Unit testing handling of degraded network stack, file corruption, and other imperfections

Question

I\'m primarily a C++ coder, and thus far, have managed without really writing tests for all of my code. I\'ve decided this is a Bad Idea(tm), after adding new features that subt

Answer 1

Although not a complete answer to the massive dilema you face, you can reduce the amount of tests by using a technique called Equivalence Partitioning.

In my organization, we perform many levels of coverage, regression, positive, negative, scenario based, UI in automated and manual tests, all starting from a 'clean environment', but even that isn't perfect.

As for one of the cases you mention, where a programmer comes in and changes some sensitive detection code and no one notices, we would have had a snapshot of data that is 'behaviourally dodgy', which fails consistently with a specific test to test the detection routine - and we would run all tests regularly (and not just at the last minute).