software-testing-life

http://knol.google.com/k/software-testing-life-cycle#

SQL Queries with professional examples

http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/Articles/ArticleListing.aspx?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=216

DataBase Testing Roles and Responsibilities

"what kind of scenarios? about database connectivity? how do u import database dump, how do u export database dump? how do u create user schema? whats more....database testing is nothing abt integrity testing...to my knowledge third normal form best suits for database testing"


http://dbunit.sourceforge.net/intro.html

http://www.testinginstitute.com/display.php?id=DATF_MS

http://www.ldas-sw.ligo.caltech.edu/doc/testing/metadata.html

"In my opinion Database testing is one area where pure black box testing is completely inappropriate. You DO need database knowledge in order to test a database. Also some part of the testing could be carried out without any query: checking the data definitions, tables and columns data types, constraints,.

DB check is highly used to validate the Query & report screens ( depends on application ). collect the query from ur developer and execute it in toad by validating explain plan . here u have to notice the cost & full table scan access then provide your suggestion to fine tune that query.( Needs some knowledge abt SQL ).

another thing is u have to validate the column& data-type size. this should be sync with front -end.( depends on screen )

In multi user test, u have to validate whether they are locking the selected row in Table level or row level.

In DB testing we also need to check for
1. The field size validation
2. Check constraints.
3. Indexes are done or not (for performance related issues)
4. Stored procedures
5. The field size defined in the application is matching with that in the db.

Note: Stored procedure can be executed without back-end, i suggest you get db connection details, credentials, table names, procedure name and access to a query analyzer as toad, ms query analyzer then you do not need front end to test all data in a application......

there cannot be a sample query until you have all these details. If you are not good at database , ask your DBA to help you out. "

what is the best way to get the knowledge transfer?

http://inderpsingh.blogspot.com/2010/02/what-is-best-way-to-get-knowledge.html

How to find more or better bugs (12 tips to explode your bug count and/ or severity)?

Well, we know that we do not find all the bugs in the application under test (given that the application at hand is not simple). However, we do want to discover and report the most and the best bugs that we can. You need more ideas if you want to find more or better bugs than you do at present. Here are some tips.

Tip 1. Review the application's requirements often. You may notice that no or partial test cases exist for certain requirements. You may find bugs when you test for these requirements. Keep abreast with the change requests/ changes to requirements. Be quick and you may find bugs immediately after a requirement change has been first implemented.

Tip 2. It is possible that you have positive test cases only. If so, create negative test cases for each requirement and execute them.

Tip 3. Execute each test case with a variety of interesting test data (generated for example by the boundary-value analysis technique  or pair-wise testing technique).

Tip 4. Test the interface of your application with external systems carefully. This is where a number of bugs may exist.

Tip 5. Another place to look for bugs is the application settings (since this is one area that may be rarely tested in fear that the application may stop working correctly or stop working altogether).

Tip 6. Repeat your tests using other supported client configurations (other CPU/RAM/operating systems/screen resolutions/browsers etc.)

Tip 7. Look at the previous bug reports against the same application or similar applications. See if you can test your application using the ideas or information contained in the previous bug reports.

Tip 8. Do not ignore the cosmetic bugs. If they would inconvenience a user, they should be reported and fixed.

Tip 9. Create a list of items that you would like to test if you had the time. When you test your application, you may find yourself taking mental notes of things that you would like to test later. Jot these things in your list. Come back to the application another time and test the things in your list against all areas of the application.

Tip 10. In case you are working as part of a testing/ QA team, do not restrict yourself to the areas that you are supposed to test. You may find bugs in the other areas. This would also have the nice side-effect of increasing your overall knowledge of the application.

Tip 11. Instead of rushing through your tests at top speed, slow down  (I know it is difficult). You would give yourself time to think more clearly. You would start to observe things about your application that you did not observe before.

Tip 12. Finally, take pride in the bugs reported by you. Feel free to mention an interesting bug that you found to a team member.

A word of warning. Do not get carried away if you suddenly start finding a lot more/ better bugs. You should still take the time to contemplate each bug, reproduce it, match it to the requirement and carefully create a good bug report.

How to improve your skills as a software tester?

If you test software, you have likely considered improving your software testing skills. The answer to this important question is not limited to reading some articles, following some blogs and joining some forums. You should first be aware of the different actions you can take to develop your software testing skills. Then include these actions in your routine and be diligent in taking these actions regularly. Spend substantial time on these actions and you may see dramatic improvement in your skills.

If you have read my earlier post, What are the responsibilities of a Software Test Engineer?, you would be aware of the 21 major responsibilities listed therein. Your desired actions may be roughly mapped to the major skill categories below.

