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Concept
Regression testing
Summary
Regression testing (rarely, non-regression testing) is re-running functional and non-functional tests to ensure that previously developed and tested software still performs as expected after a change. If not, that would be called a regression.
Changes that may require regression testing include bug fixes, software enhancements, changes, and even substitution of electronic components (hardware). As regression test suites tend to grow with each found defect, test automation is frequently involved. The evident exception is the GUIs regression testing, which normally must be executed manually. Sometimes a change impact analysis is performed to determine an appropriate subset of tests (non-regression analysis).
As software is updated or changed, or reused on a modified target, emergence of new faults and/or re-emergence of old faults is quite common.
Sometimes re-emergence occurs because a fix gets lost through poor revision control practices (or simple human error in revision control). Often, a fix for a problem will be "fragile" in that it fixes the problem in the narrow case where it was first observed but not in more general cases which may arise over the lifetime of the software. Frequently, a fix for a problem in one area inadvertently causes a software bug in another area.
Finally, it may happen that, when some feature is redesigned, some of the same mistakes that were made in the original implementation of the feature are made in the redesign. Therefore, in most software development situations, it is considered good coding practice, when a bug is located and fixed, to record a test that exposes the bug and re-run that test regularly after subsequent changes to the program.
Although this may be done through manual testing procedures using programming techniques, it is often done using automated testing tools. Such a test suite contains software tools that allow the testing environment to execute all the regression test cases automatically; some projects even set up automated systems to re-run all regression tests at specified intervals and report any failures (which could imply a regression or an out-of-date test).
Official source
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