Database Testing: Concepts, Types and Tools
Tags: database, testing, test
Published: 2022-06-23 07:42:46

_In software testing, database testing helps check the schema, tables, triggers of the database. The database testing finds errors to eliminate them._

The database is an important part of any custom software process. Thus, dedicated development teams have to monitor and create consistency and integrity in line with various applications. In any software development project, database testing is an essential stage that developers cannot overlook. If you want to understand more about database testing in software testing, please contact us for more information. You will have a chance to gain knowledge related to database testing. Let’s explore the database testing procedures further to understand their importance, types, and tools. 

## What is database testing? 

### Introduction to Database Testing 
A database is a prearranged collection of data and helps manipulate the information. Users can easily manage and retrieve a set of databases. We can establish data sources into tables, rows, columns, and indexes, which makes it easier to define the data. Data management has become an easy task since people use the databases as tables for storing data, functions, triggers for manipulating data, and views. Nowadays, the database is more difficult over time owing to massive amounts of data in a software system. 

In software testing, database testing helps analyze the schema, tables, triggers, etc under the test. Besides, this software testing also assesses data integrity and consistency. It might include creating difficult queries to stress test the database and review its responsiveness. Generally, it has a layered process, involving the data access, user interface, business layers, and database layers. 
	

### Objectives of the Database Testing 
- Ensuring data mapping: Database testing checks whether the industries in the user interface or front-end forms are mapped with the corresponding fields. [Software development teams](https://adamosoft.com/dedicated-software-development-team) might consider whether database testing ensures data mapping or not. 
- ACID Properties of transactions: Each transaction that a database performs has to stick to four categories such as atomicity, consistency, durability, and isolation. 
- Data integrity: Software development teams have to ensure data integrity. The updated values of shared data are appearing on all screens. People should not update values on one screen and display the older value on another one. Besides, it is essential to update simultaneously the status of database testing. 
- Business rules accuracy: Sophisticated databases lead to complex components such as relational constraints, triggers, and stored procedures. Thus, software development teams come up with feasible SQL queries to validate the objects. 

### How to implement database testing? 
People are using many database testing tools and techniques for this database testing. They will differ depending on the application, queries, and preferences of the software developers. The fundamental aim of database testing remains the same. Transactions in database testing is a technique. This process helps ensure ACID properties work correctly. 

Moreover, there is schema testing in software testing. This type of database testing ensures that each object in the scheme works as it expects. Software development teams implement database testing through various thorough checks of each object. People test the objects such as databases and devices, names, settings, tables, etc. 

People carry out stress testing and performance testing to ensure that basic database procedures are working properly. Thus, testers create certain queries and run them through various systems to see how the custom software responds. 
No matter what people use procedure and testing methods, testers have a strong grasp of both SQL (Structured Query Language) and DML (Data Manipulation Language). 

### Types of database testing
There are three types of database testing that custom software development services might consider when creating custom apps. They include structural database testing, functional database testing, and nonfunctional database testing. 

### Structural database testing 

This type of database testing is a technique that validates all components inside a database. People use these data elements for storage and end-users cannot directly manipulate sets of data. Moreover, the validation of database servers is an essential part of structural database testing. Successful database testing needs mastery in SQL queries. 

### Functional database testing
 
Functional database testing is a kind of database testing to validate various functionalities of a database from the end-users side. This type of database testing helps test whether users can implement transactions and operations related to the databases or not. Here are some basic conditions being observed for the validations of database testing: 
- Whether the industry is mandatory while accepting NULL values? 
- Whether the length of each industry is a sufficient size? 
- Do similar industries have the same names across tables? 
- Do there any computed aspects showcase in the database?

The type of database testing is a validation of the industry mapping from the end-user perspective. In a specific case, software development teams would implement an operation at the database level. Then, dedicated development teams navigate to the relevant user interface to observe and validate whether the validations have been completed or not. 

### Non-functional database testing 
In the custom software development project, people categorize non-functional testing into different categories by the business requirements. Besides database testing in software testing, these can be loading testing, stress testing, usability testing, and compatibility testing. The loading testing and stress testing can be grouped under the performance testing serving two specific purposes. 

## Why database testing is important
A web application or mobile application cannot be put to feasible use without a completed database. The database is where people store information, and acts as an essential back-end structure of any custom software. [Web applications](https://adamosoft.com/website-development) rely on a completed database to store and create information and respond to various queries.
 
The key point of database testing ensures the values and information stored in the database system. When implementing database testing, testers need to have complete knowledge of various applications. They define all possible queries related to custom software. Software development teams also contribute to this. The database testing will help see if every query works since it should with regards to its specific features. 

Without appropriate database testing, a web application and mobile apps may have hidden errors. When using custom software products, this could mean that data is lost and incorrectly stored. It has a main effect on the whole experience and effectiveness of web applications. 

Database testing helps ease the complication of calls to the backend. This type of software testing also works to ensure whether there is no harmful and incorrect data being stored or not. 

## Database testing examples
 
There are many database testing tools that software development uses for the software testing process. Nevertheless, the basic functionalities remain the same. The software testing process is involving essential steps: 
- Preparing the development environment 
- Running the software 
- Checking results 
- alidating these results 
- Reporting the findings 
For instance, when preparing the development environment, testers and software developers come up with all queries that run through the applications. The software testing involves running these queries and checking the data integrity. It means that the resulting data needs to be truthful, accurate, complete, and verifiable. The software testing includes monitoring data mapping, the differences amongst ACID properties, and business rules accuracy. 

## Database testing tools 
Database testing tools help generate, manage test data and perform database testing such as load testing and regression testing. Here are a few database testing tools: 

Category | Description |Examples 
--- | --- | ---
Load Testing Tools| Database testing tools help put high usage loads on the database. It enables testers to determine whether your system landscape stands up to business needs. | Web performance/ Rad view/ Mercury
Data Security Tools |Database testing tools implement compliance and standards for the information security regulations. |IBM optim data privacy 
Test Data generator tools | Testers use the database testing tools to create the test data for a database system. It requires a huge amount of data and testers need to perform database testing techniques. It is common for Load Testing and Stress Testing |Data factory / DTM data generator/ Turo data 
Test data management tool |The database testing helps maintain version control for test data. Thus, testers need to define expected results compared to actual outcomes of tests. |IBM optim test data management 
Tools to carry out Unit Testing | The database testing performs regression testing on the database. | SQLUnit, TSQLUnit, DBFit, DBUnit

### Database testing with Selenium 
Let’s see the specific procedure of implementing database testing with Selenium: 
- **Step 1:** Testers need to create a database. 
- **Step 2:** Once testers create and insert values. Thus, they can establish a connection to the database. 
- **Step 3:** After setting the connection, testers implement the queries and process the records on the database.


#### Wrapping Up 
Have you got some fundamental concepts related to database testing? Database testing takes different patterns through many database tools on offer. Nevertheless, the whole results of all testers need to remain the same. Besides, with many features, factors, and processes on a database, manual testers need to get key concepts of this process. Testers will be sure to test the database properly when creating custom software products. Hopefully, you will find fundamental concepts essential and complete for beginners.