Alpha testing

Alpha testing (English Alpha testing ) - imitation of real work with the system by regular developers, or real work with the system by potential users / customer. Most often, alpha testing is carried out at an early stage of product development, but in some cases it can be performed for the finished product as an internal acceptance test. Sometimes alpha testing is performed by a debugger or by using the environment, which helps to quickly identify errors found. Detected errors can be transferred to testers for additional research in an environment similar to the one in which the software will be used. For alpha testing, a special type of Ad hoc testing is mainly used.

Ad hoc

Testing Ad Hoc is similar to intelligence, but here it is believed that you have already worked with the program under test to this and know how it works. In carrying out this test, you should work with the program in a short time, covering the main aspects of its work and documenting its strange behavior.

Key points

• The possibility of involving the methods of testing the "black" and "white" box.
• It is not necessary to involve third-party users in the process of alpha testing.

The basis of alpha testing

Alpha testing uses prototypes to test software in the beta stage. However, one should not expect that the program will have full functionality for which it is designed specifically at this stage. This is because alpha testing is usually done to ensure that the software that is currently being developed provides all the necessary basic functions and that it receives all the incoming data, and also gives the expected results.

You can implement alpha testing when software developers perform other types of testing under certain conditions. This will allow them to see how the software will work in real, practical conditions. However, the number of consumers who check the software should be strictly limited, since the software is not yet ready for commercial launch at this stage.

Alpha Testing Expectations

When launching the final product for testing, testers will certainly encounter a number of minor problems and errors, and ultimately a sense of frustration. This is because software developers need to take care of the most complex and serious problems as soon as they are faced with them. Thus, the software during its alpha stage will have minimal functionality and the ability to accept incoming data and create the expected results. Therefore, users who check the software should be notified of this fact so that they can create an impartial and accurate response to software problems and other design issues.

Software developers should take full responsibility for telling all users about the limited capabilities of the software. In addition, the software package should also include an advisory letter that refers to the limited capabilities of the software. Customers should also understand that they are likely to experience some degree of software management experience at the alpha stage to some extent disappoint them.

The real goal of alpha testing by the consumer is to provide the necessary feedback, which gives the end users a perspective so that software developers can solve emerging issues. Customer feedback, and their testimony about the problems they have encountered, as well as what they expect from the program after it enters the market, is very significant.

Benefits of alpha testing

Alpha testing provides a better understanding of the reliability of the software and reliability in its early stages. Alpha testing allows you to find out if the software has real potential to work at the alpha version stage, allows you to quickly identify errors during testing, because other small parts of the structure are not integrated. For this sole reason, alpha testing should ensure early detection of design issues and errors, in order to prevent potential problems in the future.

Testing should be carried out in order to make sure that the user receives high quality services in the form of full functionality and stability. The features that the technical team *** is looking for in software are efficiency, repair capability, convenience, compatibility and reliability.

However, the greatest requirement is that the software provided to the user must operate properly in accordance with the established goals. Testing alpha will show that the software has all the necessary functions to pass the strict EPRI quality standards and even ISO. However, the overall quality concerning software is never absolute, it just has to meet a certain set of requirements that are presented to it.

Disadvantages of alpha testing

Like any other software testing process, even alpha testing has some limitations in its use. In addition, it also offers some special advantages over other test procedures. Since alpha testing uses undeveloped prototypes, this type of testing is only suitable for the early stages of software.

Alpha Test allows developers to see the true capabilities of their software, including design issues. Software developers can fix current code and structural problems right during the alpha test process. However, there are several important factors to remember about alpha testing before sending it to users.

First: you need to take into account the capabilities of users who will test the product during the alpha stage, which may eventually lead to unsatisfactory results, this may occur due to the fact that the program is not fully expanded. Even when you give information about its developmental stage, the user may feel that the software that was given to them is not able to satisfy their needs and requirements.

Second: from time to time, some feedback from consumers who are engaged in alpha testing may also be accurate, since users may have encountered some problem or have bad experience with the software.

As a result

The software must go through a number of important testing procedures before it can be commercially launched into a competitive market. Alpha testing is perhaps one of the most useful types of testing that a software must pass in order to get full functionality and usability.

Quotes

• "Testing programs can be used to demonstrate the presence of errors, but it will never show their absence." - Dijkstra, in 1970

Beta testing

Beta testing ( beta testing ) - intensive use of an almost finished product version (usually software or hardware) in order to identify the maximum number of errors in its work for their subsequent elimination before the final release (release) of the product to the market, to mass to the consumer.

Unlike alpha testing, conducted by regular developers or testers, beta testing involves the involvement of volunteers from among the usual future users of the product, which is available mentioned preliminary version of the product (the so-called beta version ).

Such volunteers (they are called beta testers ) are often driven by curiosity for a new product - curiosity, for the sake of satisfying which they quite agree to put up with the opportunity to experience the consequences of errors not yet found (and therefore not corrected). In addition to curiosity, motivation may be due to the desire to influence the development process and eventually get a more satisfying product and many others.

In addition, beta testing can be used as part of a strategy to promote a product to the market (for example, free distribution of beta versions allows you to attract widespread consumer attention to the final expensive version of the product), as well as to get preliminary reviews about it from a wide range of future users [ 1] .

The beta version is not the final version of the product, so the developer does not guarantee the complete absence of errors that can disrupt the computer and / or lead to data loss. Although in the final versions of such guarantees, developers, as a rule, do not give.

In addition to software and hardware, the concept of a beta version has recently been often applied to sites, or to their specific sections or functions. In most cases, beta testing is open, and improvements are made during the operation of the site.

Beta testing can be open [2] [3] and closed [4] , when the program is tested only by developers or users by invitation.