The marginal value of increased testing: an empirical analysis using four code coverage measures

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Gokhale,Swapna S.
Data de Publicação: 2006
Outros Autores: Mullen,Robert E.
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: eng
Título da fonte: Journal of the Brazilian Computer Society
Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-65002006000400003
Resumo: This paper presents an empirical comparison of the growth characteristics of four code coverage measures, block, decision, c-use and p-use, as testing is increased. Due to the theoretical foundations underlying the lognormal software reliability growth model, we hypothesize that the growth for each coverage measure is lognormal. Further, since for a given program the breadth and the depth of the different coverage measures are similar, we expect that the parameters of the lognormal coverage growth model for each of the four coverage measures to be similar. We confirm these hypotheses using coverage data generated from extensive testing of an application which has 30 KLOC. We then discuss how the lognormal coverage growth function could be used to control the testing process and to guide decisions about when to stop testing, since it can provide an estimate of the marginal testing effort necessary to achieve a given level of improvement in the coverage.
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spelling The marginal value of increased testing: an empirical analysis using four code coverage measureslognormalcode coveragedata flow coveragesoftware reliabilitysoftware testingtesting criteriaThis paper presents an empirical comparison of the growth characteristics of four code coverage measures, block, decision, c-use and p-use, as testing is increased. Due to the theoretical foundations underlying the lognormal software reliability growth model, we hypothesize that the growth for each coverage measure is lognormal. Further, since for a given program the breadth and the depth of the different coverage measures are similar, we expect that the parameters of the lognormal coverage growth model for each of the four coverage measures to be similar. We confirm these hypotheses using coverage data generated from extensive testing of an application which has 30 KLOC. We then discuss how the lognormal coverage growth function could be used to control the testing process and to guide decisions about when to stop testing, since it can provide an estimate of the marginal testing effort necessary to achieve a given level of improvement in the coverage.Sociedade Brasileira de Computação2006-12-01info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontext/htmlhttp://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-65002006000400003Journal of the Brazilian Computer Society v.12 n.3 2006reponame:Journal of the Brazilian Computer Societyinstname:Sociedade Brasileira de Computação (SBC)instacron:UFRGS10.1007/BF03194493info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessGokhale,Swapna S.Mullen,Robert E.eng2010-05-24T00:00:00Zoai:scielo:S0104-65002006000400003Revistahttps://journal-bcs.springeropen.com/PUBhttps://old.scielo.br/oai/scielo-oai.phpjbcs@icmc.sc.usp.br1678-48040104-6500opendoar:2010-05-24T00:00Journal of the Brazilian Computer Society - Sociedade Brasileira de Computação (SBC)false
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv The marginal value of increased testing: an empirical analysis using four code coverage measures
title The marginal value of increased testing: an empirical analysis using four code coverage measures
spellingShingle The marginal value of increased testing: an empirical analysis using four code coverage measures
Gokhale,Swapna S.
lognormal
code coverage
data flow coverage
software reliability
software testing
testing criteria
title_short The marginal value of increased testing: an empirical analysis using four code coverage measures
title_full The marginal value of increased testing: an empirical analysis using four code coverage measures
title_fullStr The marginal value of increased testing: an empirical analysis using four code coverage measures
title_full_unstemmed The marginal value of increased testing: an empirical analysis using four code coverage measures
title_sort The marginal value of increased testing: an empirical analysis using four code coverage measures
author Gokhale,Swapna S.
author_facet Gokhale,Swapna S.
Mullen,Robert E.
author_role author
author2 Mullen,Robert E.
author2_role author
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Gokhale,Swapna S.
Mullen,Robert E.
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv lognormal
code coverage
data flow coverage
software reliability
software testing
testing criteria
topic lognormal
code coverage
data flow coverage
software reliability
software testing
testing criteria
description This paper presents an empirical comparison of the growth characteristics of four code coverage measures, block, decision, c-use and p-use, as testing is increased. Due to the theoretical foundations underlying the lognormal software reliability growth model, we hypothesize that the growth for each coverage measure is lognormal. Further, since for a given program the breadth and the depth of the different coverage measures are similar, we expect that the parameters of the lognormal coverage growth model for each of the four coverage measures to be similar. We confirm these hypotheses using coverage data generated from extensive testing of an application which has 30 KLOC. We then discuss how the lognormal coverage growth function could be used to control the testing process and to guide decisions about when to stop testing, since it can provide an estimate of the marginal testing effort necessary to achieve a given level of improvement in the coverage.
publishDate 2006
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2006-12-01
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-65002006000400003
url http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-65002006000400003
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv 10.1007/BF03194493
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv text/html
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Sociedade Brasileira de Computação
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Sociedade Brasileira de Computação
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Journal of the Brazilian Computer Society v.12 n.3 2006
reponame:Journal of the Brazilian Computer Society
instname:Sociedade Brasileira de Computação (SBC)
instacron:UFRGS
instname_str Sociedade Brasileira de Computação (SBC)
instacron_str UFRGS
institution UFRGS
reponame_str Journal of the Brazilian Computer Society
collection Journal of the Brazilian Computer Society
repository.name.fl_str_mv Journal of the Brazilian Computer Society - Sociedade Brasileira de Computação (SBC)
repository.mail.fl_str_mv jbcs@icmc.sc.usp.br
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