Software Testing Methodologies

Data flow testing : Basics of dataflow testing

• Data flow testing uses the control flowgraph to explore the unreasonable
things that can happen to data (i.e., anomalies).
• Consideration of data flow anomalies(inconsistency) leads to test path
selection strategies that fill the gaps between complete path testing and
branch or statement testing.
Data Flow Testing

• Data-flow testing is the name given to a family of test strategies based on
selecting paths through the program’s control flow in order to explore
sequences of events related to the status of data objects.
• E.g., Pick enough paths to assure that:
 Every data object has been initialized prior to its use.
 All defined objects have been used at least once.
Data Flow Testing (Cont’d)

There are two types of data flow machines with different architectures.
• Von Neumann machines
• Multi-instruction, multi-data machines (MIMD).
Data Flow Machines

• This architecture features interchangeable storage of instructions and data
in the same memory units.
• The Von Neumann machine Architecture executes one instruction at a time
in the following, micro instruction sequence:
Fetch instruction from memory
Interpret instruction
Fetch operands
Process or Execute
Store result
Increment program counter
GOTO 1
Von Neumann Machine Architecture

Multi-instruction, Multi-data machines (MIMD) Architecture
• These machines can fetch several instructions and objects in parallel.
• They can also do arithmetic and logical operations simultaneously on
different data objects.
• The decision of how to sequence them depends
on the compiler.

Bug Assumption
• The bug assumption for data-flow testing strategies is that
• control flow is generally correct and that something has gone wrong
with the software so that data objects are not available
• if there is a control-flow problem, we expect it to have symptoms that
can be detected by data-flow analysis.
• Although we'll be doing data-flow testing, we won't be using data flow
graphs as such. Rather, use an ordinary control flowgraph annotated to
show what happens to the data objects of interest at the moment.

Data Flow Graphs
• The data flow graph is a graph consisting of nodes and directed links.
• We will use an control graph to show what happens to data objects of
interest at that moment.
• Our objective is to expose deviations between the data flows we have and
the data flows we want.

Data Object State and Usage
• Data Objects can be created, killed and used.
• They can be used in two distinct ways:
1. In a Calculation 2. As a part of a Control Flow Predicate.
• The following symbols denote these possibilities:
• Defined: d - defined, created, initialized etc.
• Killed or undefined: k - killed, undefined, released etc
• Usage: u - used for something (c - used in Calculations, p - used in a
predicate)

1. Defined (d)
• An object is defined explicitly when it appears in a data declaration.
• Or implicitly when it appears on the left hand side of the assignment.
• It is also to be used to mean that a file has been opened.
• A dynamically allocated object has been allocated.
• Something is pushed on to the stack.
• A record written.

2. Killed or Undefined (k)
• An object is killed on undefined when it is released or otherwise made unavailable.
• When its contents are no longer known with certitude (with aboslute certainity /
perfectness).
• Release of dynamically allocated objects back to the availability pool.
• Return of records.
• The old top of the stack after it is popped.
• An assignment statement can kill and redefine immediately.
For example, if A had been previously defined and we do a new assignment such as
A : = 17, we have killed A's previous value and redefined A

3. Usage (u)
• A variable is used for computation (c) when it appears on the right hand
side of an assignment statement.
• A file record is read or written.
• It is used in a Predicate (p) when it appears directly in a predicate.

Data Flow Anomalies
• An anomaly is denoted by a two-character sequence of actions.
• For example,
• ku means that the object is killed and then used, where as
• dd means that the object is defined twice without an intervening
usage.

Data Flow Anomalies (Cont’d)
• What is an anomaly is depend on the application.
• There are nine possible two-letter combinations for d, k and u. some are
bugs, some are suspicious, and some are okay.
• dd :- probably harmless but suspicious. Why define the object twice without an intervening usage?
• dk :- probably a bug. Why define the object without using it?
• du :- the normal case. The object is defined and then used.
• kd :- normal situation. An object is killed and then redefined.
• kk :- harmless but probably buggy. Did you want to be sure it was really killed?
• ku :- a bug. the object doesnot exist.
• ud :- usually not a bug because the language permits reassignment at almost any time.
• uk :- normal situation.
• uu :- normal situation.

