Testing negative scenarios, which involves checking for situations where users input incorrect data not expected by the system, is an essential part of a tester's job. However, under time constraints, testers tend to prioritize positive scenarios, commonly known as the "happy path." This approach is not recommended as negative testing helps identify potential application crashes and enhances test coverage.
Integration testing, on the other hand, presents a different perspective. Many experts caution against including negative scenarios in integration tests due to the complexities involved. Handling negative scenarios often requires intricate settings, the development of fixtures, and configuration support, which significantly lengthen the testing cycle. Complex custom stubs, mocks, and drivers need to be created, and they must be updated whenever there are code changes. All these factors contribute to the instability and unreliability of integration tests. As a result, it is preferable to focus solely on positive scenarios with clear user input conditions, while error handling should be addressed at the unit test level.
Attempting to cover all scenarios with just a few integration tests is often impractical due to the complexity and time-consuming nature of these tests. Integration tests involve multiple levels of access, such as databases, file systems, and third-party APIs. Additionally, complex fixtures and configurations further add to the testing time. Certain error handling should ideally be performed during unit testing, reducing the burden on integration testing.
Another challenge is dealing with raw data in the application database, which might be subject to changes, impacting the reliability of test results. Proper preparation of test data before commencing integration testing and subsequent validation and clean-up post-testing become essential to maintain the integrity of the tests.
Integration tests should not be excluded from Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) processes. It is counterproductive to wait for prolonged periods to obtain integration test results when a feature is ready. Instead, incorporating integration tests into an automated CI process allows for faster defect detection and resolution.
Automating complex scenarios is a wise move in the testing process.
Manual testing, especially for intricate and repetitive test cases, can lead to errors. Automation streamlines the process, saves time, and enables the testing team to concentrate on critical issues. However, it is crucial to ensure that the test environment accurately replicates the production environment for accurate results.