The Different Types of Functional Testing

Software testing is an important part of the software development life cycle and should be done with utmost care in order to ensure the success of the software. Functional testing is a part of the software testing procedure which renders perfectly functioning software to the users.

People often have the misconception that functional testing of the software just deals with testing the software’s functionality to check that it provides the right output when fed with a particular input. But in reality functional testing deals with a lot more than just testing how the software functions. Software testing is classified into various types which are discussed in this article. These various tests are very important to ensure software which will be equipped to handle any kind of scenario or stress load.

1. Function Based Testing: Of the various types of functional tests that can be performed, this is probably the easiest one which is possible. It just takes the individual modules of the software and checks if it works properly. You check the component with various scenarios. You check it both individually and also you test the components functionality when they are working with each other as a whole system.
2. Scenario Based Testing: This type of functional testing can be a tad bit complex. Ultimately the software that is being developed is going to be used by the end users. In the real world, the software will be facing scenarios which are both simple and complex. Successful software is one which can smoothly perform in both the situations with equal ease. It is the job of the software tester to check the software’s functionality in such situations. The detected defects should be reported along with the scenarios in which they were tested so that it can be rectified.
3. Negative Testing: When the software is being used by the end users, there are numerable numbers of ways in which the users may handle the software in a wrong way. Negative testing checks the functionality of the software in such negative situations. These tests check how well the software handles these negative situations. The negative testing also ensures that no permanent damage or loss of data occurs when the software is going through the negative situations.
4. Long Range Testing: Long range testing checks the software for prolonged working period. There are situations in which the software may have to be up and working for a long period of time. In such situations, chances are that the software may crash due to the long working periods. Long period testing ensures that the software keeps running with similar ease for the entire period of time. It also detects the flaws that may appear in the software for the long working periods i.e. due to over loading. The functionality of the software in situations like long file processing is checked in long range testing.

Yes! We accept that some of the tests which are mentioned under the category of fictional testing may appear to be similar and overlapping. However each of the tests are important for the detection of the defects that may appear on the functional front of the software and must be performed for delivering a quality product to the customers or end users.