Information Management Unit Testing

Information management projects generally have the following development work:

• Data movement software;
• Data conversion software;
• Data cleansing routines;
• Database development DDL; and
• Business intelligence and reporting analytical solutions.

Module testing validates that each module’s logic satisfies requirements specified in the requirements specification.

Effective  Practices

1. Should focus on testing individual modules to ensure that they perform to specification, handle all exceptions as expected, and produce the appropriate alerts to satisfy error handling.
2. It should be performed in the development environment.
3. It should be conducted by the software developer who develops the code.
4. The module’s logic, adherence to functional requirements, and adherence to technical standards should be validated.
5. Ensure all module source code has been executed and each conditional logic branch followed.
6. Test data and test results should be recorded and form part of the release package when the code moves to production.
7. Should include a code review, which should:

• Focus on reviewing code and test results to provide additional verification that the code conforms to data movement best practices and security requirements; and
• Verify that test results confirm that all conditional logic paths were followed and that all error messages were tested properly.

Testing Procedures

1. Review design specification with the designer.
2. Prepare test plan before coding.
3. Create test data and document expected test results.
4. Ensure that test data validate the module’s logic, adherence to functional requirements and adherence to technical standards.
5. Ensure that test data test all module source code and each conditional logic branch.
6. Conduct unit test in a personal schema.
7. Document test results.
8. Place test data and test results in project documentation repository.
9. Check code into the code repository.
10. Participate in code readiness review with Lead Developer.
11. Schedule code review with appropriate team members.
12. Assign code review roles as follows:

• Author, the developer who created the code;
• Reader, a developer who will read the code during the code review—The reader may also be the author; and
• Scribe, a developer who will take notes.

Code Review Procedures

1. Validate that code readiness review has been completed.
2. Read the code.
3. Verify that code and test results conform to data movement best practices.
4. Verify that all conditional logic paths were followed and that all error messages were tested properly.
5. Verify that coding security vulnerability issues have been addressed.
6. Verify that test data and test results have been placed in project documentation repository.
7. Verify that code has been checked into the code repository.
8. Document action items.

Testing strategies

1. Unit test data should be created by the developer and should be low volume.
2. All testing should occur in a developer’s personal schema.

Summary

Unit testing is generally conducted by the developer who develops the code and validates that each module’s logic satisfies requirements specified in the requirements specification.