Structure Based Testing Techniques

Structure-Based Techniques:

Structure-based techniques server two purposes: Test coverage measurement and structural test case design. They have been commonly used first to assess the amount of testing performed by tests derived from specification-based techniques, to assess coverage. They are then used to design additional functionality based tests with the aim of increasing the test coverage.

This technique is a good way of generating accessory test cases which varies from other subsisting tests cases. They can help safeguard and verify more scope of testing techniques and secure the application functionality, in the sense that test cases that achieve 100% coverage of testing in any measure will be exercising all the parts and functionality of the software from the point of view of the item being covered.

What is Test Coverage?

Test coverage measure in some distinct way the amount of testing performed by a set of tests techniques ( Drive in some other ways, for example, using specification-based testing techniques ). 

The basic measure coverage is 

Coverage = Number coverage items exercised / Total number of coverage items * 100%

Where 'coverage item ' is whatever we have been able to count and see whether a test has exercised or used this item.

There is danger in using a coverage measure, 100% coverage does not mean 100% tested! means we cover all functionality of code and application, Coverage techniques measure only one dimension of a multidimensional concept. Two different test cases may achieve exactly the same coverage but the input data of one may find an error that the input data of the other does not.

One drawback of code coverage measurement is that it measures coverage of what has been written, the code itself; it can not say anything about the software that has not been written. If a specified function has not been implemented, specification-based testing will reveal this. If a function was omitted from the specification, experience base testing is based on the behavior of application and functionality, then experienced based testing techniques may find it. But structure-based techniques only look for a structure which is already present.