Testing knowledge	Learn about the latest testing strategies, techniques, approaches and (developments in) testing tools. You can get some good information and insights from the popular software testing forums, tool vendors' websites, websites related to testing and software testing blogs. You should also be aware of the latest development technologies used in your application and know programming (for the purpose of reviews and automation).
Understanding requirements	Learn more about the business of your application. You can get more knowledge from the business people (e.g. clients, product managers, business analysts, domain experts and end users) and by reading (current and past requirements documentation, white papers, case studies, trade magazines and so on).
Planning	There is a wealth of material on the topics of estimation and project planning on the web. The key is to apply the principles of project planning to your activities consistently.
Test design	Do not be satisfied with just one or two test cases for each low-level requirement. Brainstorm more and more test ideas. Design test cases based on these test ideas. Pay more attention to the design of test data. Consider interesting individual test data items and test data combinations. Do not limit yourself to just using one or more test data design techniques.
Test automation	This is one area with the potential of a lot of improvements. For example, you can learn automating test cases that are difficult to automate, organize your test automation better, design or refine a test automation framework and automate testing activities that are being done manually at present.
Test execution	Learn as much as you can about your application's production environment. You may get this knowledge from the IT/ Support/ Helpdesk team. Replicate the production environment as far as feasible as your test environment. Change your pace deliberately when you execute tests. If you speed up, you may be able to get tests done quicker. Then if you slow down, you may be able to observe things that did not strike you before. Read my earlier post, How to find more or better bugs (12 tips to explode your bug count and/or severity)? for more tips.
Reporting (defect reporting, reporting test results and reporting status)	Analyze the earlier reports created by you and others. Find ways to express the information more completely, accurately, concisely and better suited to the specific audience of your report.
Team playing	Be more committed to your team. Take ownership of your responsibilities (stand by what you say or do). Respect your team members and help them out when you can.
Process improvement	Always challenge the current test process in your mind. Research and suggest better approaches and tools to testing tasks. Constantly learn from others in your team. Try to apply the knowledge you gain in your project immediately.
Time management	Plan your day according to the priorities of the tasks at hand. Leave some time to refine your work. Take actions on the most important tasks first.
Self management	Last, but not the least, always be in good health and high spirits. My father always tells me so. Believe me, it shows in your results. And care about the fellow testers genuinely. Contribute to the software testing community whenever you get a chance.

Share more tips to improve our testing skills by putting in a comment.

***Visual Studio Test Edition Videos***

This link http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/bb507749.aspx has A to Z videos about Team System - Architecture Edition - Development Edition - Test Edition.


http://blogs.msdn.com/b/jasonz/archive/2009/10/21/tutorial-getting-started-with-tfs-in-vs2010.aspx

http://www.onestopsoftwaretesting.com/testing-with-visual-studio-team-system-2010-vsts-2010


http://www.dotnetfunda.com/articles/article901-web-performance-test-using-visual-studio-part-i-.aspx

http://www.jamessnape.me.uk/blog/2009/06/10/VSTSAndTFS2010VideoRoundup.aspx (Videos by Channel9)

http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/VSIPMarketing/VSX211-VSTS-2010-Team-Test  (Channel9)

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/vstsqualitytools/archive/2010/04/13/uitest-framework-in-visual-studio-2010-part-1.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/vstsqualitytools/  (Different FAQ's) 

TFS Testing/ TFS Description

http://geekswithblogs.net/markw/archive/2007/06/27/113497.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_Foundation_Server

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms364061%28VS.80%29.aspx  (Team Foundation Server: At Work)

http://tfsguide.codeplex.com/wikipage?title=Chapter%201%20-%20Introducing%20the%20Team%20Environment  (patterns & practices: Team Development with Visual Studio Team Foundation Server)

http://www.bestechvideos.com/2008/08/28/dimecasts-net-40-testing-with-team-foundation-server (Video)

QA Test Lead/Engineer/Analyst Key responsiblities

http://www.geekinterview.com/question_details/37089

http://www.robdavispe.com/free2/

http://inderpsingh.blogspot.com/2010/03/what-are-responsibilities-of-software.html (Test Lead)

http://inderpsingh.blogspot.com/2010/02/what-are-responsibilities-of-software.html (Test Engineer)

http://rup.hops-fp6.org/process/workers/wk_tstanl.htm (Test Analyst)

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_role_of_quality_analyst (QA Analyst)

soapUI

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SoapUI

soapUI is an Open Source Web Service Testing Tool for Service Oriented Architecture made for the Software Developers. There is also a Pro version that is released a commercial product. Its functionality mainly covers Web Service Inspection, Invoking, Development, Simulation and Mocking, Functional testing, Load and Compliance testing. Productivity enhancement features can be found in the soapUI pro version.

QA Issue tracking query

This URL "http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/query.cgi" contains the Query tracking tool where you can write queries/reports and generate.