What is actually functional Testing, and why is it so important to know and understand?
Functional Testing is a type of Testing that verifies that a system, component, or unit has the desired behaviour and functionality specified in the design or requirements. It typically involves testing the system’s functionality by inputting various data and evaluating the output to ensure it meets the specified requirements.
Functional Testing is concerned with the behaviour of the system rather than its internal structure or implementation. It is typically used to validate that the system is working as intended and meets the requirements set out in the design or specification.
Functional Testing can be performed manually or automatically using test scripts or test cases. It is often carried out early in the development process and may be repeated multiple times to ensure that the system is working correctly and all functionality has been tested.
There are many different types of functional Testing, including unit testing, integration testing, system testing, acceptance testing, and regression testing. Each of these types of Testing focuses on different aspects of the system’s functionality and may be performed at different stages of the development process.
Here is an example of functional Testing:
Suppose you are testing a system that allows users to search for products on an e-commerce website. The system should return a list of products that match the search criteria entered by the user. Some functional tests that could be performed on this system might include the following:
- Searching for a product by name: Input the name of a product and verify that the system returns a list of products with that name.
- Searching for a product by category: Input a category (e.g. “electronics”) and verify that the system returns a list of products in that category.
- Searching for a product by price range: Input a price range (e.g. $100-$200) and verify that the system returns a list of products within that price range.
- Searching for a product with multiple criteria: Input multiple criteria (e.g. category, price range, and location) and verify that the system returns a list of products that match all of the criteria.
Functional Testing helps to ensure that the system is able to perform the functions it was designed to perform and that it behaves as expected under different input conditions.
What is the advantage and Disadvantage of doing Testing for functionality?
Functional Testing is classified as a type of Testing that focuses on the behaviour and functionality of a system or component. We are listing some of the advantages and disadvantages of functional Testing:
Advantages:
- Ensures that the system or component behaves as intended and meets the specified requirements.
- It helps to identify and fix defects or issues early in the development process, saving time and effort in the long run.
- It can be automated to increase the efficiency and coverage of Testing.
- It can be used to validate the system or component at different stages of the development process.
Disadvantages:
- It can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, mainly if the system or component is large or complex.
- It may not catch all defects or issues, particularly those related to the system’s overall behaviour or performance.
- It may not be suitable for testing specific scenarios, such as those that are dynamic or unpredictable.
- It may require specialized skills and expertise to design and execute the test cases.
