Software Testing
Decision Table Testing
Tran Duy Hoang
Example: Open Credit Card Discount
• If you want to open a credit card account, then there are three conditions
1. If you are a new customer, you will get a 15% discount on all your
purchases today
2. If you are an existing customer and you hold a loyalty card, you get a
10% discount
3. If you have a coupon, you can get 20% off today (but it can not be used
with the new customer discount).
• Discount amounts are added, if applicable.
è Different input combinations?
è Need how many Test Cases?
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Decision Table Testing
• A software testing technique based on Decision Table, a tabular representation
of inputs versus rules/cases/test conditions.
• Helps to test different combinations of conditions and provide better test
coverage for complex business logic
• Disadvantage: when the number of input increases the table will become more
complex Combinations
Causes Values 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Cause 1 Y, N Y Y Y Y N N N N
Cause 2 Y, N Y Y N N Y Y N N
Cause 3 Y, N Y NY N Y N Y N
Effects
Effect 1 X X X
Effect 2 X X X
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Decision Table Testing
• 4 steps
1. Identify Causes and Effects
2. Create Decision Table
3. Reduce Decision Table
4. Transform each column in Decision table into a Test Case
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1. Identify Causes & Effects
• Causes
• C1: you are a new customer
• C2: you are an existing customer, and you hold a loyalty card
• C3: you have a coupon
• Effects
• E1: 15% discount
• E2: 10% discount
• E3: 20% discount
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2. Create Decision Table
Cause 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
C1 (new) T T T T F F F F
C2 (loyalty) T T F F T T F F
C3 (coupon) T F T F T F T F
Effect
E1 (15%) X X
E2 (10%) X X
E3 (20%) X X
E4 X X
(impossible)
Discount - - 15% 15% 30% 10% 20% 0%
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3. Reduced Decision Table
Cause 3 5 6 7 8
C1 (new) T F F F F
C2 (VIP) F T T F F
C3 (coupon) _ T F T F
Effect
E1 (15%) X
E2 (10%) X X
E3 (20%) X X
Discount 15% 30% 10% 20% 0%
Each column in Decision Table is a Test Case
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4. Generate Test Cases
#TC Input Expected
Output
New VIP Coupon Discount
TC1 Y N Y 15%
TC2 N Y Y 30%
TC3 N Y N 10%
TC4 N N Y 20%
TC5 N N N 0%
Each column in Decision Table is a Test Case
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Next Date Problem
• M1= {month | month has 30 days}
• M2= {month | month has 31 days}
• M3= {month | month is December}
• M4= {month | month is February}
• D1= {day | 1 ≤ day ≤ 27}
• D2= {day | day = 28}
• D3= {day | day = 29}
• D4= {day | day = 30}
• D5= {day | day=31}
• Y1= {year | year is a leap year}
• Y2= {year | year is a common year}
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Decision Table
Cause 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
C1: month in M1 M1 M1 M1 M1 M2 M2 M2 M2 M2
C2: day in D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D1 D2 D3 D4 D5
C3: year in - - - - - - - - - -
Effect
E1: Impossible X
E2: Increment day X X X X X X X
E3: Reset day X X
E4: Increment month X X
E5: reset month
E6: Increment year
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Decision Table (tt)
Cause 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
C1: month in M3 M3 M3 M3 M3 M4 M4 M4 M4 M4 M4 M4
C2: day in D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D1 D2 D2 D3 D3 D4 D5
C3: year in - - - - - - Y1 Y2 Y1 Y2 - -
Effect
E1: Impossible X X X
E2: Increment day X X X X X X
E3: Reset day X X X
E4: Increment month X X
E5: reset month X
E6: Increment year X
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Test Cases
#TC Input Expected
Output
Day Month Year Next Date
TC1 2 4 2013 4/3/2013
TC2 28 4 2013 4/29/2013
TC3 29 4 2013 4/30/213
TC4 30 4 2013 5/1/2013
TC5 31 2 2013 Error
TC6 2 5 2013 5/3/2013
TC7 28 5 2013 5/29/2013
TC8 29 5 2013 5/30/2013
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Test Cases (tt)
#TC Input Expected
Output
Day Month Year Next Date
TC9 30 5 2013 5/31/2013
TC10 31 5 2013 6/1/2013
TC11 2 12 2013 12/3/2013
TC12 28 12 2013 12/29/2013
TC13 29 12 2013 12/30/213
TC14 30 12 2013 12/31/2013
TC15 31 12 2013 1/1/2014
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Test Cases (tt)
#TC Input Expected
Output
Day Month Year Next Date
TC16 2 2 2013 2/3/2013
TC17 28 2 2000 2/29/2000
TC18 28 2 2013 3/1/2013
TC19 29 2 2000 3/1/2000
TC20 29 2 2013 Error
TC21 30 2 2013 Error
TC22 31 2 2013 Error
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