A Practitioner's Guide to Software Test Design Illustrated Edition

This information in this book is simply presented and very easy to apply.I think the price is a bit high compared to a related book (Systematic Software Testing by Rick D Craig and Stefan P Jaskeil). I managed to get the other book (536 pages) for about $40.00. While the other book represents much better value, I still bought this one and would do it again. If you can only buy one, I'd suggest getting Systematic Software Testing.

The book was published in 2004 and 10 years later the concepts still apply! The chapters on equivalence class, boundary value, domain analysis testing cannot be really applied to real software testing but the concepts can be combined with pairwise testing to construct good test cases.I think that the gems of this book are pairwise testing and state-transition testing, combining these methods with tools for code coverage and static analysis leads to a systematic way of testing.As a college student, I always find it odd how schools do not place more emphasis on the importance of testing and its techniques. This book does well in introducing more advanced techniques and methodologies. I encourage all developers to get this book.

Good material for QA to learn, understand and practice tests design.

An excellent resource for anyone getting into software testing or in need of expanding their knowledge. This book has clear definitions and examples of test techniques and is supported with practical tests to try out your new found knowledge.

Very useful book, opened my eyes on testing. Thanks to everybody, who participated in creating this guide. I recommend it to everybody, who wants to know everything about software test desing

The first 2/3 of the book (chapters 1-11) are great. A superb overview of many testing techniques helpful to a software tester. A superb "tool collection" for a software tester's tool box.The last 1/3 of the book (chapters 12-16), it seems to lose focus a bit. Concepts started being tainted with business paradigms and tedious coverage of items that could have easily just been referenced only.Overall, though, I do love the book and see it as a valuable resource to keep around. :-)

The top two software testing books that I recommend are Systematic Software Testing (ISBN 1580535089), and this gem. Whereas the first book gives a complete process and accompanying practices, this one focuses on a collection of highly effective techniques that every test professional should have in his or her toolbox.Copeland starts off with an overview of testing as a process, followed by case studies. These lay the foundation for the techniques for which a chapter is devoted to each technique. The chapters on the techniques are divided into collections of techniques that are most effective for blackbox (seven) and whitebox (two) testing. The next chapters are devoted to scripted testing with an emphasis on IEEE 829, exploratory testing, and test planning. The book wraps up with an outstanding chapter on software defect taxonomies, advice on when to stop testing, and case studies.So why did I state this book is a page turner? Copeland has masterfully used humor, statements that catch you off guard, and a warm conversational style to hold your attention. Among the priceless gems of humor are the off-the-wall quotes that he uses in front of each chapter. One of many examples of how he holds your attention by catching you off guard is in Chapter 6 on pairwise testing: 'Why does pairwise testing work so well? I don't know', which he then follows up with one of the most cogent explanations of the technique I've had the pleasure of reading. As an aside, his treatment of pairwise testing - and the power of that technique - is reason enough to read this book.Another aspect of this book I like is the thoroughness with which he presents techniques. This includes citing the work of other well known practitioners, using case studies, summaries, practice scenarios, and additional references for each chapter. Copeland also has a talent for clearly articulating and conveying complex topics and concepts, adding to this book's value as both courseware and a working reference.If you are a software testing professional, or you are responsible for teaching this discipline this is one of the top books in my opinion. It is not as wide in scope as Software Testing: A Craftsman's Approach (ISBN: 0849308097), but it makes up for that by covering the essentials in the clearest possible manner.

Copeland's explanations are either extremely vague or extremely complicated and hardly useful. This doesn't cover the basics well. He includes practice exercises that may or may not be explained by the previous chapter. I would not recommended this book to anyone interested in learning about testing.