Interoperability Software Testing
Interoperability Testing is a type of software testing that is performed to examine software’s interaction either with its components or other software. Interoperability testing checks the functionality relationship between two software systems as per the requirement of end users.
Objectives of Interoperability Testing:
To ensure end-to-end communication between two different software systems.
To reduce the compatibility issue when data is transferred between two software.
To provide uniform data type and data format between connected software systems.
Types of Interoperability Testing:
There are five types of Interoperability Testing:
Data type Interoperability Testing: It focuses on the data type of the data that is being transferred. The sent and received data should be identical so there is no inconsistency. If the data sent is a character (suppose ‘a’), then data received at the receiver end should also be a character (i.e. ‘a’).
Semantic Interoperability Testing: It focuses on the algorithm used in data transfer. It checks the data semantics that is involved in the data transfer. The algorithm used in data transfer should be reliable.
Physical Interoperability Testing: It checks the connecting devices used to connect the two software systems. It contains the ports and data cables used in the connection. Generally, the USB port also affects the data transfer rate; hence, to increase the data transfer rate, a 3.0 USB port is used.
Protocol Interoperability Testing: It focuses on the protocol used in data transfer between two connected software systems. It checks whether the protocol used provides efficient security to the data or not. The checksum used in the protocol enables the data transfer without any error.
Data format Interoperability Testing: It checks the format of the sent data and the received data. The format of the data sent and obtained should be the same. If the data transmitted by the sender is in binary form (0 and 1), then the data received at the receiver end should also be in binary form(i.e., 0 and 1).
Interoperability Testing Process:
The following steps are involved in the Interoperability Testing process:
Test Environment Setup: In the first step, the environment is set up for testing. Without an environment, testing can’t be performed.
Create Test Case: Test cases are generated to check the connection behavior. Different test case types are developed so that the testing can be performed efficiently.
Test Case Execution: After creating the test case, test cases are executed to perform the testing process.
Test Result Analysis: After the execution of the test case, test results are analyzed to determine whether the detected defects are resolved.
Retest: After the analysis of the test result, if still the defects are found, then the test is performed again, and the whole process is repeated.
Advantages of Interoperability Testing:
It helps in the establishment of an error-less connection between two software systems.
It ensures uniform data type data transfer between two software systems.
It provides a consistent data format while transforming.
It gives a semantic format in transformation.
Disadvantages of Interoperability Testing:
There needs to be more requirements in interoperability testing.
It requires accurate measurement.
It increases network complexity.
It increases insufficient requirements.
