Sanity Testing: Top 10 Qa Tests To Ensure Software Sanity

By Author: Mohan Ganesan
Total Articles: 2
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When it comes to software, you don't want to make assumptions—not when user experience is at stake. Instead, you need to test for success and failure scenarios through a range of checks. That's where sanity testing comes in.

Sanity testing is a type of quality assurance technique used to ensure that newly added features in software applications work correctly or not without affecting the existing functionality. It helps ensure that changes made within the software don't cause major issues.

In this article, we'll look into the basics of sanity testing and discuss some essential techniques to make sure QA teams are properly verifying that changes are working as expected. We'll also cover how sanity testing can help reduce the impact of potential bugs on your product, and what tools can be used to properly track issues. Let's get started!

What Is Sanity Testing?
Are you about to launch a software product, but want to make sure everything goes seamlessly? If you answered yes, then sanity testing is the tool for you. It’s an essential quality assurance process used to verify that a piece of software ...
... or application is still functionally acceptable after a change.

The goal of sanity testing is to quickly and simply determine if the software has any glaring issues that need further investigation and debugging. It only checks for minimal functionality, pinpointing obvious bugs and errors before additional testing can be done on the codebase.

Sanity testing is mainly used to test new features or a minor change in an existing system. It helps find out what features are broken by running simple tests on limited data sets, thus keeping the tests short and sweet. The advantage of sanity testing is its speed: it’s much faster than other types of tests like regression tests, regression analysis and smoke tests—allowing developers to find problems more quickly.

Why Is Sanity Testing Important for Quality Assurance?
Sanity testing is an important part of any software quality assurance process. It’s a shallow but wide approach that focuses on the most essential functionalities of a software program or application. It helps to ensure that the basic features are working properly before moving on to more extensive tests.

The primary purpose of sanity testing is to quickly identify major issues that could result in costly delays or defects. It’s designed to save time and resources by assessing the overall health of the product and its critical components before diving into more detailed tests. Sanity tests can also be used to evaluate new features, updates and other changes in existing applications before they are released to end users.

Sanity test results can provide valuable insight into an application’s performance and help identify areas for improvement, making it a valuable tool for quality assurance teams. By ensuring basic system functionality, sanity testing reduces risk and allows QA teams to move ahead with confidence in their product or application.

When Should You Perform Sanity Testing?
So when should you perform sanity testing? Generally speaking, it's best to use something called the "quick-look" approach. With this method, you'll want to set aside some time periodically (such as in the morning or afternoon of every day) to quickly glance over the functionality of your software and verify that it's working as intended. Periodically checking in this way helps you identify any issues quickly, so that they can be addressed and remedied right away.

Additionally, if a version or build of your software has been recently released (or updated), then it's a good idea to run some baseline sanity tests before any further testing can be done. This ensures that the most critical components are working properly and provides a stable foundation for more complex testing down the road.

Sanity testing can also be useful when making changes to existing features or components, such as fixing a bug or adding some new functionality. This will help you verify that everything is running smoothly before committing those changes into the production environment.

In short, the key is to keep an eye out for any major issues at all stages of development, from conception to release and beyond—sanity tests should always be conducted before new builds and updates go into production in order to ensure success.

Sanity Test Cases to Consider
Sanity testing is an important part of quality assurance, and there are certain test cases you should consider.

Is the system running?
It's essential to verify that the system is running before testing anything else. That means doing checkpoints like testing if the user interface (UI), system services, and applications are all running correctly.

Are all components working?
Next, you want to check if all components are working correctly, like if every application feature and service functions as expected. You should also make sure any menu options or buttons lead to the right place.

Are there any errors?
Finally, when doing sanity tests, it's important to check for any errors in the system and identify them. This way, you can fix the underlying cause of whatever problem is happening and make sure everything runs smoothly.

Best Practices for Effective Sanity Testing
Sanity testing is an important part of quality assurance and ensures that the features of a software application are functioning correctly. To make sure your sanity testing is effective, there are some best practices you should follow.

Sticking to the Scope
The primary purpose of sanity testing is to quickly evaluate functionality, so it's important to stick to the scope and avoid delving into detailed testing. Any issues found should be documented for further investigation by more thorough tests later.

