What is End-to-End Testing?

End-to-end testing is a Software testing methodology to test an application flow from start to end. The purpose of End to end testing is to simulate the real user scenario and validate the system under test and its components for integration.

Nobody wants to be known for their mistakes and their negligence, and the same is the case with the Testers. When the Testers are assigned an application to test, from that moment, they take the responsibility and the application also acts as a platform to show their practical and technical testing knowledge.

The main reason for carrying out this testing is to determine various dependencies of an application as well as ensure that accurate information is communicated between various system components. It is usually performed after the completion of functional and system testing of any application.

Why Do We Perform E2E Testing?

These major risks can be avoided and can be controlled by E2E testing:

1. Keep a check and perform system flow verification.
2. Increase the test coverage areas of all the subsystems involved with the software system.
3. Detects issues, if any with the subsystems and thus increases the productivity of the whole software system.

Below mentioned are the few activities that are included in the end-to-end process:

1. A thorough study of requirements to perform this testing.
2. Proper setup of test environments.
3. A thorough study of Hardware and Software requirements.
4. Descriptions of all subsystems as well as the main software system involved.
5. Enlist the roles and responsibilities of all the systems and subsystems involved.
6. Testing methods used under this testing as well as standards that are followed, its described.
7. Test cases designing as well as tracing requirement matrix.
8. Record or save the input and output data for each system.

Importance of E2E Testing

Validates both the main Software system as well as all the interconnected Sub-Systems.

1. The main emphasis is on verifying the end-to-end testing process flow.
2. While performing testing, all the interfaces including the backend processes of the software system are taken under consideration.
3. End to End testing is executed /performed after the completion of System testing of any software system.
4. Manual testing is mostly preferred for performing end to End testing as this form of testing involves testing of external interfaces also which can be very difficult to automate at times.

E2E Testing Methods

1. Horizontal Test:

This method is used very commonly. It occurs horizontally across the context of multiple applications. This method can easily occur in a single ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) application. Take an example of a web-based application of an online ordering system. The whole process will include accounts, inventory status of the products as well as shipping details.

2. Vertical Test:

In this method, all the transactions of any application are verified and evaluated right from start to finish. Each individual layer of the application is tested starting from top to bottom. Take an example of a web-based application that Uses HTML codes for reaching web servers. In such cases, API is required to generate SQL codes against the database. All these complex computing scenarios will require proper validation and dedicated testing. Thus this method is much more difficult.

3. ‘White Box testing’ as well as ‘Black Box Testing’ both are associated with this testing. Or in other words, we can say, this is the combination of benefits of both white-box testing and black-box testing. Depending on the type of software being developed, at different levels, both the testing techniques i.e. white box and black box testing are used as and when required. Basically, End to End test performs functional as well as the architectural approach for any software or programs to validate system functions.

The Testers like End to End verification because writing test cases from the user’s perspective and in a real-world scenario can avoid the two common mistakes. i.e. ‘missing a bug’ and ‘writing test cases that do not verify real-world scenarios’. This provides testers, with an immense sense of accomplishment.

Below enlisted are a few guidelines that should be kept in mind while designing the test cases for performing this type of testing:

1. Test cases should be designed from the end user’s perspective.
2. Should focus on testing some existing features of the system.
3. Multiple scenarios should be considered for creating multiple test cases.
4. Different sets of test cases should be created to focus on multiple scenarios of the system.