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| 2. |
- Afzal, Wasif, et al.
(författare)
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A systematic review of search-based testing for non-functional system properties
- 2009
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Ingår i: Information and Software Technology. - : Butterworth-Heinemann Newton, MA, USA. - 0950-5849 .- 1873-6025. ; 51:6, s. 957-976
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Search-based software testing is the application of metaheuristic search techniques to generate software tests. The test adequacy criterion is transformed into a fitness function and a set of solutions in the search space are evaluated with respect to the fitness function using a metaheuristic search technique. The application of metaheuristic search techniques for testing is promising due to the fact that exhaustive testing is infeasible considering the size and complexity of software under test. Search-based software testing has been applied across the spectrum of test case design methods; this includes white-box (structural), black-box (functional) and grey-box (combination of structural and functional) testing. In addition, metaheuristic search techniques have also been applied to test non-functional properties. The overall objective of undertaking this systematic review is to examine existing work into non-functional search-based software testing (NFSBST). We are interested in types of non-functional testing targeted using metaheuristic search techniques, different fitness functions used in different types of search-based non-functional testing and challenges in the application of these techniques. The systematic review is based on a comprehensive set of 35 articles obtained after a multi-stage selection process and have been published in the time span 1996-2007. The results of the review show that metaheuristic search techniques have been applied for non-functional testing of execution time, quality of service, security, usability and safety. A variety of metaheuristic search techniques are found to be applicable for non-functional testing including simulated annealing, tabu search, genetic algorithms, ant colony methods, grammatical evolution, genetic programming (and its variants including linear genetic programming) and swarm intelligence methods. The review reports on different fitness functions used to guide the search for each of the categories of execution time, safety, usability, quality of service and security; along with a discussion of possible challenges in the application of metaheuristic search techniques.
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| 3. |
- Ahmed, Bestoun S., 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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Handling constraints in combinatorial interaction testing in the presence of multi objective particle swarm and multithreading
- 2017
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Ingår i: Information and Software Technology. - : Elsevier. - 0950-5849 .- 1873-6025. ; 86, s. 20-36
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context: Combinatorial testing strategies have lately received a lot of attention as a result of their diverse applications. In its simple form, a combinatorial strategy can reduce several input parameters (configurations) of a system into a small set based on their interaction (or combination). In practice, the input configurations of software systems are subjected to constraints, especially in case of highly configurable systems. To implement this feature within a strategy, many difficulties arise for construction. While there are many combinatorial interaction testing strategies nowadays, few of them support constraints. Objective: This paper presents a new strategy, to construct combinatorial interaction test suites in the presence of constraints. Method: The design and algorithms are provided in detail. To overcome the multi-judgement criteria for an optimal solution, the multi-objective particle swarm optimisation and multithreading are used. The strategy and its associated algorithms are evaluated extensively using different benchmarks and comparisons. Results: Our results are promising as the evaluation results showed the efficiency and performance of each algorithm in the strategy. The benchmarking results also showed that the strategy can generate constrained test suites efficiently as compared to state-of-the-art strategies. Conclusion: The proposed strategy can form a new way for constructing of constrained combinatorial interaction test suites. The strategy can form a new and effective base for future implementations. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 4. |
- Al Khatib, Sultan M., et al.
(författare)
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Selection of human evaluators for design smell detection using dragonfly optimization algorithm : An empirical study
- 2023
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Ingår i: Information and Software Technology. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 0950-5849 .- 1873-6025. ; 155
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context: Design smell detection is considered an efficient activity that decreases maintainability expenses and improves software quality. Human context plays an essential role in this domain.Objective: In this paper, we propose a search-based approach to optimize the selection of human evaluators for design smell detection.Method: For this purpose, Dragonfly Algorithm (DA) is employed to identify the optimal or near-optimal human evaluator's profiles. An online survey is designed and asks the evaluators to evaluate a sample of classes for the presence of god class design smell. The Kappa-Fleiss test has been used to validate the proposed approach. Results: The results show that the dragonfly optimization algorithm can be utilized effectively to decrease the efforts (time, cost ) of design smell detection concerning the identification of the number and the optimal or near-optimal profile of human experts required for the evaluation process.Conclusions: A Search-based approach can be effectively used for improving a god-class design smell detection. Consequently, this leads to minimizing the maintenance cost.