Documenting Results
Keeping track of the results from your sanity testing is essential for evaluating whether or not the tests have been successful. Documenting all bugs or issues found can help you pinpoint problems quickly and save time in the long run.

Choosing Effective Tests
Selecting tests that are appropriate for the software application being tested can ensure efficiency as well as accuracy. Selecting tests with a focus on working functionality rather than potential functionality makes it easier to find any anomalies that could affect the user experience.

Automation Strategy
Creating an automation strategy can help streamline your testing process and save time during later phases in development. Automation strategies allow you to focus on areas which require more manual inspection while automating those parts which can be automated, giving you more time to look at what matters most—the user experience.

Automated Tools for Sanity Testing
When it comes to sanity testing, automated tools are a great way to speed up the process and ensure the highest levels of quality assurance. Automated tools can quickly build tests that reduce inefficiencies, providing structured feedback and allowing for better bug detection and prevention.

Automated tools for sanity testing can be used for the following:

Script Writing: Create scripts that build tests, which provide clarity on how potential bugs will be dealt with and help with bug detection.
Script Executions: Execute scripts that are written with automated tools to quickly detect any potential issues or inconsistencies in the software or system being tested.
Regression Testing: Automatically check for changes in system behavior after a change occurs by running comparative tests before and after the change is made in order to detect any unexpected issues or regressions.
Report Generating: Generate reports that help identify which bugs were found and provide information about where those bugs originated from so they can be addressed properly and efficiently.
The use of automated tools makes it easier to monitor system performance and detect any bugs, allowing you to create an effective Quality Assurance process for your software products and applications.

Conclusion
In conclusion, sanity testing is an essential part of any quality assurance process. Doing regular sanity testing can save teams valuable time and money, by helping to identify bugs and issues early on. There are a variety of sanity testing techniques that can be used, depending on the specific application and the team's preferences.

Sanity testing is not a substitute for more thorough testing, but it can be used to quickly identify obvious issues without having to go through the entire test suite. It's a lightweight approach to software testing that can provide valuable insights into the overall quality of the system.

Have you ever been in a situation where the software you're working on — or worse, the software your company is depending on — suddenly stops working as expected? Simple tasks suddenly takes forever, strange errors occur that no one can explain, and the whole team is at a loss on how to fix it.

No matter how experienced your engineering team is, this type of situation can happen. In fact, it's almost inevitable when it comes to software development. But there is one basic step that you can take to prevent this from happening: Sanity Testing.

Sanity testing is a QA practice that screens for bugs and other problems with your software, before releasing a new version or introducing a new feature. In this article, we'll walk you through the top 10 QA tests that ensure software sanity — from expected functionality tests to UI validations — so that you can be confident your product won't suffer from unexpected issues and surprises.

What Is Sanity Testing?
Sanity testing is an important QA process that checks the basic functionalities of software applications to ensure they haven't regressed. This type of testing helps you quickly identify whether any recent changes have caused a problem and allows you to take corrective measures before it causes too much damage.

So, what exactly does sanity testing involve? Essentially, it's a brief check of the product's critical functions to make sure it meets expectations. Here are the top 10 QA tests for software sanity:

Functional Testing: Functional testing validates that all functions are behaving as expected. This includes both positive (e.g., given valid input) and negative (e.g., given invalid input) tests.
UI Testing: UI testing looks at the accuracy of the Graphical User Interface (GUI) elements such as textboxes, menus, etc., as well as the overall look and feel of the application.
Performance Testing: Performance testing is used to ensure that an application performs optimally under various usage scenarios. This includes measuring response time, memory usage and CPU utilization during peak workloads, among other measurements.
Security Testing: Security testing checks if an application is vulnerable to common security threats such as brute-force attacks, phishing scams or data leakage, among others.
Usability Testing: Usability testing is used to assess how intuitively users can interact with an application or website and determine whether or not users can find what they need quickly and easily.
Why Is Sanity Testing Important for Quality Assurance?
Sanity testing is important to make sure that software applications can be used with minimal issues and errors. Without Sanity testing, it would be difficult for a development or quality assurance team to ensure that their software is functioning properly after any changes have been made.

This type of test gives the team a quick overview of the codebase and its current state. It's designed to provide feedback on small and basic tasks so that any severe problems or bugs can be identified quickly.

