Integration Testing: A Brief Guide
Tags: integration, testing
Published: 2023-08-23 10:56:29

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In this fast-paced world, organizations hardly operate on a single software as they need different software to execute or carry out different business operations. An average company uses 40 different software for their various needs. For instance, an organization uses Workday for human resource management, Salesforce for CRM, SAP for finance, etc. However, it is crucial to ensure seamless communication among all the applications enterprises use to streamline their operation smoothly.

Integration testing comes into the picture to ensure seamless communication among different applications. In this blog, we will explore integration testing and how it differs from unit and system testing.

**What Is Integration Testing**?

Integration testing is a type of software testing also known as the second level of software testing. In this process, all the modules are integrated and tested in a combined group. Simply put, it refers to testing the interface of different applications or modules. This is done to detect any bugs in the software modules after integration is completed. Integration testing is performed when unit testing is completed on each module.

This testing technique focuses on identifying the bugs when various modules are integrated. So, they can be fixed in the early development phase and reduce the potential threat. Testers can perform integration testing module by module so a proper sequence can be followed, and they don’t miss out on any integration. Opkey is a codeless tool that facilitates integration testing without any extra effort.

**Difference Between Integration Testing and Unit Testing**

Integration and Unit testing are part of the software testing process. Both testing types are crucial for better functionality of the software. However, unit testing is performed first, where individual software components are tested. It is performed by the developers during the development cycle as testing each software component becomes easy. Unit testing follows the white box technique, meaning the software’s internal structure will be examined. One must have knowledge of code, data structure, and algorithms to perform unit testing. As each module is tested in unit testing, detection of the code is easy and less expensive. Maintenance of unit testing is less expensive compared to integration testing. With Opkey, testing has become effortless and cost-effective.

Integration testing is performed after combining all the components or modules of the software. It ensures that interfaces between two software units or modules work smoothly. It follows the black box techniques, which means there is no need to know about the internal design of the software. Compared to unit testing, performing integration testing is costly as detecting errors is difficult. One can’t perform the integration testing until all the modules are completely tested and integrated.

**How Integration Testing and System Testing Is Different**

Integration and System testing plays a crucial role in improving the life cycle of software. System testing is the final step of software testing, ensuring the function is working as expected. It refers to testing the software at the final stage; when development is done, all the modules are completed, and the product is about to be released. It ensures that software is fulfilling customers’ requirements. It is divided into two types – functional and non-functional. Functional testing runs on the specification of the software instead of the code or syntax, and non-functional testing checks the reliability and performance of the software. It is performed between the development and release of the software.

Integration testing is done before the system testing and can be performed by knowing interlinked modules. It follows only functional testing; on the other hand, system testing follows both functional and non-functional. System testing can only be performed by the testers, but integration testing can be performed by testing and developers. Integration testing finds the errors in the interface and any module, and system testing detects errors in the whole system.


**Simplify Integration Testing With Opkey**!

Integration testing is a critical aspect of the software development process and becomes crucial for businesses to achieve reliability and efficacy among the different modules or components of the software. Moreover, the conduction of integration testing requires comprehensive steps and practices. This is why choosing the right platform becomes all the more critical.

Well, Opkey is a codeless test automation tool that simplifies the integration testing process by leveraging the new age technologies, NLP and AI. Opkey has 30000+ pre-built test cases across 14+ ERPs, allowing it to perform the test in a single click. They ensure all your data is protected with encrypted in-flight data storage and fit your data in the existing infrastructure or on the cloud. Their user interface is also simple, as one can build the test case with their drag-and-drop interface.

To know more about integration testing and its related aspects, visit the website of Opkey and schedule a demo to check the worthiness of this platform!