• In addition to the two letter situations, there are six single letter situations.
• We will use a leading dash to mean that nothing of interest (d,k,u) occurs
prior to the action noted along the entry-exit path of interest.
• A trailing dash to mean that nothing happens after the point of interest to
the exit.

• They possible anomalies are:
• -k :- possibly anomalous because from the entrance to this point on the path, the variable had not been
defined. We are killing a variable that does not exist.
• -d :- okay. This is just the first definition along this path.
• -u :- possibly anomalous. Not anomalous if the variable is global and has been previously defined.
• k- :- not anomalous. The last thing done on this path was to kill the variable.
• d- :- possibly anomalous. The variable was defined and not used on this path. But this could be a global
definition.
• u- :- not anomalous. The variable was used but not killed on this path. Although this sequence is not
anomalous, it signals a frequent kind of bug. If d and k mean dynamic storage allocation and return
respectively, this could be an instance in which a dynamically allocated object was not returned to the
pool after use.

Data Flow Anomaly State Graph
• Data flow anomaly model prescribes that an object can be in one of four
distinct states:
• K :- undefined, previously killed, doesn't exist
• D :- defined but not yet used for anything
• U :- has been used for computation or in predicate
• A :- anomalous

Data Flow Anomaly State Graph (Cont’d)
• These capital letters (K,D,U,A) denote the state of the variable and should
not be confused with the program action, denoted by lower case letters.
• Unforgiving Data - Flow Anomaly Flow Graph: Unforgiving model, in which
once a variable becomes anomalous it can never return to a state of grace.

Unforgiving Data Flow Anomaly State Graph
• Assume that the variable starts in the K state - that is, it has not been
defined or does not exist. If an attempt is made to use it or to kill it (e.g.,
say that we're talking about opening, closing, and using files and that
'killing' means closing), the object's state becomes anomalous (state A)
and, once it is anomalous, no action can return the variable to a working
state. If it is defined (d), it goes into the D, or defined but not yet used,
state. If it has been defined (D) and redefined (d) or killed without use (k),
it becomes anomalous, while usage (u) brings it to the U state. If in U,
redefinition (d) brings it to D, u keeps it in U, and k kills it.

Forgiving Data - Flow Anomaly Flow Graph
• Forgiving Data - Flow Anomaly Flow Graph: Forgiving model is an alternate
model where redemption (recover) from the anomalous state is possible.
• This graph has three
normal and three
anomalous states and
he considers the kk
sequence not to be
anomalous.
The difference between this state graph and Unforgiving data is that redemption is possible

STATIC Vs DYNAMIC Anomaly Detection
• Static Analysis is analysis done on source code without actually executing
it.
• E.g., Syntax errors are caught by static analysis
• Dynamic Analysis is analysis done as a program is executing and is based
on intermediate values that result from the program’s execution.
• E.g., A division by 0 error is caught by dynamic analysis.
• If a data-flow anomaly can be detected by static analysis then the anomaly
does not concern testing. (Should be handled by the compiler.)

Anomaly Detection Using Compilers
• Compilers are able to detect several data-flow anomalies using static
analysis.
• E.g., By forcing declaration before use, a compiler can detect anomalies
such as:
• -u
• -ku
• Optimizing compilers are able to detect some dead variables.

Is Static Analysis Sufficient?
• Questions:
• Why isn’t static analysis enough?
• Why is testing required?
• Could a good compiler detect all dataflow anomalies?
• Answer:
• No. Detecting all data-flow anomalies is provably unsolvable.

