In software testing, we do many different kinds of tests before delivering a product to the client. The features being tested, the required skill set, and the ultimate goal of the testing all go into the decision as to which testing method will be used.
Because of the rise of the agile methodology in software development, regression testing has become an increasingly common sort of software testing. Most modern software development organizations include regression testing in their suite of quality assurance procedures. Has your curiosity peaked regarding regression testing? Want to know about Regress Testing? Join the best Software Testing Training in Chennai to learn broadly about Software Regression Testing and other kinds of software testing with practical training.
Well, so let’s begin.
What is Regression Testing in Software Testing?
In the context of software testing, are you familiar with the term “regression testing”?
The goal of regression testing is to ensure that enhancements, bug fixes, and new features do not break previously implemented functionality. Existing features are tested after significant code changes or new software releases to ensure they continue to function as intended. Regression testing is useful for ensuring that updates do not break previously implemented functionality or bring new bugs.
When an application is moved to a new environment, such as a new server or operating system, regression testing is performed. In addition, it is important to undertake frequent regression testing to check that the code’s behavior has not degraded as a result of modifications made over time. It is interesting to know about regression testing right? Enroll in Software testing training in Chennai at SLA to ensure exploratory knowledge of Software testing.
Significance of Regression Testing
Why bother with regression testing if it’s essentially the same as “re-testing” an existing feature? Isn’t it tried and true at this point? I don’t see the point in running the test again.
First, let’s make an easy comparison.
Any time something is being constructed, be it a vehicle, a bridge, an application, or a website, flaws have the potential to appear. It’s inherent in the process of constructing things.
It’s common for newly introduced parts to have issues. While building or remodeling a house, for instance, most issues caused by painting the walls are directly related to the walls themselves. The wall gets chipped here, and a spot gets missed there.
But, there are situations when you damage other items, such as when ceiling paint spills into newly cleaned or replaced doorknobs. The doorknobs were dirty before you cleaned them, and now they’re filthy once more after you did your cleaning. Your doors remain just as unattractive as ever.
By doing regular regression tests, you can guarantee that your website or app keeps improving over time. That’s why it’s crucial to do regression tests on a consistent basis; doing so keeps things in order, just like a steady marching drum encourages stragglers in a column to speed up.
In the absence of it, current components deteriorate as errors make their way into the program, which, in a sense, “rots.” But, rather than discovering this information on your own, you discover it from your users.
Can re-testing an already-existing part count as regression testing? Not quite; the “marching drum” connotation is what differentiates retesting from regression testing.
Instead of using a specification or an existing problem complaint as a benchmark, a known-good baseline is used during regression testing. The goal is to ensure that all previously implemented features continue to perform as designed once alterations have been made. To clarify, it refers to the fact that your website has really been better as a result of these adjustments rather than getting into a worse situation after they were made.
Retaining customers is just one of the most essential benefits of a dependable, frequent regression testing procedure. Because it permits consistent development over time, regression testing is highlighted in best practices guides. The development timeline is less likely to be disrupted because you won’t have to continue returning back to repair problems you weren’t aware of.
It’s amazing to know the purpose of regression testing and its scope is exclusive right? Get expert instruction about various types of testing and regression testing best practices by enrolling in Software Testing Training in Chennai at SLA.
Types of Regression Testing
To guarantee the application is tested extensively and accurately, multiple forms of regression testing must be performed. Several kinds of regression testing serve different purposes and concentrate on different aspects of an app.
Corrective Regression Testing
The purpose of corrective regression testing is to verify that alterations to an existing system have not resulted in the reemergence of previously discovered flaws. At this phase, the system is put through a battery of tests to make sure it is behaving as expected and that no bugs have been introduced. In order to stop bugs from spreading to the end user, this kind of testing is crucial.
Retest-all Regression Testing
To ensure that previously tested software does not break after modifications or upgrades, retest-all regression testing is performed. It is a type of regression testing that makes sure that no pre-existing functionality has been damaged or negatively impacted by checking the complete application as opposed to simply parts of the product. This requires performing all prior tests again to ensure that any modifications or additions to the software have not resulted in a regression of previously tested functionality.
To make sure that any modifications or updates to the program do not degrade performance or introduce unanticipated problems or failures, retest-all regression testing must be performed as part of the release process. Become a “Pro” in Software testing best practices by enrolling in the best Software Testing Training in Chennai that offers you exhaustive training along with placement assistance.
Types of Regression Testing
To guarantee the application is tested extensively and accurately, multiple forms of regression testing must be performed. Several kinds of regression testing serve different purposes and concentrate on different aspects of an app.
