Built-in testing in component-based software - a mapping study

Component-based software development (CBSD)has proved to be a highly useful way of developing software using re-usable components, especially within a short time frame. The biggest challenge faced during development (specially testing) of component-based software is that the source-code of components is not available. Due to this, the traditional testing techniques cannot be applied directly while testing the software. Amongst several techniques proposed to bridge this gap, built-in testing has emerged out to be a popular choice. Built-in tests are test-cases/testing functionalities that are added to a component that analyze the component within the software during development and runtime. It is increasingly being used to perform testing during development and maintenance of various kinds of component-based software. This paper aims to identify the state-of-the-art research on built-in testing in component-based software. A mapping study has been performed employing searches in journals, conference proceedings, and electronic databases. A total of 26 studies have been reviewed in order to extract relevant information regarding a previously defined set of research questions. Although only 26 studies have addressed the use of built-in tests in component-based software, this number can be considered significant due to the specific nature of the reviewed topic. The results of the present study have shown the limitations and help to set further guidelines.