What is System Testing? Definition & Different Types

What is System Testing?

System testing is a type of software testing performed on an entire integrated system to assess the system’s compliance with the corresponding requirements. Integration testing passed components are used as input in system testing. The purpose of integration testing is to detect discrepancies between the units being integrated together. System testing detects flaws in both integrated units and the entire system. When tested, the observed behaviour of a component or system is the result of system test.

System testing is performed on the entire system in the context of either system requirement specifications, functional requirement specifications, or both. System test examines the system’s design and behaviour and the customer’s expectations. It is carried out to test the system beyond the parameters specified in the software requirements specification (SRS). System test is primarily carried out by a testing team independent of the development team and helps to impartially test the system’s quality. It is subjected to both functional and non-functional testing.

System Testing is black-box testing, which is performed after the integration testing and before the acceptance testing.

There are two categories of software testing.

• Black Box Testing
• White Box Testing

System testing falls under the category of black box testing in software testing.

White box testing examines a software application’s internal workings or code. In contrast, black box or System Testing is the opposite. System test involves the external workings of the software from the user’s perspective.

What do you verify in System Testing?

System testing entails testing  the software code for the following.

• Testing fully integrated applications, including external peripherals, determines how components interact with one another and the overall system. This is also known as an End-to-End testing scenario.
• Check for desired outputs by thoroughly testing each input in the application.
• Testing of the user’s experience with the application. 

That is a very basic explanation of what system testing entails. You must create detailed test cases and test suites that test each aspect of the application as seen from the outside without access to the source code.

Software Testing Hierarchy

Like almost any other software engineering process, software testing has a set order in which things must be completed. The categories of software testing are listed below in chronological order. These are the steps taken to thoroughly test new software before marketing it:

• During development, unit testing is performed on each module or block of code. The programmer who writes the code is usually in charge of unit testing.
• Before, during, and after integrating a new module into the main software package. This includes testing each code module individually. One piece of software may contain several modules, which multiple programmers frequently create. It is critical to test the impact of each module on the overall program model.
• A professional testing agent performs system testing on the completed software product before it is released to the market.
• Acceptance testing is beta testing of a product performed by actual end users.

Types of System Testing

There are over 50 different types of system testing. The types that a large software development company would typically use are listed below.

1. Usability testing focuses on the user’s ease of use of the application, flexibility in handling controls, and the system’s ability to meet its objectives.
2. Load testing is required to ensure that a software solution will perform under real-world loads.
3. Regression Testing entails testing to ensure that no changes made during the development process have resulted in new bugs. It also ensures that no old bugs emerge due to adding new software modules over time.
4. Recovery testing is performed to demonstrate that a software solution is dependable, trustworthy, and capable of recovering from potential crashes.
5. Migration testing ensures that software can be moved from older to current system infrastructures.
6. Functional testing, also known as functional completeness testing, entails attempting to identify any potential missing functions. During functional testing, testers may list additional features a product could have to improve it.
7. Hardware/Software Testing – Hardware/Software testing is referred to as “HW/SW Testing” by IBM. During system testing, the tester focuses their attention on the interactions between the hardware and software.

What Kinds of System Testing Should Testers Perform?

Over 50 different types of system testing exist. Several factors determine a tester’s choice of type. Among these variables are:

• Who the tester works for – This is important in determining the system test a tester will perform. The methods used by large corporations differ from those used by medium and small businesses.
• Testing time: Ultimately, all 50 testing types could be used. Time is frequently the constraint that forces us to use only the most relevant types to the software project.
• Resources available to the tester – Some testers will lack the necessary resources to conduct a particular type of testing. For example, work as a tester for a large software development firm. You will likely have access to expensive automated testing software that others do not.
• Education for Software Testers- There is a distinct learning curve for each type of software testing available. A tester must learn how to use some of the software involved.
• Testing Budget – Money is an issue for small businesses, individual software developers, and large corporations.

Advantages 

• This testing does not necessitate any additional programming knowledge on the part of the testers.
• It will test the entire product or software, allowing us to easily detect errors or defects that were missed during the unit and integration testing.
• The testing environment is comparable to that of real-time production or business operations.
• It tests the entire system’s functionality using various test scripts and addresses clients’ technical and business requirements.
• Following this testing, the product will almost eliminate all potential bugs or errors, allowing the development team to proceed confidently with acceptance testing.

Disadvantages 

• Because it tests the entire product or software, this testing takes more time than other testing techniques.
• The cost of testing will be high because it includes testing the entire software.
• A good debugging tool is required; otherwise, hidden errors will not be discovered.