A decision table is a technique used in both testing and requirements management. It is a structured exercise to prepare requirements.
What is a Decision Table
A decision table is a good way to deal with different combination inputs with their associated outputs and also called cause-effect table.
It is an organized action to get ready requirements when managing complex business rules. Additionally, utilized as a part of the model complex logic.
Importance of Decision Table Testing
Decision tables are very much helpful in test design technique – it helps testers to search the effects of combinations of different inputs and other software states that must correctly implement business rules. Also, provides a regular way of stating complex business rules, that’s helpful for developers as well as for testers.
Testing combinations can be a challenge, as the number of combinations can often be huge. It assists in development process with developer to do a better job. Testing with all combination might be unrealistic or unfeasible. We have to be happy with testing just a small subset of combinations.
Hence, making the option of which combinations to test and which to leave out is also significant. You do not have an efficient way of selecting combinations.
It is a structured exercise to prepare requirements when dealing with complex business rules. Also, used in model complicated logic.
Uses of Decision Table
- Decision tables provide a systematic way of stating complex business rules, which is useful for developers as well as for testers.
- Decision tables help testers explore the effects of combinations of different inputs and other software states that must correctly implement business rules.
- It helps the developers to do a better job can also lead to better relationships with them. Testing combinations can be a challenge, as the number of combinations can often be huge. Testing all combinations may be impractical if not impossible. Hence, making the choice of which combinations to test and which to leave out is also important. However, if you do not have a systematic way of selecting combinations, an arbitrary subset will be used. Hence, this may well result in an ineffective test effort.
Advantages of Decision Table Testing
- Any complicated business flow can be effortlessly changed over into the test scenarios and test cases utilizing this decision table testing approach.
- Such kind of table work implies the table made at the first iteration is utilized as input table for next tables.
- Decision Table Testing Tools provide complete coverage of test cases which help to decrease the rework on composing test cases and test scenarios.
- These tables ensure that we think about each conceivable combination of condition values.
Disadvantage of Decision Table Testing
The principal weakness is that when the number of input increases the table will turn out to be more complicated.
To Conclude
Decision Table Testing in Software Testing is particularly useful in test design strategy. It encourages testers to look through the impacts of combinations of various input and other software states that must effectively actualize business rules. Likewise, gives a general method for expressing complex business rules that are useful for developers and in addition to testers.
Its main task is to find an appropriate function or subsystem which responds as indicated by events or a combination of inputs. The system should not to contain excessively numerous sources of inputs generally the number of combinations will end up unmanageable.