Tool-Based Support for Other Kinds of Tests

System access and data security

Tools are also available to check for security vulnerabilities⁶ that could be used to gain unauthorized access to a system. Anti-virus apps and firewalls belong to this category of tool, as they produce logs that can be used to identify security flaws. Tests that reveal such flaws or check whether they have been remedied are generally called (IT) security tests.

Evaluating data quality

Projects that replace outdated systems with new ones usually involve the migration or conversion of large amounts of data. System testing then necessarily involves testing data integrity before and after conversion or migration. Tools supporting this kind of testing can check whether the data sets are correct and complete, or whether they satisfy certain syntactic or semantic rules or conditions.

VSR-II data quality

Various aspects of data quality are important to the VSR-II project:

• The DreamCar module displays various vehicle model and equipment variants. Even if the DreamCar module is working correctly, missing or incorrect data can produce failures from the user’s point of view. For example, a particular model cannot be configured or non-deliverable combinations of options can be configured. In cases like this, a customer may look forward to purchasing a vehicle that isn’t actually available.
• Dealers use the NoRisk module to provide appropriate insurance. If some of the data are outdated—such as the vehicle’s collision damage rating—the system is likely to calculate an incorrect premium. If insurance is too expensive, the customer might opt to search for a cheaper policy online rather than buying insurance directly from the dealer.
• Dealers use the ContractBase module to manage all historical customer data, including purchase contracts and all repair work. For example, in Germany the sums involved are all displayed in Euros regardless of whether the invoice is dated before or after the currency switch from Deutschmarks to Euros in 2002. Were all the records converted correctly at the time, or did the customer really pay so little for a repair back then?
• As part of regular sales promotions, dealers send out special offers and promotions to regular customers. Customer addresses and data relating to the age and model of the customer’s current vehicle are saved in the system. However, customers will only receive fully tailored advertising if all the data sets are correct and consistent. Does VSR-II prevent data collection errors such as zip codes that don’t match street names? Does the system automatically ensure that all marketing-related attributes are filled out (such as the purchase date and age of a pre-owned vehicle)? Does the system check that customers have agreed to receive advertising?

The customer records saved in the ContractBase module contain a lot of personal data. The ConnectedCar module’s functions also enable the dealer or the manufacturer to look up private data, such as the vehicle’s current position, routes taken, driver behavior, accidents, and so on. The collection, saving and use of such data is subject to appropriate data-protection regulations (such as the European DSGVO, [URL: DSGVO]). The system test therefore has to verify that VSR-II complies with all the relevant laws and other stipulations. Furthermore, these tests must not be performed using the original customer data! They can only be performed using anonymized or fictional data, which requires the use of specialist tools to generate appropriate test data sets.

These examples show that data quality is primarily the responsibility of the system operator and/or user. However, the system’s manufacturer is definitely involved in supporting data quality—for example, by supplying fault-free data conversion software, meaningful input consistency and plausibility checks, legally watertight data usage, and other similar measures.

Other tools

In addition to the types of tools discussed above, there are also tools available for performing other, more specialized tasks—for example:

• Usability and general accessibility testing to make sure all users are catered for
• Localization tests check whether an application and its GUI have been translated completely and correctly into the local language
• Portability tests verify that an application or system runs properly on all its supported platforms