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| 5. |
- Alahyari, Hiva, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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An exploratory study of waste in software development organizations using agile or lean approaches : A multiple case study at 14 organizations
- 2019
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Ingår i: Information and Software Technology. - : Elsevier B.V.. - 0950-5849 .- 1873-6025. ; 107, s. 78-94
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context: The principal focus of lean is the identification and elimination of waste from the process with respect to maximizing customer value. Similarly, the purpose of agile is to maximize customer value and minimize unnecessary work and time delays. In both cases the concept of waste is important. Through an empirical study, we explore how waste is approached in agile software development organizations. Objective: This paper explores the concept of waste in agile/lean software development organizations and how it is defined, used, prioritized, reduced, or eliminated in practice Method: The data were collected using semi-structured open-interviews. 23 practitioners from 14 embedded software development organizations were interviewed representing two core roles in each organization. Results: Various wastes, categorized in 10 different categories, were identified by the respondents. From the mentioned wastes, not all were necessarily waste per se but could be symptoms caused by wastes. From the seven wastes of lean, Task-switching was ranked as the most important, and Extra-features, as the least important wastes according to the respondents’ opinion. However, most companies do not have their own or use an established definition of waste, more importantly, very few actively identify or try to eliminate waste in their organizations beyond local initiatives on project level. Conclusion: In order to identify, recognize and eliminate waste, a common understanding, and a joint and holistic view of the concept is needed. It is also important to optimize the whole organization and the whole product, as waste on one level can be important on another, thus sub-optimization should be avoided. Furthermore, to achieve a sustainable and effective waste handling, both the short-term and the long-term perspectives need to be considered. © 2018 Elsevier B.V.
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| 6. |
- Alégroth, Emil, 1984, et al.
(författare)
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Maintenance of automated test suites in industry: An empirical study on Visual GUI Testing
- 2016
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Ingår i: Information and Software Technology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0950-5849 .- 1873-6025. ; 73, s. 66-80
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context: Verification and validation (V&V) activities make up 20-50% of the total development costs of a software system in practice. Test automation is proposed to lower these V&V costs but available research only provides limited empirical data from industrial practice about the maintenance costs of automated tests and what factors affect these costs. In particular, these costs and factors are unknown for automated GUI-based testing. Objective: This paper addresses this lack of knowledge through analysis of the costs and factors associated with the maintenance of automated GUI-based tests in industrial practice. Method: An empirical study at two companies, Siemens and Saab, is reported where interviews about, and empirical work with, Visual GUI Testing is performed to acquire data about the technique's maintenance costs and feasibility. Results: 13 factors are observed that affect maintenance, e.g. tester knowledge/experience and test case complexity. Further, statistical analysis shows that developing new test scripts is costlier than maintenance but also that frequent maintenance is less costly than infrequent, big bang maintenance. In addition a cost model, based on previous work, is presented that estimates the time to positive return on investment (ROI) of test automation compared to manual testing. Conclusions: It is concluded that test automation can lower overall software development costs of a project while also having positive effects on software quality. However, maintenance costs can still be considerable and the less time a company currently spends on manual testing, the more time is required before positive, economic, ROI is reached after automation.
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| 7. |
- Ali, Nauman bin, et al.
(författare)
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A critical appraisal tool for systematic literature reviews in software engineering
- 2019
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Ingår i: Information and Software Technology. - : Elsevier B.V.. - 0950-5849 .- 1873-6025. ; 112, s. 48-50
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context: Methodological research on systematic literature reviews (SLRs)in Software Engineering (SE)has so far focused on developing and evaluating guidelines for conducting systematic reviews. However, the support for quality assessment of completed SLRs has not received the same level of attention. Objective: To raise awareness of the need for a critical appraisal tool (CAT)for assessing the quality of SLRs in SE. To initiate a community-based effort towards the development of such a tool. Method: We reviewed the literature on the quality assessment of SLRs to identify the frequently used CATs in SE and other fields. Results: We identified that the CATs currently used is SE were borrowed from medicine, but have not kept pace with substantial advancements in the field of medicine. Conclusion: In this paper, we have argued the need for a CAT for quality appraisal of SLRs in SE. We have also identified a tool that has the potential for application in SE. Furthermore, we have presented our approach for adapting this state-of-the-art CAT for assessing SLRs in SE. © 2019 The Authors
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| 8. |
- Ali, Nauman bin, et al.
