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Structural testing with use cases
Keywords:
structural testing, software testing, UML, use caseAbstract
Understanding how a user interacts with a system is important if the goal is to deliver a product that meets the user's needs. Use cases constitute a primary source of requirements in a user-centered perspective and are often utilized to derive acceptance tests. Given such a critical role in requirements engineering, we introduce a novel set of testing criteria based on the use case specification with a two-fold objective: to assess the quality of test cases derived from use cases and to test the use case specification itself. Differently from previous approaches, the novel set of testing criteria requires that structural elements of the use cases be exercised at least once. To support the application of the new set of testing criteria, a testing coverage tool, called UCT - Use Case Tester, was developed. A case study using UCT shows that the new testing criteria are able to evaluate the quality of a test data set as well as to detect faults in use case specifications.
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References
[1] J. Offutt, A. Abdurazik, “Using UML Collaboration Diagrams for Static Checking and Test Generation}, Proc. of the Third International Conference on the Unified Modeling Language (UML 00), York, UK, October 2000, pp. 383-395.
[2] M. Wood, M. Roper, A. Brooks, J. Miller, “Comparing and Combining Software Defect Detection Techniques: A Replicated Empirical Study”, Proc. of the 6th European Software Engineering Conference, 1997.
[3] I. Jacobson, M. Christerson, P. Jonsson, G. Övergaard, Object-Oriented Software Engineering - A Use Case Driven Approach, New York, NY, USA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1992.
[4] Object Management Group, UML 1.5 Specification, http://www.uml.org/#UML1.5, April 2005. (Accessed on April 22nd, 2005).
[5] O. Beckman, B. Gupta, “Developing Test Cases from Use Cases for Web Applications”, Proc. of the International Conference on Practical Software Testing Techniques (PSTT 2002 South), New Orleans, LA, March 2002.
[6] L. Briand, Y. Labiche, “A UML-Based Approach to System Testing”, Proc. of the Fourth International Conference on the Unified Modeling Language (UML 2001), Toronto, Canada, October 2001.
[7] J. Heumann, “Is a Use Case a Test Case?”, Proc. of the International Conference on Practical Software Testing Techniques (PSTT 2001 North), St. Paul, Minnesota, October 2001.
[8] J. Ryser, M. Glinz, “Using Dependency Charts to Improve Scenario-Based Testing”, Proc. of the Seventeenth International Conference on Testing Computer Software (TCS 2000), Washington D. C., June 2000.
[9] G. Booch, J. Rumbaugh, I. Jacobson, The Unified Modeling Language User Guide, Redwood City, CA, USA: Addison Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc., 1999.
[10] A. Carniello, Teste Estrutural de Casos de Uso, Master Thesis, DCA-FEEC-UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil, 2003.
[11] Telesp Celular, Manual do Cliente e Termo de Compromisso: Baby, o Celular Inteligente, São Paulo, SP, 2000.
[12] A. Cockburn, Writing Effective Use Cases, Boston, MA, USA: Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc., 2000.
[2] M. Wood, M. Roper, A. Brooks, J. Miller, “Comparing and Combining Software Defect Detection Techniques: A Replicated Empirical Study”, Proc. of the 6th European Software Engineering Conference, 1997.
[3] I. Jacobson, M. Christerson, P. Jonsson, G. Övergaard, Object-Oriented Software Engineering - A Use Case Driven Approach, New York, NY, USA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1992.
[4] Object Management Group, UML 1.5 Specification, http://www.uml.org/#UML1.5, April 2005. (Accessed on April 22nd, 2005).
[5] O. Beckman, B. Gupta, “Developing Test Cases from Use Cases for Web Applications”, Proc. of the International Conference on Practical Software Testing Techniques (PSTT 2002 South), New Orleans, LA, March 2002.
[6] L. Briand, Y. Labiche, “A UML-Based Approach to System Testing”, Proc. of the Fourth International Conference on the Unified Modeling Language (UML 2001), Toronto, Canada, October 2001.
[7] J. Heumann, “Is a Use Case a Test Case?”, Proc. of the International Conference on Practical Software Testing Techniques (PSTT 2001 North), St. Paul, Minnesota, October 2001.
[8] J. Ryser, M. Glinz, “Using Dependency Charts to Improve Scenario-Based Testing”, Proc. of the Seventeenth International Conference on Testing Computer Software (TCS 2000), Washington D. C., June 2000.
[9] G. Booch, J. Rumbaugh, I. Jacobson, The Unified Modeling Language User Guide, Redwood City, CA, USA: Addison Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc., 1999.
[10] A. Carniello, Teste Estrutural de Casos de Uso, Master Thesis, DCA-FEEC-UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil, 2003.
[11] Telesp Celular, Manual do Cliente e Termo de Compromisso: Baby, o Celular Inteligente, São Paulo, SP, 2000.
[12] A. Cockburn, Writing Effective Use Cases, Boston, MA, USA: Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc., 2000.
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Published
2005-08-01
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Original Articles
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How to Cite
[1]
“Structural testing with use cases”, JCS&T, vol. 5, no. 02, pp. p. 100–106, Aug. 2005, Accessed: Jan. 17, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://journal.info.unlp.edu.ar/JCST/article/view/873
