Domain Testing in Software Engineering

Every software development process follows a Software Development Life Cycle(SDLC) to develop a quality software product. Software testing is one of the important phases as it only ensures the quality of the product. So, for that different types of software testing are performed to check different parameters or test cases.

Domain Testing :
It is a software testing technique where minimum numbers of inputs are used to access appropriate output of a system, to ensure the system does not accept invalid input values. The system is expected to give required outputs blocking the invalid inputs.

Importance of Domain Testing

• Protection of Input Space: A software application’s complete input area should be sufficiently covered, and domain testing helps to verify this. It seeks to identify possible problems with data handling and processing by testing particular domains or ranges of input values.
• Error detection: It works well for identifying mistakes or irregularities that could happen in particular input domains. Through the focus of testing efforts on pertinent subsets, domain testing can identify issues that may be missed in more general, random testing situations.
• Preventing Bugs: Software can be designed with fewer vulnerabilities and critical situations if developers have a better understanding of the properties and limits of input domains. By taking a proactive approach to input domain consideration, issues may be avoided before they even arise.
• Enhanced Efficiency of Tests: Domain testing aids in organizing testing efforts according to the software’s most important and pertinent sections. Because more resources are allocated to testing scenarios that are more likely to uncover significant faults, test effectiveness is raised as a result.

Structure of Domain Testing

The process is quite similar everywhere when it comes to building the strategy, where the following step-by-structure is used that suits most of the scenarios:

• Determine the Domain: To comprehend the needs and requirements of the system, the testing team first works with stakeholders. They establish the precise domain or set of circumstances that the software is supposed to function in by doing this.
• Split the Domain: After the domain has been located, it is split up into more manageable sections. The different sets of inputs, states or situations that the software will experience while operating are represented by these divisions. This stage guarantees thorough coverage and aids in organizing the testing effort.
• Choose Test Cases: The testing team chooses representative test cases based on the divided domains. With the goal of covering a range of scenarios within each partition, these test cases offer a comprehensive analysis of the behavior of the software under diverse circumstances.
• Design Test Data: Within each partition, test data is created to mimic real-world situations. This entails selecting values, such as boundary values and potentially error-prone inputs, that are likely to be encountered during actual usage.
• Run Test Cases: The provided test data is used to run the chosen test cases. The testing team watches how the software behaves during this phase and contrasts it with the outcomes that are anticipated based on the requirements and specifications.
• Boundary Value Analysis: Testing at the input domain’s boundaries receives particular attention. Given that errors frequently arise in these extreme circumstances, this also requires checking values at each partition’s lower and higher borders.
• Error Handling: Within the specified domain, the testing team confirms how the programme handles erroneous or unexpected input. It involves making that the programme handles exceptions gracefully and doesn’t crash, as well as looking for the proper error messages.
• Automation: Depending on the situation, the domain’s complicated or repetitive scenarios may benefit from automation. In particular, automated testing methods can be used in situations when manual testing might not be feasible to improve efficiency, repeatability, and coverage.

Domain Knowledge

Domain knowledge is a good understanding of a particular sphere i.e., a person is acquainted with a particular term or discipline. It helps to minimize the delivery cycle, improve customer service reduce development time.

Is Domain knowledge required for Domain testing?

It is difficult for someone to perform effectively in a field where the person is not familiar. So a domain tester should have basic domain knowledge. It is important because:

• Online banking- A tester must have to be an expert in online banking activities like login, bill payment, and transfers.
• Retail domains- To successfully run a domain test, the tester has to recognize how things work flow at different levels. Some examples of retail domains are warehouse management, in-store solutions, etc.
• Healthcare- A tester with a proper understanding of domain knowledge should handle a healthcare system. It is a huge risk to someone’s life when someone with zero knowledge handles the system.

Domain Testing Strategy

We know that every domain has a boundary from which it has been defined and points near the boundaries are checked during tests. A testing process every time begins with a question. The domain testing strategy is an experiment by a QA specialist to find the solutions to these answers:

• What domain should be tested?
• How to group values into classes?
• What value should I test?
• How am I going to get the results?

A real-life example of Domain testing

Let there be a group of students on a study tour. For entertainment purposes, they have been given a ticket to perform a specific activity based on gender and age inputs. Here the entertainment facility acts as the test, age groups will be boundary values with numerous possible scenarios. Students perform activities in the following manner:

• Children less than 5 years old are to tell a poem
• Boys 5>=10 are to draw
• Girls 5>=10 are to sing a song
• Boys >10 are to compete in a sport
• Girls >10 are to participate in the quiz
• The remaining children >15 are to participate in an essay competition

Based on the given algorithm, the specialist groups the values into classes i.e., age groups, and then boundary values are picked i.e., highest and lowest age values in a group. Then different scenarios are built with expected results for each.

Domain Testing

Skills required for Domain testing

To be a good domain tester, one must have the following skills:

• Domain Knowledge: An awareness of the field or industry that is pertinent to the software under test.
• Analytical Skills: Capacity to examine specifications and pinpoint scenarios that can be tested inside the parameters.
• Testing Methods: Working knowledge of methods such as negative testing, equivalency partitioning, and boundary value analysis.
• Communication Skills: Able to communicate with developers, stakeholders, and team members in a clear and efficient manner.
• Test Design and Execution: Ability to create and carry out test cases that address a range of domain scenarios.
• Focus on Detail: Good attention to spot minor problems inside the designated area.
• Cooperation: Good cooperation between business analysts and developers as well as other cross-functional teams.
• Problem-Solving: Systematic way of resolving testing issues and identifying answers.

Domain testing requires knowledge of providing correct input to get the necessary output. It is also equivalent to boundary analysis testing, where input variables are examined and taken as boundary values and equivalence class values to get the desired result.

Advantages of Domain Testing

• Effective Utilization of Testing Materials: Domain testing ensures that testing resources are used efficiently by enabling focused testing on particular ranges or domains. With this focused approach, important software domains are prioritized.
• Boosts Test Coverage: Domain testing improves test coverage by testing a broad range of variables inside a domain. This is crucial to guaranteeing thorough testing of the software, particularly in regions where problems are more likely to occur.
• Enhances the Quality of Software: Better software quality is a result of finding and resolving edge case problems. Domain testing contributes to the development of more durable and dependable software by addressing weaknesses in important scenarios.
• Cost-Effective Testing Technique: As domain testing concentrates on particular input ranges and utilizes fewer resources than comprehensive testing, it is thought to be more cost-effective. This makes it a useful method for identifying important problems within certain fields.

Disadvantages of Domain Testing

• False Sense of Security: Supposing domain testing alone is sufficient could give an illusion of security. Although it works well in certain areas, it might miss problems outside those limits, which could result in mistakes.
• Difficult to Determine Domain Boundaries: Establishing precise domain boundaries can be difficult. A complete understanding of the system is necessary to determine the boundaries of input domains, and inaccurate boundary definitions could result in insufficient testing.
• Might Miss Complex Problems: Domain testing might not be appropriate for detecting intricate problems involving the interplay of various variables or system components. In such cases, advanced testing methods might be needed.
• Not Fit for Every System: Domain testing alone might not be sufficient to test certain systems, especially those with complicated input and output parameters or those requiring more advanced testing methods.

Conclusion

Domain testing helps make software better by checking specific areas carefully. It saves time and money, but it’s not the only way to test software. Understanding the software domain is key for successful testing.