Method and system for performing automated regression tests in a state-dependent data processing system

• US 20030018932A1
• Filed: 05/02/2002
• Published: 01/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Friedrich, Toni, Blum, Michael Stefan
• Granted Patent: US 6,966,013 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/273 Tester hardware, i.e. output processing circuits G06F11/263 takes precedence

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and system for performing regression tests in a state-dependent data processing environment where data are processed by means of at least one function having a signature of defined parameters and corresponding values. A regression test is performed using at least one pre-determined set of test data and one pre-recorded function test case corresponding to said signatures and being used to execute said at least one pre-recorded function test case. The proposed mechanism particularly comprises the step of adapting said at least one function test case or said at least one set of test data to any changed signatures caused by a state transition of said data processing system. The mechanism thus provides automated regression tests in such a data processing environment and enables re-execution of a regression test in a changed context of the underlying data processing environment.

Claims

1. A method for performing regression tests in a state-dependent data processing system where data are processed by means of at least one function having a signature of defined parameters and corresponding values, and wherein a regression test is performed using at least one pre-recorded function test case and at least one pre-determined set of test data corresponding to said signature and being used to execute said at least one pre-recorded function test case, said method comprising the step of adapting said at least one function test case and/or said at least one set of test data to any changed signatures caused by a state transition of said data processing system.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein said step of adapting said at least one function test case and/or said at least one set of test data includes re-allocation of said signatures used for said pre-recorded function test cases and/or re-allocation of certain values of said test data.

3. Method according to claim 1 for performing a regression test having at least two test stages, said method comprising the steps of:

Performing, during a first state of said data processing system, a first test stage of said regression test using said pre-recorded function and a first set of test data thus revealing actual test results;

Comparing said actual test results with expected test results, and if the actual test results match with the expected test results, during a second state of said data processing system, performing a second test stage of said regression test using said pre-recorded function and a second set of test data, wherein updating the signature used by said second set of test data and/or the at least one set of test data with regard to said state transition from said first state to said second state.

4. Method according to claim 3, wherein said actual test results revealed during said first test stage include first certain values for said at least two parameters which are compared with second certain values for said at least two parameters obtained from said second test stage in order to update said signatures used by said second set of test data or to update said second set of test data, respectively.

5. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein deriving a parameter allocation rule and/or a data allocation rule, in particular during said step of comparing first certain values for said at least two parameters which are compared with second certain values for said at least two parameters obtained from said second test stage in order to update said signatures used by said second set of test data or to update said second set of test data, respectively.

6. Method according to any of claims 3 to 5, wherein said step of updating said at least one function test case and/or said at least one set of test data is based on the actual results obtained during said first test stage.

7. Method according to any of claims 3 to 6, wherein said step of updating said at least second set of test data includes updating a specified subset of said at least second set of test data.

8. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each of said sets of test data is defined as a sequence of call-elements being quadruples of (<

interface-identifier>

×

{I,O}×

<

parameter-identifier>

×

<

value>

), wherein {I,O} is a set for the description of input and output modes.

9. Method according to claim 8, wherein output values used as input for next interfaces are described as relations between call elements wherein the call elements are dependent on a current state of the data processing system.

10. Method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein an output/input link defines a relationship between two call elements.

11. Method according to claims 10, wherein said output/input link exists for a pair of call elements (iJ,o,pO,vO),(iJ+K,i,pI,vI) if the parameter-identifiers pO and pI can be mapped in an unambiguous manner and the values vO and vI are equal in the given context.

12. Method according to claim 11, wherein the distance calculated by K−

J is the shortest possible.

13. A data processing program for execution in a data processing system comprising software code portions for performing a method according to any of claims 1 to 12 when said program is run on said computer.

14. A computer program product stored on a computer usable medium, comprising computer readable program means for causing a computer to perform a method according to any of claims 1 to 12 when said program is run on said computer.

16. System according to claim 15, performing regression tests in accordance with any of claims 1 to 12.

17. System according to claim 16 for performing regression tests having at least two test stages, said system comprising means for comparing said first certain values obtained during said first test stage with said second certain values obtained during said second test stage and means for updating said signatures used by said second set of test data or for updating said second set of test data, dependent on the results of said comparison.

18. System-independent regression test apparatus, performing regression tests in accordance with any of claims 1 to 12.

15. A system for performing regression tests in a state-dependent data processing system, said data processing system comprising at least one interface to at least one function, said function including at least two parameters, each of said parameters being defined by a signature and a value, where a regression test is performed using at least one pre-recorded function test case and at least one pre-determined set of test data stored in a regression test database, and where each set of test data is defined as a sequence of function calls and each function call having a set of input and output test data for the purpose of function verification, said system comprising allocation means for adapting said at least one function test case and/or said at least one set of test data to any changed signatures caused by a state transition of said data processing system.