJs vs. Angular 2 vs. Angular 4 vs. Angular 5 vs. Angular 6 16.5k
Cloud Computing Interview Questions And Answers 12.3k
SSIS Interview Questions & Answers for Fresher, Experienced 10.2k
Related Posts
Receive Latest Materials and Offers on QA Testing Course
Interviews