Functional Testing - Types of Testing

What is Functional Testing?

Functional Testing is a type of software testing that verifies the application's functionality against the requirements. It is a black-box testing technique that is performed by the testing team.

Objectives of Functional Testing

In Functional Testing, the testing team verifies the following:

Business Requirements - The application meets the business requirements. Like the application should be able to add, delete, and update records.
Functional Requirements - The application meets the functional requirements. Like the application should be able to login, logout, and change password.
User Requirements - The application meets the user requirements. Like the application should be user-friendly and easy to use.

Example of Functional Testing

Let's take an example of a Login functionality. In this functionality, the user enters the username and password and clicks on the login button. The application should verify the credentials and allow the user to access. The testing team will verify the following:

The application should allow the user to enter the username and password.
The application should authenticate the username and password.
The application should allow the user to login successfully.
The application should display the dashboard after login.
The application should show an error message if the credentials are incorrect.
The application should display a validation message if the fields are empty.

Types of Functional Testing

There are different types of Functional Testing. Some of them are:

Unit Testing - In this testing, the individual units or components of the application are tested like functions, procedures, etc. It is performed by the developers.
Integration Testing - In this testing, the integration of different units or components of the application is tested. It is performed by the developers and testing team both.
System Testing - In this testing, the entire system is tested. It is performed by the testing team.
User Acceptance Testing (UAT) - In this testing, the application is tested by the end-users. It is performed by the testing team and end-users both.

Tools for Functional Testing

There are different tools available for Functional Testing. Some of them are:

Selenium - It is an open-source tool used for automating the web applications.
QTP (Quick Test Professional) - It is a commercial tool used for automating the web and desktop applications.
TestComplete - It is a commercial tool used for automating the web, desktop, and mobile applications.
Rational Functional Tester - It is a commercial tool used for automating the web and desktop applications.
SoapUI - It is an open-source tool used for testing the web services.

Challenges in Functional Testing

There are different challenges in Functional Testing. Some of them are:

Requirement Changes - The requirements keep changing during the development phase. The testing team needs to update the test cases accordingly.
Test Data - The testing team needs to create the test data for the test cases. It is a time-consuming process.
Test Environment - The testing team needs to set up the test environment for testing. It is a complex process.
Test Execution - The testing team needs to execute the test cases manually or using automation tools.
Defect Management - The testing team needs to report the defects to the development team and track them until closure.

Advantages of Functional Testing

There are many advantages of Functional Testing. Some of them are:

Quality - It ensures the quality of the application by verifying the functionality.
Requirements - It verifies the application against the requirements.
User-Friendly - It ensures that the application is user-friendly and easy to use.
Defect Detection - It helps in detecting the defects early in the development phase.

Disadvantages of Functional Testing

There are some disadvantages of Functional Testing. They are:

Time-Consuming - It is a time-consuming process as the testing team needs to create the test cases and execute them.
Complex - It is a complex process as the testing team needs to set up the test environment and execute the test cases.
Costly - It is a costly process as the testing team needs to use the automation tools for testing.
Resource-Intensive - It is a resource-intensive process as the testing team needs to create the test data and execute the test cases.
Defect Tracking - The testing team needs to track the defects until closure.

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Next we will learn about Non-Functional Testing in detail.