Efficient Software Verification: Statistical Testing Using Automated Search

TY - JOUR

T1 - Efficient Software Verification

T2 - Statistical Testing Using Automated Search

AU - Poulding, Simon

AU - Clark, John A.

N1 - Query date: 14/01/2011

PY - 2010/11/1

Y1 - 2010/11/1

N2 - Statistical testing has been shown to be more efficient at detecting faults in software than other methods of dynamic testing such as random and structural testing. Test data are generated by sampling from a probability distribution chosen so that each element of the software's structure is exercised with a high probability. However, deriving a suitable distribution is difficult for all but the simplest of programs. This paper demonstrates that automated search is a practical method of finding near-optimal probability distributions for real-world programs, and that test sets generated from these distributions continue to show superior efficiency in detecting faults in the software.

AB - Statistical testing has been shown to be more efficient at detecting faults in software than other methods of dynamic testing such as random and structural testing. Test data are generated by sampling from a probability distribution chosen so that each element of the software's structure is exercised with a high probability. However, deriving a suitable distribution is difficult for all but the simplest of programs. This paper demonstrates that automated search is a practical method of finding near-optimal probability distributions for real-world programs, and that test sets generated from these distributions continue to show superior efficiency in detecting faults in the software.

KW - automated search

KW - dynamic testing

KW - near-optimal probability distribution

KW - random testing

KW - software fault detection

KW - software verification

KW - statistical testing

KW - structural testing

KW - test data

KW - program testing

KW - program verification

KW - statistical distributions

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=78649786792&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1109/TSE.2010.24

DO - 10.1109/TSE.2010.24

M3 - Article

SN - 0098-5589

VL - 36

SP - 763

EP - 777

JO - IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering

JF - IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering

IS - 6

M1 - 5406530

ER -