Why Automated Regression Testing is Crucial for Safety and Mission-Critical Embedded Systems

Suppose you have an error-free application after extensive testing. You then add a feature or change functionality. Did the change introduce any new defects? Regression testing determines just that - if your software "regressed".

VectorCAST/Manage is a critical module in the VectorCAST family of unit and integration testing tools. It is the piece that allows you to rerun your tests to ensure that everything is still executing correctly and that you are achieving the same levels of code coverage as before. 

VectorCAST/Manage allows you to import previously developed VectorCAST/C++ and VectorCAST/Ada test environments into regression test suites, providing a single point-of-control for all unit and integration test activities.

At-a-glance logs, summary reports, and color-coded pass/fail criteria and cumulative code coverage information highlight the status of each test within the regression suite.

In addition, VectorCAST/Cover results can be easily aggregated with VectorCAST/C++ or VectorCAST/Ada unit testing results to show combined coverage results across all testing phases of the software lifecycle. VectorCAST/Manage is also integrated with an internal SQL database so that projects can analyze progress and trends over time.

VectorCAST regression test management features include:

• Centralized management of all VectorCAST testing activities
• Automated testing of multiple baselines and releases
• Enables the continuous integration and test concepts of Test Driven Development
• Allows regression testing of an entire application at regular intervals
• Accurate and immediate aggregated reporting of testing status
• Enables management to make confident build/release decisions
• Provides at-a-glance logs, summary reports, and pass/fail status
• Built-in SQL database for regression trends and Python to extend analysis

Continuous Integration and Test with VectorCAST/Manage

VectorCAST/Manage takes existing VectorCAST/C++ and VectorCAST/Ada environments and imports them into a VectorCAST/Manage project. These individual "test environments" can then be grouped into larger "Test Suites".

Environments can be members of multiple Test Suites. This enables users to structure their VectorCAST/Manage project to match the architecture of their application. Because Test Suites can be easily duplicated, the same tests can be run using various source baselines, on different host platforms, or with different compilers.

VectorCAST/Manage integrates with a variety of Configuration Management tools so that your regression testing is always pulling the most recent version of your code.

In addition, VectorCAST/Manage can indicate which test suites need to be rerun because they are out of date, meaning that the source code being tested in that test suite has been modified since the tests were last executed. This “impact of change” analysis allows developers to easily rerun a subset of tests they know are impacted by a source code change they have made, prior to the full regression test suite being rerun. This further speeds up development and testing activities.

Finally, existing VectorCAST/Cover environments can be easily aggregated with the ongoing regression testing results that VectorCAST/Manage generates from rerunning the VectorCAST/C++ and VectorCAST/Ada unit tests. Multiple VectorCAST/Cover environments can also be aggregated within VectorCAST/Manage to easily show how all testing, across many test runs and many phases of testing, combines to create the code coverage results. And for each file of code, details are provided as to exactly which test runs contributed code coverage to the overall coverage metrics.

VectorCAST/Manage is integrated with an internal SQL database so that projects can analyze progress and trends over time. And VectorCAST/Manage provides a Python interface which allows organizations to create their own reports that include the exact information they are interested in.