A UML-Based Approach to System Testing

System testing is concerned with testing an entire system based on its specifications. In the context of object-oriented, UML development, this means that system test requirements are derived from UML analysis artifacts such as use cases, their corresponding sequence and collaboration diagrams, class diagrams, and possibly the use of the Object Constraint Language across all these artifacts. Our goal is to support the derivation of test requirements, which will be transformed into test cases, test oracles, and test drivers once we have detailed design information. Another important issue we address is the one of testability. Testability requirements (or rules) need to be imposed on UML artifacts so as to be able to support system testing efficiently. Those testability requirements result from a trade-off between analysis and design overhead and improved testability. The potential for automation is also an overriding concern all across our work as the ultimate goal is to fully support testing activities with high-capability tools.