Journal of Systems and Software 79 (5): 602-612 (2006)

Automatic Goal-Oriented Classification of Failure Behaviors for Testing
XML-Based Multimedia Software Applications: an Experimental Case Study
1

W.K. Chan 2 , M.Y. Cheng 2 , S.C. Cheung 3 , and T.H. Tse 4

[paper from ScienceDirect | technical report TR-2005-04]

 ABSTRACT

When testing multimedia software applications, we need to overcome important issues such as the forbidding size of the input domains, great difficulties in repeating non-deterministic test outcomes, and the test oracle problem. A statistical testing methodology is proposed. It applies pattern classification techniques enhanced with the notion of test dimensions. Test dimensions are orthogonal properties of associated test cases. Temporal properties are being studied in the experimentation in this paper. For each test dimension, a pattern classifier is trained on the normal and abnormal behaviors. A type of failure is said to be classified if it is recognized by the classifier. Test cases can then be analyzed by the failure pattern recognizers. Experiments show that some test dimensions are more effective than others in failure identification and classification.

Keywords: Software testing, test dimensions, multimedia application testing, failure identification, failure classification.

1. This research is supported in part by grants of the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong and The University of Hong Kong.
2. Department of Computer Science, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
3. Department of Computer Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
4. (Corresponding author.)
Department of Computer Science, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
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