Operational Acceptance Testing Basics

1. Introduction

In this tutorial, we are going to cover the essential aspects of Operational Acceptance Testing (OAT). OAT is the last phase in the software testing process, wherein the system is validated for dependability, readiness, and usability before going live. By the end of this tutorial, you will understand what OAT is, why it's crucial, and how to conduct it.

Prerequisites: Basic understanding of software testing principles and processes.

2. Step-by-Step Guide

Operational Acceptance Testing aims to validate non-functional aspects of the system like recoverability, maintainability, and usability. It ensures the smooth operation of the system post-deployment.

• Concept of OAT: OAT is carried out after Functional, System, and User Acceptance Testing. It is usually the final gatekeeper before a system goes live.

• Importance: OAT helps in assessing system performance under real-world conditions, ensuring it can handle failures and recover without disrupting operations.

• Best Practices:

• Outline clear objectives for your OAT.
• Use real-world scenarios and conditions during testing.
• Ensure system documentation is complete and accurate.

3. Code Examples

While OAT isn't typically associated with coding, it does involve scripting test cases. Here's an example:

• Test Case: Check if the system recovers from a database failure.

# Step 1: Simulate a database failure
db_simulate_failure()

# Step 2: Check if the system detects the failure
assert system_detects_failure() == True

# Step 3: Check if the system tries to recover
assert system_recovery_attempt() == True

# Step 4: Validate if the system is back to normal after recovery
assert system_status() == "normal"

In this test, we simulate a failure, verify if the system notices it, checks if recovery is attempted, and finally confirms if the system is back to normal.

4. Summary

We've covered what Operational Acceptance Testing is, why it's crucial, and how to conduct it. Now, you should be able to implement this testing in your projects to ensure system reliability and readiness. For further studying, you can delve deeper into each type of OAT like Disaster Recovery Testing, Security Testing, etc.

5. Practice Exercises

1. Exercise 1: Write a test case to check if the system backup process works correctly.

Solution: You can simulate a situation where data is lost and then trigger a backup. Check if the backup restores the lost data.

1. Exercise 2: Write a test case to validate if the system can handle a high volume of users.

Solution: You can simulate a high number of virtual users and check system performance metrics like response time, CPU usage, etc.

Remember, the key to effective OAT is using realistic scenarios and checking critical system operations. Happy Testing!