Corrective Regression Testing
The purpose of corrective regression testing is to verify that alterations to an existing system have not resulted in the reemergence of previously discovered flaws. At this phase, the system is put through a battery of tests to make sure it is behaving as expected and that no bugs have been introduced. In order to stop bugs from spreading to the end user, this kind of testing is crucial.
Retest-all Regression Testing
To ensure that previously tested software does not break after modifications or upgrades, retest-all regression testing is performed. It is a type of regression testing that makes sure that no pre-existing functionality has been damaged or negatively impacted by checking the complete application as opposed to simply parts of the product. This requires performing all prior tests again to ensure that any modifications or additions to the software have not resulted in a regression of previously tested functionality.
To make sure that any modifications or updates to the program do not degrade performance or introduce unanticipated problems or failures, retest-all regression testing must be performed as part of the release process. Become a “Pro” in Software testing best practices by enrolling in the best Software Testing Training in Chennai that offers you exhaustive training along with placement assistance.
Selective Regression Testing
The tests for a round of selective regression testing are chosen in light of the modifications to the source code. The goal of this testing is to find any issues that may have arisen as a result of the modifications. It is also used to discover any novel interplay that may have arisen as a result of the modifications.
Code modifications, change categories, change risks, and other factors may all factor into the selection process. The introduction of modifications can be verified for their stability without breaking the bank by performing selective regression testing.
Progressive Regression Testing
The quality of a product can be measured in increments through progressive regression testing, which compares the product’s current code against previous versions of the code. New features, bug patches, and other modifications can be successfully integrated into the product with this form of testing. It’s an ongoing procedure where we start with the most crucial elements and work our way through the entire system.
Complete Regression Testing
Most businesses that employ Agile methods favor rolling out fewer, more frequent product updates. Nevertheless, this isn’t always the case when it comes to actual client use cases. Thus, businesses need to be flexible in order to meet the needs of their customers.
Large-scale system modifications will trigger comprehensive regression testing. Due to the substantial amount of alteration in the source code, thorough regression testing is required.
The aim of thorough regression testing is to make sure that no previously implemented features or functions are broken by the introduction of new ones. Help deliver your company’s software error-free by mastering Automated regression Testing from SLA, the best Software Testing Training Institute in Chennai.
Partial Regression Testing
To ensure that modifications to a specific component or feature have not resulted in unanticipated consequences, partial regression testing is a software testing technique that involves performing a subset of current tests. This kind of testing is typically employed after modifications have been made to a system but before a total redesign has taken place.
Developers can find issues that may have been introduced by the changes by running a subset of tests. Reduce the likelihood of introducing new defects or errors by performing partial regression testing to verify that the system is still performing as planned.
Unit Regression Testing
Unit regression testing is a sort of software testing that checks specific sections of code to make sure they function as intended. It’s a form of regression testing in which individual components of the software are checked to see if they retain their pre-update functionality.
This kind of testing is useful for finding bugs and flaws in the code and making sure that modifications to the code don’t break the program in any way. Developers generally perform unit regression testing as part of their development process. This testing is carried out in isolation, without integrating the code being tested with any other code.
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How to Conduct a Regression Analysis?
Let’s use a real-world example to learn how to perform regression testing.
Let’s say you’re the CEO of your own software development firm and you’ve just landed a big new project. The next step is for your organization to begin rolling out the product, tailoring its efforts to the feedback it has gathered from customers. Simultaneously, the testing team will initiate the development of test cases in accordance with the needs of the project. Your testing group may generate a thousand test cases after understanding the requirements.
You’ll use those thousand test cases to check the product over after it’s been implemented, and if everything checks out, you’ll provide it to the client. The customer may now want you to implement additional functionality. In order to put the new feature through its paces, your testing team will need to draft test cases. Let’s imagine your team of testers creates 50 test cases in order to verify the functionality of the new features.
Someone may now believe that running the modified product through just the new fifty test cases is sufficient before releasing it to the client. Regression testing is used in this situation. Adding new features to your product can cause problems for previously implemented ones. As a result, you can’t only run the 50 most recent test cases; you also need to run the 1,000 test cases you made for the first version of the product.
If you don’t have the time to test every possible combination of changes brought on by the new feature, you can limit your testing to the areas most likely to be affected. The term “regression testing” describes this entire procedure. Learn Software Testing from Scratch by signing up with SLA for the best Software Testing Training in Chennai.
Regression testing can be simplified into a few key procedures. Let’s make an effort to break down these procedures.
