ISTQB v4.0 Decision Table Testing explanation with examples

Summary

This tutorial delves into decision table testing, a blackbox technique for analyzing and designing tests. It guides viewers through the process of building and simplifying decision tables, understanding conditions and actions, and calculating test coverage. The video also demonstrates how to apply these concepts to practical scenarios and solve ISTQB exam questions, emphasizing the importance of correctly defining conditions and actions to ensure accurate test outcomes.

Takeaways

• 📚 The video is part of an i2b foundation level preparation course on Udemy, focusing on chapter four: test analysis and design, specifically decision table testing within blackbox test techniques.
• 🔍 The script emphasizes the importance of understanding decision table testing for the i2b certification exam, as it is described abstractly in the syllabus without practical examples.
• 📘 Rex Black's book 'Foundations of Software Testing IQ Certification' is recommended for self-study, despite its cost, as it provides valuable insights from one of the exam's authors.
• 🛠 The tutorial walks through the practical application of decision table testing, starting with building a full decision table based on requirements, defining conditions and actions, and then simplifying the table for easier analysis.
• 🔑 The script explains that conditions and actions are critical in decision table testing; incorrect definitions can lead to flawed test outcomes.
• 🔄 The process of simplifying the decision table involves removing impossible combinations and merging columns with identical conditions to streamline the testing process.
• 📉 The coverage of decision table testing is measured by the percentage of exercised columns out of the total visible columns, aiming for 100% coverage with the minimum number of test cases.
• 📝 The tutorial illustrates how to identify impossible or contradictory situations in a decision table, which is a common task in i2b exam questions.
• 📉 The script provides examples of calculating test coverage from a given decision table, showing how to determine which rules are covered by the test cases.
• 🚫 The video advises that if a question on the exam has four or more conditions, it may be best to skip it due to the complexity and time required to answer correctly.
• 📝 The tutorial concludes by highlighting that while decision table testing is complex, exam questions related to it are often simpler since the tables are pre-built, requiring only analysis.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is decision table testing, which is a part of blackbox test techniques covered in the i2b foundation level preparation course on Udemy.

Why is it important to understand decision table testing for the i2b foundation level preparation course?

Understanding decision table testing is important because it is a technique used in blackbox testing, and the i2b foundation level preparation course covers this technique in detail to help students prepare for the K3 level questions in the ISTQB exam.

What are the challenges faced when creating a decision table for testing?

The challenges include correctly defining conditions and actions, ensuring that all possible combinations of conditions are covered, and simplifying the table to avoid redundancy and improve test coverage efficiency.

How can one self-study decision table testing?

One can self-study decision table testing by referring to the book 'Foundations of Software Testing IQ Certification' by Rex Black, and by practicing with examples and scenarios similar to those found in ISTQB questions.

What is the significance of simplifying a decision table in testing?

Simplifying a decision table is significant because it helps in reducing the number of test cases needed to achieve 100% test coverage by eliminating impossible combinations and merging columns with the same outcomes.

How does the video script guide viewers in building a decision table?

The video script guides viewers by providing a step-by-step process, starting with defining conditions and actions, determining combinations, marking actions with 'X' for required outcomes, simplifying the table, and finally, deriving test cases from the simplified table.

What is the purpose of analyzing a decision table in ISTQB exam questions?

The purpose of analyzing a decision table in ISTQB exam questions is to verify if the table is built correctly, identify any mistakes or conflicts, and calculate the test coverage to ensure all conditions and actions are adequately tested.

How does the video script help in understanding the application of decision table testing in practice?

The video script helps by providing additional explanations and examples on how to apply the technique in practice, including how to construct and simplify decision tables, and how to derive test cases from them.

What are the steps involved in simplifying a decision table?

The steps involved in simplifying a decision table include deleting columns with impossible combinations of conditions, merging columns where conditions do not affect the outcome, and ensuring that the table covers all feasible combinations for 100% test coverage.

How can one determine the test coverage of a decision table?

One can determine the test coverage of a decision table by counting the number of exercised columns (feasible combinations of conditions) and dividing it by the total number of visible columns, then expressing the result as a percentage.

Why is it recommended to skip questions with four or more conditions on the exam if time is limited?

It is recommended to skip questions with four or more conditions due to the complexity and time-consuming nature of building a decision table from scratch. Answering such questions can take significantly longer than the allotted time for each question on the exam.