System Integration Testing

What Does System Integration Testing Mean?

System integration testing (SIT) is a high-level software testing process in which testers verify that all related systems maintain data integrity and can operate in coordination with other systems in the same environment. The testing process ensures that all subcomponents are integrated successfully to provide expected results.

Techopedia Explains System Integration Testing

SIT validates data integrity between the different sub-components that make up a specified system. The SIT process occurs after unit testing and before validation testing. Due to the fact that SIT concentrates on testing the dependencies between sub-components, it is often subjected to regression testing scenarios. Regression testing facilitates the addition of new test cases. From an application perspective, SIT testing focuses on access to actual data passed through the components and initial connectivity.

The main goal of SIT testing is to test the automation of aggregated components and the dependencies that exist between them. In a complex environment, this is a tedious task, as there are a number of components and dependencies. SIT testing ensures that it follows the dependencies available in a sequence, thereby simplifying the task. After system integration is performed, data flow testing takes place through three states, namely the data states within the integration, database and application layers.

Test cases for SIT testing are developed using test design techniques such as:

• Use case testing
• State transition testing
• Load testing
• Usability testing
• Volume testing
• Graph-based testing
• Decision table testing