Dynamic Testing in Software Testing is a type of testing that is performed to validate the functionality of the software application during the time of execution of code. In this form of testing, the software developed is used in reality and then the behaviour of its various functions is observed to make sure that they are working as expected. 

There exists a counterpart of dynamic testing, called Static Testing. Understanding static testing will help every tester understand dynamic testing better. 

How does it differ from Static Testing?

As the name suggests, static testing is a form of testing that is static in nature, which basically means that there are no varying conditions or parameters applied while testing the application during static testing. Static Testing is always performed without executing the code. 

For instance, consider the situation in which the task is to verify or test a document. Now, in this process, all you need to do is read the document, review the errors if any and then suggest possible changes to improve the contents of the document. 

Moreover, when the code of the application is reviewed, the software development team goes through the code in a step by step manner and determines whether the written code meets the development standards and requirements or not. Also, in this process it is also made sure that the code is written correctly to perform all the functions in a desired manner. 

Since, there are no changes done in the documents and just that it was reviewed, it is known as static testing, i.e. the testing is performed in a completely static nature. Other static testing examples include, review of test strategy document, test plan document, test case walkthrough, inspection of the code, and so on. 

What is Dynamic Testing?

Now, when it comes to dynamic testing, it won’t be wrong to say that it is dynamic in nature, which basically means varying or changing. Hence, in this type of testing, changing conditions, values and parameters is done by executing the code. 

In Dynamic Testing, the software application is tested in real time by providing inputs and observing the results or output values depending on the behaviour of the system. 

Examples of Dynamic Testing 

The easiest example of dynamic testing can be understood by using the login functionality of any application, such as Google’s mail service Gmail or Facebook’s login features. Now, if you are creating a new account in any such web applications, you need to create a password and also follow certain rules for creating a strong password, like the need of minimum of 8 characters, use of capital letters, and special characters. 

All these conditions for creating a strong password are nothing but various parameters and if in case the user does not follow these rules, the application should be programmed to either warn or reject the selected password. 

If this login functionality of an application is used as a dynamic testing example, then to test it, you will have to follow all the given conditions and come up with a password that matches all requirements and then validate the output and observe the behaviour.

Also, you will have to choose a password that does not follow the given parameters, for example the password has only 4 characters or no special characters or no use of capital letters and then check whether the application works as expected. All of this comes under dynamic testing of that particular functionality. 

Types of Dynamic Testing 

Dynamic Testing is mainly classified into two types. These are 

• White Box Testing – In this type of dynamic testing, testers test the internal working of the code. For White box testing to be conducted properly, it is important for the tester to have knowledge about the code development, reviewing of the code and should be able to interpret the written software code correctly. 
• Black Box Testing – In this form of dynamic testing, testers focus only on the functionality of the software Application Under Test (AUT). For conducting Black box testing, it is not necessary for the tester to have the knowledge about the implementation details of the code or the need for interpreting the inner workings of the code. Black Box Testing is usually performed by the QA department. 

As you can see from the above figure, Black box testing is further classified into two types, which are 

• Functional Testing – In this type of Black box testing, the software application developed is put to test in order to validate its functionality features. 
• Non-Functionality Testing – Unlike functional testing, this type of dynamic testing deals with various aspects of software application such as performance, recovery, compatibility testing, and so on. All the aspects covered in this type of testing are non-functional in nature and there may be a certain division allocated in the organization to perform non-functional testing. 

Given below are the brief definitions of various forms of dynamic testing

• Unit Testing – This form of testing is done by the developers as soon as they completely build the code to make sure that the code they developed works just as expected and is according to the given requirements. 
• System Testing – This form of testing is usually done by the QA departed after the code has been completely written. In this form of testing, the entire system or application in terms of testing is covered. It is the responsibility of the QA team to do thorough testing to ensure all the functionality aspects of software or system is working correctly and are according to the given requirements. 
• Integration Testing – In this form of software testing, the QA department and the development team may combine to ensure each individual component of the software, after being tested, when integrated with other modules of the software work just as expected and according to the requirements. Integration Testing is basically the testing done to check the correctness of the entire work flow of the system from beginning to end. 
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT) – This form of software testing is done by the UAT team itself along with the help of QA team. In this type of testing, the business users write their own test cases and perform testing measures that are more inclined from the user’s perspective, not like the QA team performs which is more inclined from the system’s perspective. 

Advantages of Dynamic Testing 

There are many advantages of performing dynamic testing on any software application. Some of the important advantages are given below 

• Dynamic testing is a type of thorough testing, which tests the software’s in depth functionality so that the quality of the software application is maintained to be at the highest of standards 
• Dynamic testing is a process that is well established and organized, making it able to test the software application developed from both user’s and business perspective, thus contributing to the quality of the software 
• During dynamic testing, complex defects can be detected which are usually missed during the review processes 
• One of the most important advantages of conducting dynamic testing is that is can be automated using various testing tools

Disadvantages of Dynamic Testing 

Along with the advantages, there are a few disadvantages of conducting dynamic testing as well. Some of the common disadvantages of conducting dynamic testing are given below 

• Since dynamic testing is a complex and detailed process, it usually takes a long time to be completed 
• Since it is time consuming, it proves to be costly to the organization as there is an increased need for resources and time 
• Dynamic testing is usually performed after the whole process of coding is completed and hence, defects are discovered late in the software development lifecycle 

Conclusion 

All in all, dynamic testing is a unique testing technique that is commonly followed by all the software development organizations today. It can be used as a tool on which the QA team can rely on and it has always shown successful results increasing the quality of the software application developed, if followed properly by the organizations and is widely considered as one of the most useful software testing techniques.