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Applying black-box testing to UML/OCL database models

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Abstract

Most Unified Modeling Language (UML) computer-aided software engineering tools have been insufficient in the development process because they provide little support for conceptual model testing. Model testing aims to ensure the correctness of a UML/OCL class diagram, or, in other words, that a given class diagram can perfectly meet the user’s requirements. This study proposes the validation of class diagrams with black-box testing, a technique used to test software without focusing on the software’s implementation or structure. An approach is proposed for the automatic transformation of the constraints of a UML/OCL class diagram into test cases. Following the creation of the test cases, they are executed with JUnit and the results produced are shown to the tester. To demonstrate the applicability of this approach, an effectiveness evaluation and an efficiency evaluation are performed here. Evaluation studies show that all faults included in a class diagram have been detected within an efficient time.

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Acknowledgments

We sincerely thank the anonymous referees for their valuable suggestions, which have improved the paper. This work has been partially supported by the project Thuban: Natural Interaction Platform for Virtual Attending in Real Environments (TIN2008-02711).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Computer Science Department, Carlos III University of Madrid, Av. Universidad 30, 28911, Leganés, Madrid, Spain

    Harith Aljumaily, Dolores Cuadra & Paloma Martínez

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  1. Harith Aljumaily
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  2. Dolores Cuadra
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  3. Paloma Martínez
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Correspondence to Harith Aljumaily.

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Aljumaily, H., Cuadra, D. & Martínez, P. Applying black-box testing to UML/OCL database models. Software Qual J 22, 153–184 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11219-012-9192-9

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