Assessing The Relationship Between Size-complexity And Number Of Defects Of Software In Module Level [avaliando A Relação Entre Tamanho-complexidade E Número De Defeitos De Software Em Nível De Módulo]

A challenge in software testing research area is presented by the question: how do we reduce time and effort to test software without reducing the effectiveness? In this paper, we present the results of an experiment with a program that contains real defects. The data collection have been performed in module-level, rather than statement-level, such as what was done in a previous work. Our primary hypothesis is that the fault-revealing rate is greater when larger or more complex modules are tested first. We demonstrate that testing modules ordered by size or complexity metrics reduce the number of modules to be tested in 6,2% to 17,7%. A secondary hypothesis was formulated: A larger or more complex module has higher probability of containing a defect than smaller or less complex module. We observed that the probability of a module containing a defect is 43,8% to 78,7% greater in modules with size or complexity above the average. Our empirical results support both hypothesis and are an important reference to new experiments and studies that intend to develop new techniques and strategies to reduce the cost of software testing.333340Akiyama, F., An example of software system debugging (1971) Proceedings of the 5th International Federation of Information Processing Congress, pp. 353-358. , agosto deCancellieri, A., Giorgi, A., Array preprocessor user manual (1994) Relatório Técnico IDS-RT94/052Compton, T., Withrow, C., Prediction and control of Ada software defects (1990) Jornal of Systems and Software, 12 (3), pp. 199-207. , julho deDelamaro, M., Maldonado, J.C., Jino, M., Chaim, M., Proteum: A testing tool based on mutation analysis (1993) 7th Brazilian Symposium on Software Engineering, , outubroDeMillo, R.A., Lipton, R.J., Sayward, F.G., Hints on test data selection: Help for the practicing programmer (1978) IEEE Computer, 11 (4), pp. 34-41. , abril deDijkstra, E.W., Notes on structured programming (1972) Structured Programming, , O. J. Dahl, E. W. Dijkstra, e C. A. R. Hoare, Academic PressGaffney, J.R., Estimating the number of faults in code (1999) IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 25 (5), pp. 675-689. , setembro/outubro deEllims, M., Bridges, J., Ince, D.C., The economics of unit testing (2006) Empirical Software Engineering, 11 (1), pp. 5-31. , março deHalstead, M.H., Elements of software science, operating and programming systems series (1977) Elsevier ScienceLipow, M., Number of faults per line of code (1982) IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 10 (4), pp. 437-439. , julho/agostoMcCabe, T.J., A complexity measure (1976) IEEE Transactions on Sfotware Engineering, 2 (4), pp. 308-320. , dezembroMoeller, K.H., Paulish, D., An empirical investigation of software fault distribution (1993) Proceedings of 1st International Software Metrics Symposium, pp. 82-90. , maio deMyers, G., (1979) The Art of Software Testing, , WilleyVilela, P.R.S., Lucca, W.L., Corso, A., Jino, M., Comparison of size and complexity metrics as predictors of the number of faults (2004) Anais da IV Jornadas Iberoamericanas en Ingeniería del Software E Ingeniería del Conocimento, 1, pp. 633-644. , Madrid - EspanhaWong, W.E., Horgan, J.R., London, S., Mathur, A., Effect of test set minimization on the fault detection effectiveness of teh all-uses criterion (1994) Relatório Técnico, Purdue UniversityWong, W.E., Horgan, J.R., London, S., Mathur, A., Effect of test set minimization on fault detection effectiveness (1998) Software - Practice and Experience, 28 (4), pp. 347-369. , abril deWong, W.E., Horgan, J.R., Mathur, A.P., Pasquini, A., Test set size minimization and fault detection effectiveness: A case study in a space application (1999) The Journal of Systems and Software, (48), pp. 79-8