Volume Software Testing

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Volume Software Testing

In this article, I am going to discuss Volume Software Testing. Please read our previous article, where we discussed Structural Software Testing. At the end of this article, you will understand the following essential pointers related to Volume Software Testing.

1. What is Volume Software Testing?
2. Why do we need to Perform Volume Testing?
3. How to Perform Volume Software Testing?
4. What is the Purpose of Volume Software Testing?
5. What are the Characteristics of Volume Testing?
6. What are the Objectives of Volume Testing?
7. Explain Volume Testing Attributes
8. What are the Different Challenges in Volume Testing?
9. Explain Volume Testing Tools
10. What are the Advantages of Volume Software Testing?
11. What are the Disadvantages of Volume Software Testing?
12. Difference Between Volume Testing and Load Testing

What is Volume Software Testing?

Software Testing, called Volume Testing, involves testing a software application with a particular amount of data. Volume testing can be measured using either the database’s size or the size of the interface file as the metric. The database is expanded to a specific size to test the program’s performance while using that exact database size. When a program wants to communicate with an interface file, it may do so by reading, writing, or both to and from the file. The application’s functionality is evaluated using a sample file that is the required size to gauge performance.

The software is subjected to a vast amount of data during volume testing. By expanding the amount of data in the database, it is essentially done to analyze the system’s performance. Volume testing is done to investigate the effects of increased data volume in the database on response times and system behavior. Volume testing is commonly known as flood testing.

Why do we need to Perform Volume Testing?

The volume testing is being done with the aim of:

• As the database’s data volume increases, evaluate the system’s performance.
• To recognize the issues that vast amounts of data are likely to cause
• To determine the point at which the system’s stability deteriorates
• Finding the system or application’s capacity through volume testing will be helpful.

How to Perform Volume Software Testing?

The following items need to be examined during volume testing

1. Check to see if there has been any data loss.
2. Make sure the system responds quickly.
3. Verify whether the data is being stored correctly.
4. Check to see if there have been any unnoticed data overwrites. Keep an eye out for any warning, error, or volume difficulties.
5. Check to see if processing performance is affected by large amounts of data.
6. Does the system possess the required memory resources?
7. Does the system-wide volume test run?
8. Is there a risk if the data volume exceeds the limit?
9. Is there any assurance that the set date volume will not be exceeded?

What is the Purpose of Volume Software Testing?

Discovering system performance with the total amount of data in the database is the primary goal of implementing volume testing. Let us look at some additional volume testing goals:

1. Evaluate The System’s Response Time: We may assess the system response time because successful volume testing enables business executives to certify that software performance is uninterrupted.
2. Classifying The System’s Volume: Identifying the system’s volume makes it easier to establish scalability, which is also helpful for creating backup plans. Additionally, volume testing gives engineers knowledge, enabling them to predict how much data the system can handle without failing.
3. Create The Scaling Plans: The scalability plans are simple to create by conducting volume testing. We discovered that volume testing informs corporate leaders on whether to increase system size or add more components.
4. Check To Make Sure No Data Are Lost: The only way the project team can ensure there is no data loss as the demands placed on the system and the size of the database increase is through volume testing.
5. Receiving Insight on The System’s Functionality Under Low, Medium, And Large Data Loads: The system’s performance under low and medium loads is measured as the next goal of volume testing to ensure it functions. Additionally, excessive data loads increase the danger of data loss.
6. Identifying The Force-Induced Errors on The System’s Components: Finding problems that only emerge during data load spikes, slower response times, system failures, or security activities is the goal of volume testing.

What are the Characteristics of Volume Testing?

The qualities of the volume testing are as follows:

• Due to the enormous amount of data accumulating over time, software performance degrades.
• In essence, a test data generator produces the test data.
• The development phase only tests a tiny amount of data.
• The test information must be logically sound.
• The test data are used to assess the system’s performance.

What are the Objectives of Volume Testing?

The goals of the volume testing are:

• Be aware of the issues that a vast amount of data could cause.
• To measure the system’s performance while growing the database’s data amount.
• To determine the system’s reducing stability point.
• To determine the system’s or application’s capacity.

