Integration testing

The term integration test referred to in software development, a coordinated series of individual tests, which serve to test various interdependent components of a complex system in interaction with each other. The first time in the common context to be tested components each have passed a module test successfully and are isolated error-free functioning of its own.

System

For each dependency between two components of a system, a test scenario is defined, which is able to demonstrate, that function after merging both both components by themselves, as well as the exchange of data via the common interface (s) (s) according to its specifications. As both methods function tests and interface tests are applied. Since the function tests were mostly already been carried out in the context of unit tests that they serve at this point to determine if the correct component is being used. The interface tests are used to check the data that is exchanged between components.

Scope

The extent of integration testing is not set to an overall system. Since the time required for integration tests with increasing number of components increases disproportionately, it is usual to perform integration tests for individual, defined subsystems and then to consider in the course as a component (bottom-up method). In this method, the integration test ends only with the successful test runs in an identical with the later production system test environment.

In smaller projects, software integration tests take place frequently during programming by the programmer or the. Immediately following the programming of a module, the module itself and the interaction is tested with the program code created so far. For large, extensive software development, which are usually carried out under a project, the cost of tests generally increases so strongly that they can be automated to increase efficiency.