(författare)
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Reliability of search in systematic reviews : Towards a quality assessment framework for the automated-search strategy
- 2018
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Ingår i: Information and Software Technology. - : Elsevier. - 0950-5849 .- 1873-6025. ; 99, s. 133-147
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context: The trust in systematic literature reviews (SLRs) to provide credible recommendations is critical for establishing evidence-based software engineering (EBSE) practice. The reliability of SLR as a method is not a given and largely depends on the rigor of the attempt to identify, appraise and aggregate evidence. Previous research, by comparing SLRs on the same topic, has identified search as one of the reasons for discrepancies in the included primary studies. This affects the reliability of an SLR, as the papers identified and included in it are likely to influence its conclusions. Objective: We aim to propose a comprehensive evaluation checklist to assess the reliability of an automated-search strategy used in an SLR. Method: Using a literature review, we identified guidelines for designing and reporting automated-search as a primary search strategy. Using the aggregated design, reporting and evaluation guidelines, we formulated a comprehensive evaluation checklist. The value of this checklist was demonstrated by assessing the reliability of search in 27 recent SLRs. Results: Using the proposed evaluation checklist, several additional issues (not captured by the current evaluation checklist) related to the reliability of search in recent SLRs were identified. These issues severely limit the coverage of literature by the search and also the possibility to replicate it. Conclusion: Instead of solely relying on expensive replications to assess the reliability of SLRs, this work provides means to objectively assess the likely reliability of a search-strategy used in an SLR. It highlights the often-assumed aspect of repeatability of search when using automated-search. Furthermore, by explicitly considering repeatability and consistency as sub-characteristics of a reliable search, it provides a more comprehensive evaluation checklist than the ones currently used in EBSE. © 2018 Elsevier B.V.
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| 9. |
- Alkharabsheh, Khalid, et al.
(författare)
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A comparison of machine learning algorithms on design smell detection using balanced and imbalanced dataset : A study of God class
- 2022
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Ingår i: Information and Software Technology. - : Elsevier B.V.. - 0950-5849 .- 1873-6025. ; 143
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context: Design smell detection has proven to be a significant activity that has an aim of not only enhancing the software quality but also increasing its life cycle. Objective: This work investigates whether machine learning approaches can effectively be leveraged for software design smell detection. Additionally, this paper provides a comparatively study, focused on using balanced datasets, where it checks if avoiding dataset balancing can be of any influence on the accuracy and behavior during design smell detection. Method: A set of experiments have been conducted-using 28 Machine Learning classifiers aimed at detecting God classes. This experiment was conducted using a dataset formed from 12,587 classes of 24 software systems, in which 1,958 classes were manually validated. Results: Ultimately, most classifiers obtained high performances,-with Cat Boost showing a higher performance. Also, it is evident from the experiments conducted that data balancing does not have any significant influence on the accuracy of detection. This reinforces the application of machine learning in real scenarios where the data is usually imbalanced by the inherent nature of design smells. Conclusions: Machine learning approaches can effectively be used as a leverage for God class detection. While in this paper we have employed SMOTE technique for data balancing, it is worth noting that there exist other methods of data balancing and with other design smells. Furthermore, it is also important to note that application of those other methods may improve the results, in our experiments SMOTE did not improve God class detection. The results are not fully generalizable because only one design smell is studied with projects developed in a single programming language, and only one balancing technique is used to compare with the imbalanced case. But these results are promising for the application in real design smells detection scenarios as mentioned above and the focus on other measures, such as Kappa, ROC, and MCC, have been used in the assessment of the classifier behavior. © 2021 The Authors
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| 10. |
- Andersson, Henric, et al.
(författare)
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Experience from Model and Software Reuse in Aircraft Simulator Product Line Engineering
- 2013
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Ingår i: Information and Software Technology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0950-5849 .- 1873-6025. ; 55:3, s. 595-606
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context: "Reuse" and "Model Based Development" are two prominent trends for improving industrial development efficiency. Product lines are used to reduce the time to create product variants by reusing components. The model based approach provides the opportunity to enhance knowledge capture for a system in the early stages in order to be reused throughout its lifecycle. This paper describes how these two trends are combined to support development and support of a simulator product line for the SAAB 39 Gripen fighter aircraft.Objective: The work aims at improving the support (in terms of efficiency and quality) when creating simulation model configurations. The objective is to increase the level of reuse when combining and customizing models for usage in a range of development and training simulators.Method: The research has been conducted with an interactive approach using prototyping and demonstrations, and the evaluation is based on an iterative and a retrospective method.Results: A product line of simulator models for the SAAB 39 Gripen aircraft has been analyzed and defined in a Product Variant Master. A configurator system has been implemented for creation, integration, and customization of stringent simulator model configurations. The system is currently under incorporation in the standard development process at SAAB Aeronautics.Conclusion: The explicit and visual description of products and their variability through a configurator system enables better insights and a common understanding so that collaboration on possible product configurations improves and the potential of software reuse increases. The combination of application fields imposes constraints on how traditional tools and methods may be utilized. Solutions for Design Automation and Knowledge Based Engineering are available, but their application has limitations for Software Product Line engineering and the reuse of simulation models.
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