Sanity Testing: A Real-World Example for Testers

Sanity testing is a type of software testing performed after receiving a software build to ensure that the critical functionalities or bug fixes are working as intended. It acts as a checkpoint to determine whether the build is stable enough for further detailed testing. Sanity testing is usually narrow and focused, covering only specific functionalities or areas impacted by recent changes.

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Key Characteristics:

1. Performed After Bug Fixes or Minor Changes: Ensures that the new code or fixes didn’t break existing functionality.
2. Narrow and Focused: Only specific areas or modules are tested.

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Real-Time Example:

Scenario:

Imagine you're working on a web-based e-commerce application, and a critical issue was reported in the checkout functionality: customers couldn't apply a discount code to their orders.

Steps:

1. Bug Fix: The development team fixes the discount code issue and deploys a new build for testing.

2. Sanity Testing:

   • As a tester, you focus only on the checkout page and the discount code functionality.
   • You verify:
     • If the discount code field accepts valid codes.
     • If an invalid code displays the correct error message.
     • If the discount is correctly applied to the total amount.

3. Result:

   • If all tests pass, you confirm that the build is stable and ready for more extensive testing (regression testing, system testing, etc.).
   • If any test fails, you send the build back to the developers for further fixes.

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Example in Practice:

You don’t test unrelated features like the user profile page or search functionality during sanity testing because the issue and fix were specific to the checkout module.