7.8 Determine the Operational Profile
The three steps in creating the operational profile are:
??? Dividing the test set into runs.
??? Identifying the input space.
??? Partitioning the input space into operations.
7.7.9 Divide the Test Set into Runs
A run (in this case) approximates to a scenario in some environment in some system mode. It will normally
achieve some user goal (such as printing a document). It is advantageous to define runs such that they
begin and end at the same logical point (typically with ???no document open??? if the purpose of the system
is document processing) or with minimal interaction between runs and can thus be linked if required.
Each run will have an associated set of variables and test data. These should determine a unique path
through the system??™s code. The importance of the runs (and therefore the time to be spent testing them)
depends on the importance of the outcomes of that run (or the scenario on which it is based). Look in
the error reports of comparable systems for outcomes You Really Don??™t Want.
7.7.10 Identify the Input Space
The program??™s input space consists of all the inputs it can receive. This should also include illegitimate
inputs. This can become extremely large even if limited by section 2.2 in Chapter 2. Once you have identified
the input space you will use, look at the inputs you won??™t use, and try and see if any are critical. Note that
the input space is critical to defining parameters for Fault injection as discussed in Chapter 13.
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