Testing Applications on the Web: Test Planning for Internet-Based Systems [Paperback]

Hung Q. Nguyen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 047139470X | ISBN-13: 978-0471394709 | Publication Date: October 16, 2000 | Edition: 1st

A software testing survival guide for those who work in Internet time

With Internet applications spreading like wildfire, the field of software testing is increasingly challenged by the brave new networked world of e-business. This book brings you up to speed on the technologies, testing concepts, and tools you'll need to run e-business applications on the Web. Written by Hung Nguyen, a coauthor of the bestselling software testing book of all time, Testing Computer Software, this new guide takes you to the next level, helping you apply your existing skills to the testing of B2B (Business-to-Business), B2C (Business-to-Consumer), and internal Web-based applications. You'll learn how to test transactions across networks, explore complex systems for errors, and work efficiently with the many components at play--from servers to browsers to protocols. Most importantly, you'll get detailed instructions on how to carry out specific test types along with case studies and error examples for each test.

Software testers, test leads and test managers, QA analysts and managers, and IT managers and staff will find this an invaluable resource for their testing projects. With an emphasis on achievable goals and necessary rather than nice-to-have features, Testing Applications on the Web provides:

• An analysis of the Web-application model and the difference between Web testing and traditional testing
• A tutorial on the methodology and techniques for networking technologies and component-based testing
• Strategies for test planning, test case designing, and error analysis on the Web
• Effective real-world practices for UI (User Interface) tests, security tests, installation tests, load and stress tests, database tests, and more
• A survey of commercial tools and a sampling of proven test matrices and templates

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Written by a true authority in the field, Hung Q. Nguyen's Testing Applications on the Web is a nicely comprehensive guide to virtually every conceivable aspect of software testing. It's filled with must-have background information for any test engineer or manager who's testing thin-client systems.

Gray-box testing--a new means to test complex, distributed systems based on server-side components and browser-based clients--is the focus of the book. While, in the past, testers might have ignored certain aspects of stand-alone desktop software, today's Web-based software requires a thorough knowledge of every aspect of multitiered Web applications. To this end, the book surveys the basics of essential computing topics like thin-client computer architectures, networking (including a comprehensive introduction to TCP/IP and related standards), databases, and SQL.

This book also outlines the state of the art in software testing. Notable sections include a short guide to no fewer than 24 distinct types of software tests, how to test browser-based user interfaces effectively, and a thorough guide to Web-performance testing. The general discussion of testing methodology is anchored by a case study on actual test documents and tests for a Web-based software application (a tool for tracking software defects). The text closes with a survey of today's testing tools, and blank templates for creating your own test plans in the field.

With its expert's-eye view of what's involved in software testing, bolstered by real-world examples, Testing Applications on the Web proves itself an extremely worthwhile resource. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

• Introduction to Web testing
• Gray-box testing fundamentals
• Traditional vs. Web testing
• History of computing architectures
• Thick and thin clients
• Survey of 24 software-testing types, including acceptance tests, load/volume testing, regression, and user-interface testing
• Networking basics, including TCP/IP fundamentals, DNS, and network architectures
• Web components for thin-client systems
• Test partitioning
• Guide to test planning
• Templates and sample documents
• Testing case study
• User-interface tests for browsers (design and implementation tests)
• Functional tests, including FASTs (functional acceptance simple tests), TOFTs (task-oriented functional tests), and FETs (forced error tests)
• Database testing (white-box and black-box techniques)
• SQL tutorial
• Testing help systems
• Installation tests, including uninstall tests and tools
• Configuration and compatibility testing (testing on multiple browsers)
• Web security (security attacks and encryption basics)
• Performance
• Load and stress testing
• Survey of testing tools

Review

"I won't test another Web app without first referring to Testing Applications on the Web! The test design ideas are specific and would provide excellent support for any tester or test planner trying to find important problems fast.

This is really one of the first testing books to cover the heuristic aspects of testing instead of getting caught up in impractical rigor. It's like climbing into the mind of a grizzled veteran of Web testing. It's nice to see a testing book that addresses a specific problem domain." -- James Bach, Principal, Satisfice, Inc.

"Testing Applications on the Web by Hung Q. Nguyen is an absolute must for anyone who has a serious interest in software testing, especially testing web applications. This book covers nearly every aspect of the error-finding process, moving from basic definitions and terminology, through detailed and easy-to-understand explanations of most testing strategies in use today. It finishes with a chapter on Web testing tools and appendices with test documentation templates. This book is written with the practitioner in mind, but can equally well be used by students in software engineering curriculums. It presents both theory and practice in a thorough and clear manner. It illustrates both concepts and practical techniques with numerous realistic examples. This is a very good book on testing Web applications." -- Steve Schuster, Director, Quality Engineering, Carrier Applications Group, Phone.Com, Inc.