Why Static Analysis isn't enough?
• There are many things for which current notions of static analysis are
inadequate. They are:
• Dead Variables: Detecting unreachable variables is unsolvable in the
general case.
• Arrays: Dynamically allocated arrays contain garbage unless they are
initialized explicitly. (-u anomalies are possible)
• Pointers: Impossible to verify pointer values at compile time.

• False Anomalies: Even an obvious bug
(e.g., ku) may not be a bug if the path along which the anomaly
exists is unachievable. (Determining whether a path is or is not
achievable is unsolvable.)
• Recoverable Anomalies and Alternate State Graphs: What constitutes
an anomaly depends on context, application, and semantics.
• How does the compiler know which model I have in mind?
• It can't because the definition of "anomaly" is not fundamental.
The language processor must have a built-in anomaly definition
with which you may or may not (with good reason) agree.

• Concurrency, Interrupts, System Issues:
As soon as we get away from the simple single-task uniprocessor
environment and start thinking in terms of systems, most anomaly issues
become vastly more complicated. How often do we define or create data
objects at an interrupt level so that they can be processed by a lower-
priority routine? Interrupts can make the "correct" anomalous and the
"anomalous" correct. True concurrency (as in an MIMD machine) and
pseudoconcurrency (as in multiprocessing) systems can do the same to
us. Much of integration and system testing is aimed at detecting data-flow
anomalies that cannot be detected in the context of a single routine.

• Although static analysis methods have limits, they are worth using and a
continuing trend in language processor design has been better static
analysis methods, especially for data flow anomaly detection. That's good
because it means there's less for us to do as testers and we have far too
much to do as it is.

DATA FLOW MODEL
• The data flow model is based on the program's control flow graph - Don't
confuse that with the program's data flowgraph..
• Here we annotate each link with symbols (for example, d, k, u, c, p) or
sequences of symbols (for example, dd, du, ddd) that denote the sequence
of data operations on that link with respect to the variable of interest. Such
annotations are called link weights.
• The control flow graph structure is same for every variable: it is the
weights that change.

Components of the model
• To every statement there is a node, whose name is unique. Every node
has at least one outlink and at least one inlink except for exit nodes and
entry nodes.
• Exit nodes are dummy nodes placed at the outgoing arrowheads of exit
statements (e.g., END, RETURN), to complete the graph. Similarly, entry
nodes are dummy nodes placed at entry statements (e.g., BEGIN) for the
same reason.

Components of the model (Cont’d)
• The outlink of simple statements (statements with only one outlink) are
weighted by the proper sequence of data-flow actions for that statement.
Note that the sequence can consist of more than one letter. For example,
the assignment statement A:= A + B in most languages is weighted by cd or
possibly ckd for variable A. Languages that permit multiple simultaneous
assignments and/or compound statements can have anomalies within the
statement. The sequence must correspond to the order in which the object
code will be executed for that variable.

• Predicate nodes (e.g., IF-THEN-ELSE, DO WHILE, CASE) are weighted with
the p - use(s) on every outlink, appropriate to that outlink.
• Every sequence of simple statements (e.g., a sequence of nodes with one
inlink and one outlink) can be replaced by a pair of nodes that has, as
weights on the link between them, the concatenation of link weights.
• If there are several data-flow actions on a given link for a given variable,
then the weight of the link is denoted by the sequence of actions on that
link for that variable.

• Conversely, a link with several data-flow actions on it can be replaced by a
succession of equivalent links, each of which has at most one data-flow
action for any variable.

Program Example (PDL)
Figure 3.7: Program Example (PDL)

Example
Figure 3.8: Unannotated flowgraph for example program in Figure 3.7
Figure 3.9: Control flowgraph annotated for X and Y data flows.

Example
Figure 3.10: Control flowgraph annotated for Z data flow.
Figure 3.11: Control flowgraph annotated for V data flow.

Software Testing Methodologies

Software Testing Methodologies

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