1. Determine requirements
Before beginning regression testing, make a list of all the requirements that must be met. Understanding the business needs is the first step in identifying the test requirements. To determine what should be tested, a team of testers can consult with the product’s stakeholders, examine relevant project documentation, and conduct an analysis of preexisting systems. As writing test cases is the primary step in software testing, learn it effectively from SLA’s Software Testing Certification Training in Chennai and write efficient test cases.
2. Definition of Test Cases
Knowing what the development team plans to add to a product’s milestone release is crucial. With that information in hand, testers can figure out what features and parts of the system have been altered. With this data in hand, testers can move forward with defining necessary test cases.
3. Choose the test scenarios and prioritize them
Regression testing entails selecting the right tests to run once the requirements have been specified and the test cases have been established. The test cases can be ranked in terms of their importance using Test Prioritization. Key features and functions are the focus of high-priority test cases. They should be carried out first.
4. Establish a regression testing suite
Now that we know which tests to run, we can begin assembling our test suite. It is important to consider the following when choosing which test cases to include in the regression test suite:
- Locate the updated features of the application.
- Find the functions or features that haven’t changed.
- Find the pre-existing test cases for the unchanged features and functionality.
- Find the test cases that include the new features or altered behaviors.
- Find out whether there are any additional test cases that need to be introduced to cover the modified locations.
5. Run the regression suite’s test cases
The next and most important step is running the test cases and documenting the outcomes. A human, automated, or mixed approach to execution is possible.
6. Evaluate the outcomes of the test runs
The outcomes of the tests must be examined to see if any were unsuccessful once they have been run.
If there are discrepancies between the predicted and observed outcomes, you should investigate more. If there are any differences, you should look into them to find out why. SLA’s Software Testing Course in Chennai expands your knowledge of Software Testing best practices and grooms you to grow as a talented software tester.
7. Share the outcomes of the test execution
When we’re done with regression testing, we’ll need to submit our findings and distribute them to the appropriate people. This aids in evaluating the product’s quality and pinpointing any problems or room for enhancement. Regression testing is an essential part of ensuring that any product updates are stable and that stakeholders have faith in the product.
Integration of regression tests
The process of regression testing does not occur in isolation. Since it is a part of the testing process as a whole, it is recommended that it be incorporated into the development, delivery, and maintenance phases as well.
Who Must Do Regression Testing?
If your firm relies heavily on your website, you need regression testing more than anyone. If your website is vital to your company’s brand and operations, any graphic flaws will have an immediate effect on your ability to achieve success. A poorly functioning website isn’t just an aesthetic issue; it’s a flaw in a vital part of your operation.
Since regression testing is essential but rarely carried out smoothly, this condition presents a special set of difficulties. Regression testing, and notably visual regression testing, is not necessarily a QA-only activity, but many automation testing solutions for online applications are designed with QA teams in mind.
In fact, it’s crucial to expose visual testing capabilities as far as possible inside an organization to accommodate the reality that visual testing is typically performed outside of a development process, such as after releasing WordPress updates. Software Testers have an attractive career as the IT industry evolves. Become one by joining the Software Testing Training in Chennai at SLA that covers industry-oriented concepts in its Software Testing Course Syllabus which are updated regularly with changing trends.
Testing Regressions in Agile Development
It is not a surprise that the advent of Agile development techniques has generally accompanied an increase in automation testing solutions for web applications; this trend is not at all coincidental. Historically, regression testing has been the Achilles’ heel of waterfall approaches. Persistent development cycles often led to testing reports that were filled with regression defects, which ultimately resulted in indefinite sessions dedicated to bug fixes.
One of the most significant advantages of using agile development procedures is that they make it possible to detect software regressions at an earlier stage in the development cycle. This involves close integration of regression testing tools, for instance as part of the workflow for continuous integration (CI), but more broadly, it relies on a thorough, fully automated regression testing architecture.
Wish to test your updates? Then perform a software regression test on demand. This is a straightforward and efficient test that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of your agile regression testing framework. If they can, it’s a positive thing: fixing flaws that are found early on makes the process many times simpler and more efficient.
An efficient visually-centered development process is made possible by having easy access to testing solutions for regression. When new features are developed, you have the ability to accept or reject screenshots based on a comparison with baseline photographs taken in conditions that are known to be reliable. Because of this, decisions may be made quickly and objectively at the intermediate stages. Join the best Software Testing Training in Chennai to gain insights about automated regression testing and its use cases.