"Testing Applications on the Web contains a wealth of practical information. I believe that anyone involved with web testing will find this book invaluable. Hung's writing is crisp and clear, containing plenty of real-world examples to illustrate the key points. The treatment of gray-box testing is particularly insightful, both for general use, and as applied to testing web applications." -- Christopher Agruss, Quality Engineer Manager, Discreet - a division of Autodesk

"Testing Applications on the Web is a long-overdue and much needed guide to effectively testing web applications. The explosion of e-Commerce businesses in the last couple of years has brought new challenges to software testers. There is a great need for knowledge in this area, but little available. Nguyen's class, Testing Web Applications was the only class I could find of its kind and I was immediately able to put what I learned to use on the job. Nguyen's first book, Testing Computer Software is required reading for my entire test team, and Testing Applications on the Web will now be added to that list. Nguyen provides a combination of in-depth technical information and sound test planning strategies, presented in a way that will benefit testers in real world situations. Testing Applications on the Web is a fabulous reference and I highly recommend it to all software testers." -- Debbie Goble, Software Quality Control Manager, SBC Services, Inc.

If you want to learn about testing Web applications, this book is a 'must-have'. A Web application comprises many parts - servers, browsers, and communications - all (hopefully) compatible and interacting correctly to make the right things happen. This book shows you how all these components work, what can go wrong, and what you need to do to test Web applications effectively. There are also plenty of examples and helpful checklists. I know of no other place where you can get a goldmine of information like this, and it's very clearly presented to boot! -- Bob Stahl, President, The Testing Center

Years ago I was looking for a book like this. Internet software must work in all kinds of configurations. How can you test them all? Which do you choose? How should you isolate the problems you find? What do you need to know about the Internet technologies being used? "Testing Applications on the Web" answers all these questions. Many test engineers will find this book to be a godsend. I do! -- Bret Pettichord, Editor, Software Testing Hotlist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1st edition (October 16, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047139470X
• ISBN-13: 978-0471394709
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #350,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A strong introduction to a new field, April 20, 2001

By 

Cem Kaner, J.D, Ph.D. (Palm Bay, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Testing Applications on the Web: Test Planning for Internet-Based Systems (Paperback)

This is good book. If you test web apps, you should buy it.

Hung Nguyen and I are co-authors of another book and good friends. I am not an unbiased reviewer. On the other hand, I wouldn't write this review if I didn't believe every word of it.

Hung's book breaks new ground. It will be useful today, and I believe it will have lasting value and influence.

Once you get beyond the superficial (not unimportant, but much less difficult) issues of usability testing that dominate so many discussions of web testing, you run into the really tough problems of web application testing. Hung Nguyen's book is about those harder problems.

The web-based application runs on a wider range of platforms than any other type of program in history. It doesn't even have control over its presentation layer (the user supplies the browser and the multimedia plugins, and these applications might change any time). What will the application look like on the changed browser? The application probably also relies on third party databases (which can change any time), third party network connections (which can change any time), third party security systems and other access control (which can change any time), etc., etc. Almost anything in this system can change any time. How do you deal with a system that has so many unknowns?

Hung's view is that web application testers must learn more about the technical details of the systems and understand how external variables can interact (and fail) with the application under test.

To help testers learn about the interaction (and testing) of applications with other system components, he wrote the field's first book on grey box testing.

This book has substantial value for what it teaches us about testing on the web. Beyond that, it teaches about thinking clearly and thoroughly when your application interacts in complex ways with other systems. I think his approach will have lasting value and lasting influence long after many of the detailed issues that he describes have been resolved and replaced with new ones.

Along with the original approach, Hung gives a powerful real-world example. He is the president of a company that publishes a web-based bug tracking system. To illustrate the types of tests that you can run and the types of bugs you can find, he opened his records and described real tests, real bugs, and real testing problems. It's a rare treat to see a discussion of testing experience by someone who knows testing, who also intimately knows the software under test, and who isn't constrained in what he can say by a nondisclosure contract.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good read!, October 31, 2000

By 

Brian F. (Manchester, NH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Testing Applications on the Web: Test Planning for Internet-Based Systems (Paperback)

I've been waiting for this book and I must say, where was this book a year ago? I have experienced most of what the author has described and yes, it answers questions that I have had. It gives principle practices to architect a strategy that will fit the needs of the fast paced start up environments as well as moderate environments that have graduated from the start-up mode. The other neat thing is all of the references to resources that this book points out are very helpful for web concepts and considerations.

The gray box testing emphasis and approach described throughout is very useful and points out the need for blending black box and white box testing to make the testing more effective. The chapters also contain helpful resources such as, books, links, and companies. This goes a long way in educating SQA folks eager to learn.

Overall, I would say that this book is an excellent read and will serve as one of few reference books on my desk. It does assume some knowledge of Quality Assurance but it is not so in depth that a newbie could not understand. Covering most of the basics needed for implementing methods that will be effective and efficient for Web related testing; I would say it was worth the wait.

Brian-

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete and Comprehensive, November 23, 2000

By 

Vincent Chen (Malaysia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Testing Applications on the Web: Test Planning for Internet-Based Systems (Paperback)

This book covers both Web Applications Testing and Software Testing. Although this is not a step by step book to web application, its thoroughness in coverage of the topic of web appplication testing gives me just what I need.

This book clearly explains through all the terms, methodologies of software and web application testing, to creating test plans, and formulating your test strategies. Nguyen has also done a great job of illustrating front end testing (UI) until backend end testing (DB and Networks). I personnaly like the part of the web testing considerations and tips towards the end of each test activities, as it really saves me a lot of time. It has also a section on all available tools on the net.

The only drawback is that the book has not given much examples of real world web testing cases. Nevertheless, if you are involved in web application testing in any sense, this book should be your indispensable companion on your bookshelf.