Compatibility is among essential nonfunctional features of software. That is why checking of application compatibility is an integral part of any web site testing, desktop testing or mobile testing.
Compatibility testing is a complex process. It takes a lot of efforts to design an appropriate test procedure for it. Volume of preparatory works for this type of testing activity is caused by variety of devises, software products and their combinations.
A software testing company finds checking of all the possible permutations to be irrational. It would take plenty of time and would be lossmaking for a customer.
To make compatibility testing profitable and efficient one should take a close look at the project and consider certain issues.
When Executing Compatibility Testing It Is Wise To:
1. To Determine the Prevailing Variants of the Environment in Which the Software Product will Be Used.
It is necessary to verify what devices as well as browsers, operational systems, security systems and other possible applications are utilized by the majority of the end-users. It is not feasible to check all the possible combinations. So the most popular combinations should be tested in the first place.
2. To Elaborate Suitable Test Procedure
After determining the widely-used combinations of the applications and hardware it is needed to create the appropriate test-cases. Test procedure should provide sufficient coverage of the important environment combinations.
3. To Select Appropriate Data for the Test Cases
Modern software products are created to perform many difficult tasks and handle large amounts of data. That is why there may be innumerable variants of input data. It is essential to choose the ones similar to those that will be mostly applied by the users.
A software product will fail in production if it appears to be incompatible with widely use devices or applications. That is why a software testing company claims that well planned and performed compatibility testing is of utmost importance.