Explain Volume Testing Attributes

The following crucial characteristics are examined during the volume testing:

• Response Time of the System: During the volume testing, the application’s or system’s response time is examined. The system’s ability to respond in a finite amount of time is also discussed. The system is redesigned if the reaction time is excessive.
• Data Loss: It was also tested that there was no data loss throughout the volume testing. Some critical data may be lost if there is data loss.
• Data Storage: It is examined whether the data is stored appropriately during the volume testing. If the data is incorrectly stored, it is properly restored and placed.
• Data Overwriting: During volume testing, whether data is overwritten when the developer has not been informed beforehand is examined. In that case, the developer is informed.

What are the Different Challenges in Volume Testing?

• Memory fragmentation is challenging to produce.
• Dynamic key generation
• The Integrity of Relationships in Generated Data

Explain Volume Testing Tools

As is common knowledge, automation testing saves time and yields more accurate results than manual testing. One of the primary advantages of using volume testing tools is the ability to conduct tests during off-peak hours, such as at night. This ensures that neither the team members nor members of other teams will be affected by the database’s data volume during testing. Here are a few open-source instruments that can be used for volume testing:

HammerDb

It is an open-source database benchmarking tool for the entire world’s database industry. It is multi-threaded, utilized for automation, and supports run-time scripting. The following are some of HammerDB’s most popular features:

• It is an enterprise grading software that is entirely open to all users.
• All the leading IT companies can make use of it.
• Numerous databases, including Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, etc., are fully supported.
• It enables support from experts.
• It offers thorough and complete documentation.
• Both Linux and Windows platforms are supported, and it is entirely operational.

DbFit

A free tool that facilitates test-driven development is called DbFit. The DbFit tests can be a working example of our system behavior description. These are some of the DbFit features that are frequently used:

• It supports agile techniques like refactoring and test-driven development.
• It supports a variety of databases, including SQL Server, Oracle, and others.
• It enables us to improve the product’s quality, maintainability, and design.
• It provides understandable syntax that makes it easier to communicate with non-technical folks.
• It offers examples-filled online documentation.

JdbcSlim

JdbcSlim is a volume testing tool that simplifies incorporating database statements and queries into Slim FitNesse testing. It focuses on clearly maintaining the configuration, test data, and SQL instructions. The following are some of JdbcSlim’s frequently used features:

• SQL-literate developers, testers, and business users can all use the JdbcSlim framework.
• It is compatible with all databases that have a JDBC driver.
• Additionally, it ensures that the requirements are straightforward for users to grasp and stated independently of execution.

NoSQLMap

An open-source Python tool, NoSQLMap, is made to automatically insert outbreaks and interfere with Database setups to assess the threat.

What are the Advantages of Volume Software Testing?

These are a few advantages of volume testing:

1. It reduces maintenance expenses that go toward app development.
2. Only the MongoDB database is compatible with it.
3. Early bottleneck discovery is facilitated by it.
4. It encourages scalability plans to get off to a faster start.
5. The volume testing ensures that the system is ready for use in the real world.

What are the Disadvantages of Volume Software Testing?

The following are drawbacks to volume testing:

• Creating the exact split of memory utilized in the real world using volume tests is impossible.
• A knowledgeable database performance testing team is required to acquire the volume testing that would incur an additional cost to the project.
• The personal replica of the natural world is challenging and intricate.
• Executing complete volume testing, which includes all test scenarios, writing scripts, and running those scripts, takes a lot of time. This could postpone the application’s release date.

Difference Between Volume Testing and Load Testing

Volume Testing	Load Testing
The process of introducing a significant amount of data to test an application’s functionality is known as volume testing.	Load testing is a type of testing where we use a load that is either less than or equal to the desired load to evaluate how well an application performs.
Volume testing puts the system to the test in both typical and unusual situations.	During load testing, the system is put through its paces.
Its evaluation of the system’s reaction time.	Its performance study of the system.
It focuses primarily on confirming the system’s capacity.	The objective of the load testing is to confirm the software’s stability.
It increases the system’s suitability for practical application.	According to end users, it makes the system capable.

In the next article, I am going to discuss Scalability Software Testing. In this article, I try to explain volume software testing. I hope you enjoy this Volume Software Testing article.