Testing SQL Server Integration Services Runtime Engine Using Model and Mock Objects

Software testing is complex and costly. It has become increasingly difficult to assess the quality of software and evaluate its correctness due to the ever increasing complexity of the software implementations as well as their dynamic nature in terms of the requirements changes and functionality updates. It is practically not possible to test a software system for all possible combinations of inputs, interactions between modules and usage environmental conditions. Several approaches have been identified to maximize results of testing with limited investments. Model based testing and using mock objects are promising techniques for carrying out behavioral testing and are rapidly gaining popularity among the software testing community. In this paper, we present our approach in testing SQL server integration services runtime engine using model based test methodology to dynamically generate test cases and mock objects to control and observe the test system behavior.