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A metamorphic testing approach for event sequences

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  • Jing Chen
  • Yinglong Wang
  • Ying Guo
  • Mingyue Jiang

Abstract

Test oracles are commonly used in software testing to determine the correctness of the execution results of test cases. However, the testing of many software systems faces the test oracle problem: a test oracle may not always be available, or it may be available but too expensive to apply. One such software system is a system involving abundant business processes. This paper focuses on the testing of business-process-based software systems and proposes a metamorphic testing approach for event sequences, called MTES, to alleviate the oracle problem. We utilized event sequences to represent business processes and then applied the technique of metamorphic testing to test the system without using test oracles. To apply metamorphic testing, we studied the general rules for identifying metamorphic relations for business processes and further demonstrated specific metamorphic relations for individual case studies. Three case studies were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of our approach. The experimental results show that our approach is feasible and effective in testing the applications with rich business processes. In addition, this paper summarizes the experimental findings and proposes guidelines for selecting good metamorphic relations for business processes.

Suggested Citation

  • Jing Chen & Yinglong Wang & Ying Guo & Mingyue Jiang, 2019. "A metamorphic testing approach for event sequences," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(2), pages 1-39, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0212476
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212476
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Chang-ai Sun & Guan Wang & Baohong Mu & Huai Liu & ZhaoShun Wang & T. Y. Chen, 2012. "A Metamorphic Relation-Based Approach to Testing Web Services Without Oracles," International Journal of Web Services Research (IJWSR), IGI Global, vol. 9(1), pages 51-73, January.
    2. W. K. Chan & S. C. Cheung & Karl R.P.H. Leung, 2007. "A Metamorphic Testing Approach for Online Testing of Service-Oriented Software Applications," International Journal of Web Services Research (IJWSR), IGI Global, vol. 4(2), pages 61-81, April.
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