The goal of sanity testing is to detect large problems before they become more difficult and costly to fix later in the process – sometimes even before they are reported by end-users. By having an early warning system in place, developers and testers can prevent bigger issues from arising in the first place.

By using sanity tests as one of your top 10 QA tests, you will gain peace of mind knowing that your software application is functioning properly. This means that your software development process will move much faster without compromising on quality, which is critical for success in the industry today.

When Should You Perform Sanity Testing?
Are you wondering when you should perform sanity testing in your software? Good question! In general, it's best to perform sanity testing as part of the initial stages of development and QA process. This is because the tests can be completed quickly and don't have to be incredibly detailed, since there is usually not much debugging required.

Sanity tests can also be performed after making changes to the code, such as after introducing new features or bug fixes. This will help verify that the change hasn't broken any existing functionality or caused any unexpected issues. Additionally, it's a good idea to include sanity tests in your regular regression suite in order to ensure that all new updates are stable and working properly.

Sanity Test Cases to Consider
Sanity testing is a crucial element in the software development cycle, and there are 10 specific test cases to consider when it comes to sanity testing.

Analyzing Data Flow
This test case focuses on how data is flowing through the application. It's important to make sure that data is transferred correctly and isn’t getting lost in the process.

Performing Demo Tests
When you demo your product, make sure the demo performs as expected. For example, verify that all modules are working correctly and all features are functioning properly. This will help ensure a positive user experience from day one.

Testing Basic Calculations
Testing basic calculations like adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing numbers is essential for sanity testing since these operations form the basis for most of our applications. To ensure accuracy, run tests against known values of correct answers.

Logging The Results
As with any QA test, logging test results is an important step in the overall process of sanity testing. Keeping track of which tests have been successful or have failed allows developers and testers to identify potential issues early on in the development cycle and address them as needed.

Best Practices for Effective Sanity Testing
It's easy to misinterpret the purpose of Software Sanity Testing, but when done correctly, it's a hugely important and effective step in quality assurance. To make sure you're getting the most out of your sanity tests, here are some best practices to keep in mind.

Checklist
When doing sanity tests, you want to make sure that every test you are running is thoroughly documented. This means having a checklist that covers everything from the source code to all aspects of the product and its performance, including any new features or bug fixes. A checklist can help identify any problems quickly and efficiently, saving time and money in the long run.

Automation
Manual testing can be cumbersome and time-consuming. By automating sanity tests, you can streamline your workflow and ensure more consistent results. Automation also lets you run complex tests more quickly and with more accuracy than if done through manual checks. This allows for more thorough testing without having to sacrifice speed or accuracy.

Check for Common Issues
Make sure that common issues such as compatibility issues, browser compatibility issues or performance issues are all addressed in the tests being performed. These types of problems can be difficult to identify through manual testing alone, so it's important to check for them during the automated tests as well. This will ensure that any potential problems can be identified at an early stage and rectified before they become bigger issues down the line.

Sanity testing doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming—by following the best practices above, you can make sure your software is up to date on all fronts without having to spend too much time on it!

Automated Tools for Sanity Testing
Believe it or not, you can actually automate sanity testing, which can save your team time and money. How? Automated tools for sanity testing allow for tests to be run again and again in a short period of time—from basic smoke tests to more complicated business scenarios.

Using automated testing tools is the most efficient way to go because they:

Can be set up quickly with minimal coding requirements

Allow teams to test their interface quickly

Enable developers to validate the application’s stability within moments of any changes made.

Automatically detect new issues so they can be resolved quickly.

With automated tools, you also get other features like:

Easy integration with CI/CD pipelines and existing automation frameworks

Utilization of reusable components across multiple projects

Accurate reporting that helps with performance optimization.

At the end of the day, automated tools for sanity testing help minimize testing time and increase productivity—making sanity tests even more reliable and cost effective!

Conclusion
In summary, sanity testing is an essential part of the software quality assurance process that helps ensure that important functionality and features are working as expected. It is also cost-effective and quick, which makes it a great choice for any organization that wants to ensure high-quality software.

By putting the top 10 QA tests for sanity testing into action, you can help ensure that your software is of the highest quality. Sanity testing is a great way to ensure that any software you develop is functioning as expected, and is a key step in developing a successful software product.