developers code with Microsoft

overview

1

fundamentals

2

get tools

3

start learning

What is testing? (overview)

When testing, you are the headlights of the project. "A project is like a road trip. Some projects are simple and routine, like driving to the store in broad daylight. But most projects worth doing are more like driving a truck off-road, in the mountains, at night. Those projects need headlights. As the tester, you light the way. You illuminate the road ahead so that the programmers and managers, however they bicker over the map, can at least see where they are, what they're about to run over, and how close they are to the cliff. The detailed mission of the testing group varies from company to company. Behind those details, though, is a common factor. Testing is done to find information. Critical decisions about the project or the product are made on the basis of that information." 
Kaner, Cem; James Bach; and Bret Pettichord. 2001. Lessons Learned in Software Testing. Wiley.
Next: Introduction to Testing

1 fundamentals  

Read this more detailed description of the process of software architecture to understand the skills and techniques used when designing software using Microsoft tools.

read document

One of the most fundamental testing activities is running tests. If you have Visual Studio Test Professional 2010 or Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate, you can run manual tests and automated tests from a test plan by using Microsoft Test Manager. When you run any of these tests from your test plan, you can save your test results into the team project for your Team Foundation Server. You can now view the progress of both your automated and manual tests from your test plan. To run manual tests, you must use Microsoft Test Manager to run your tests from a test plan, as shown in the following illustration. Then you can view your test results from your test plan.  Read on >>

2 get the tools  
download  Install Visual Studio Test Professional 2010 (free 90 day trial)
  -OR-
download  Install Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate (free 90-day trial)

For help picking the right version of Visual Studio, review the Visual Studio 2010 comparison chart.
Read about quality assurance in testing on the Software Quality Best Practices page.

3 start learning  

Use the following resources to help you learn more about software architecture, requirements analysis, systems design, and the lifecycle for designing and creating software.

play video

PLAN TESTS WITH VISUAL STUDIO 2010
Video | 6 minutes | March 2011

Test Planning can involve multiple issues: creating a test scenario, gathering requirements for testing, creating environments and configurations, and regression testing. A good test plan can help address these items and guide the entire testing process, as well as optimize your test workflow for a successful end-to-end test run.   Watch >>

For hands-on labs about test planning, visit the Test Professional Product Tour.

Next: Visual Studio Testing and ALM

play video

AUTHOR AND RUN TESTS IN VISUAL STUDIO 2010
Video | 8 minutes | March 2011

Test Cases are just one work item type in Team Foundation Server 2010. In this video, you will learn about authoring test cases and running tests by using Microsoft Test Manager, as well as additional concepts such as rich, actionable bugs; test impact analysis; and exploratory testing.   Watch >>

For hands-on labs about authoring and running tests, visit the Test Professional Product Tour.

Next: Visual Studio Testing and ALM

play video

AUTOMATE TESTING WITH VISUAL STUDIO 2010
Video | 8 minutes | March 2011

One of the biggest challenges with test automation is identifying good candidates for it. You might also wonder about the "in-between" cases. This video steps through these concepts and introduces you to “coded UI tests” and “Fast Forward for Manual Testing” as part of the approach to test automation in Visual Studio 2010.  Watch >>

For hands-on labs about test automation, visit the Test Professional Product Tour.

Next: Visual Studio Testing and ALM

play video

TRACK APPLICATION QUALITY WITH VISUAL STUDIO 2010
Video | 11 minutes | March 2011

Software quality is more than simple bug tracking. It's about improving quality throughout your application lifecycle. Having a great tool to manage your development and test inventory can help you understand the state of your project and help you make more informed decisions.  Watch >>

For hands-on labs about tracking quality, visit the Test Professional Product Tour.

Next: Visual Studio Testing and ALM

Related Topics

Blog: Visual Studio Team Test
Read test-related articles from the Visual Studio Test Team.

How Do I Video Series (Test)
View videos on various aspects testing.

Software Quality Best Practices
Find tools and best practices to ensure the proper testing of applications and the overall quality of software.

Testing Documentation
Read more documentation and scenarios about testing in Visual Studio 2010.

Books

Lessons Learned in Software Testing Lessons Learned in Software Testing
This book takes a context-driven approach and condenses decades of software testing experience into the most important lessons learned.
Beginning Visual Basic 2010 Software Testing with Visual Studio 2010
This book demonstrates how Visual Studio tools can help you finally overcome long-standing communication, coordination, and management challenges.
Professional Application Lifecycle Management with Visual Studio 2010 Professional Application Lifecycle Management with Visual Studio 2010
Register for a free e-book containing Part III - Tester from Professional Application Lifecycle Management with Visual Studio 2010, covering manual testing, coded UI tests, lab management, and more.
Ivor Horton's Beginning Visual C++ 2010 Software Testing: Finding the Defects that Matter
This book provides practical testing techniques for achieving robust reliability with any large-scale software project.