An Efficient Method for Conducting Regression Tests
To put it another way, an effective plan for regression testing is one that helps you to consistently develop your company and deliver effective services around the clock.
Test procedures are frequently judged only based on the number of faults they find; the reasoning behind this practice is that an effective technique is one that finds a greater number of errors. Unfortunately, this results in “noisy” testing reports, which typically include defect reports that have minimal impact and are frequently subjective in nature in order to make the testing process appear to be more exhaustive.
Visual testing is especially effective for website regression testing for a number of reasons, and this is one of those reasons. The faults that are found by visual testing are instantly applicable and easier to prioritize. This is because visual testing is organically oriented to flaws that have a visible impact on the customer.
In addition, because they do not rely on a subjective evaluation but rather on a comparison to a recognized good baseline, they are organically aligned to the goals that you have set for your company.
Tools for Carrying Out Regression Tests
The use of tools to perform regression testing helps automate the testing process, which cuts down on the amount of time and effort needed to complete the tests while also improving the correctness of the results. Automating regression testing not only makes it simpler to run tests multiple times but also to evaluate the outcomes of those tests over time.
Developers are able to swiftly spot faults and correct them using these tools, which allows them to do so before the errors become a problem for users. Become an expert in automation testing by joining the best Software Testing Training in Chennai and emerge successful with their active placement support.
Nonetheless, the requirements of the project should guide your choice of tool. Let’s take a look at the tools that are the most popularly employed in regression testing.
1. Selenium
Since it’s an open-source software tool that offers a great degree of flexibility, is simple to operate, and is compatible with a variety of web browsers and operating systems, Selenium is a tool that is frequently selected for use in regression testing. Form submission, data entry, and automatic navigation are just some of the tasks that may be automated with the help of Selenium, which is a tool that can automate a broad variety of online applications and test scenarios. Additionally, it gives testers the ability to develop and run tests in different languages, including Java, C#, Ruby, and Python, amongst others.
Additionally, because it enables complete test coverage and simple reporting of test results, Selenium is an excellent option for regression testing. This makes it a perfect alternative.
2. Watir
Watir is a robust Ruby library that is available under an open-source license that makes it simple to create automated tests for web applications. It helps testers maintain robust, browser-based regression tests over time and makes it easier for them to write new tests rapidly.
Testers are able to simply construct automated tests with Watir that imitate the user experience. This enables them to immediately spot any differences between the expected behavior of the application and the behavior that the application really exhibits.
3. Katalon Studio
Katalon Studio is a testing automation tool that can be utilized for both functional and regression testing. It includes a graphical user interface that is intuitive and easy to use, which simplifies the process of creating and maintaining automated tests. It is also equipped with a comprehensive collection of features and integrations, both of which contribute to its status as one of the most powerful and efficient regression testing tools currently on the market. Katalon Studio is capable of supporting a wide variety of technologies, such as web, mobile, and API development. Additionally, it comes equipped with a script editor that is both user-friendly and powerful, making it possible for users to rapidly and efficiently build and troubleshoot automated tests. Learn about various automated regression testing tools by enrolling in SLA’s industry-aligned Software testing Training in Chennai.
4. TestComplete
TestComplete is an all-inclusive automation testing solution that makes it simple to build, maintain, and run automated regression tests for desktop, online, and mobile applications. TestComplete was built on the Selenium platform. Because it is possible to use it to generate automated tests that are simple to manage and carry out, it is an excellent instrument for the creation of regression tests. In addition to this, it is compatible with a wide variety of scripting languages and may be combined with other testing tools such as Selenium and Appium.
Regression testing is made easier by TestComplete’s record and playback functionality, as well as it’s object-based identification and data-driven testing capabilities, all of which are useful in their own right.
5. Ranorex
When issues arise as a result of changes made to applications, businesses can quickly and precisely detect, isolate, and resolve them with the assistance of Ranorex, which is a robust regression testing tool that is also simple to use. It is an all-encompassing testing solution that makes it simple for teams to build, run, and analyze tests on a variety of different platforms.
Ranorex’s intuitive interface, which uses a drag-and-drop method, makes it simple to design automated tests that can be executed on a variety of devices and operating systems. This ensures that the testing procedure is both reliable and effective. In addition, the sophisticated analytics capabilities of Ranorex make it possible for teams to swiftly identify problems and find solutions to them.
Summary
In this blog, we discussed the definition of regression testing, how to perform regression testing, the significance of regression testing, the tools used for regression testing, and the various types of regression testing. I have faith that with this new information, you will be able to develop an overview of the successful regression testing process.
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