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Impact-Driven Regression Test Selection for Mainframe Business Systems

  • Conference paper
Evaluation of Novel Approaches to Software Engineering (ENASE 2013)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 417))

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Abstract

Software testing is particularly expensive in the case of legacy systems involving mainframes. At the same time these systems are critical to many large enterprises and they are perpetually in costly maintenance. For example, even small changes to the system usually lead to an end-to-end regression test. Also, due to the age of legacy systems there is a lack of essential knowledge (e.g. component inter-dependence) and this results in comprehensive system tests that have to be conducted in production environments. This is called the “retest-all” approach and is done to ensure confidence in the functioning of the system. But this approach is also impractical primarily due to: a) resource needs, and b) user stories generated within the agile processes that require changes to the system at an ever-faster pace. The research reported here is aimed at reducing the required regression testing and the costs associated with the system and its assets. The improvements are achieved by identifying only those tests needed by assets changes and others that are ‘impacted’. The impact analysis leverages modern static code analysis tools such as Rational Asset Analyzer and dedicated test environments for mainframes. We show that by using impact analysis on a real-world mainframe application the test savings can be about 34%.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Computer Science and Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A.

    Abhishek Dharmapurikar, Benjamin J. R. Wierwille, Jayashree Ramanthan & Rajiv Ramnath

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  1. Abhishek Dharmapurikar
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  2. Benjamin J. R. Wierwille
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  3. Jayashree Ramanthan
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  4. Rajiv Ramnath
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. INSTICC and IPS, Estefanilha, Setúbal, Portugal

    Joaquim Filipe

  2. Department of Computing, Macquarie University, 2109,, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Leszek A. Maciaszek

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Dharmapurikar, A., Wierwille, B.J.R., Ramanthan, J., Ramnath, R. (2013). Impact-Driven Regression Test Selection for Mainframe Business Systems. In: Filipe, J., Maciaszek, L.A. (eds) Evaluation of Novel Approaches to Software Engineering. ENASE 2013. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 417. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54092-9_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54092-9_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-54091-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-54092-9

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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