A superior primer on software testing and quality assurance, from integration to execution and automation

This important new work fills the pressing need for a user-friendly text that aims to provide software engineers, software quality professionals, software developers, and students with the fundamental developments in testing theory and common testing practices.

Software Testing and Quality Assurance: Theory and Practice equips readers with a solid understanding of:

Practices that support the production of quality software

Software testing techniques

Life-cycle models for requirements, defects, test cases, and test results

Process models for units, integration, system, and acceptance testing

How to build test teams, including recruiting and retaining test engineers

Quality Models, Capability Maturity Model, Testing Maturity Model, and Test Process Improvement Model

Expertly balancing theory with practice, and complemented with an abundance of pedagogical tools, including test questions, examples, teaching suggestions, and chapter summaries, this book is a valuable, self-contained tool for professionals and an ideal introductory text for courses in software testing, quality assurance, and software engineering.

With the majority of IT projects being delivered late, over budget, or cancelled altogether, it is clear that traditional project management methodologies do not provide an effective framework for today's IT projects. It is evident that a new Return-on-Investment (ROI) oriented approach is required that focuses on the ROI of a project from its inception. Maximizing Benefits from IT Project Management: From Requirements to Value Delivery provides comprehensive guidelines for determining an accurate ROI before the project has progressed to the point where it's over budget and over-run. It applies an iterative approach to the entire project management life cycle that re-visits the ROI, re-assesses the value delivered, defines the project scope, and allows the project to be planned as successive iterations based on the value delivered. This book details a systematic and simplified approach for effectively and efficiently selecting and evaluating IT projects for your organization. Filled with equations, tables, and figures that facilitate understanding, it explains how to evaluate subsequent success of a project so that it is simpler to manage, more efficient, and yields the ROI estimated at the outset. Using the novel approach outlined in the book, you will be able to deliver value throughout the project life cycle and make sure your projects are delivered on time, on budget, and within the constraints of the resources available.

Although the precepts of software engineering have been around for decades, the field has failed to keep pace with rapid advancements in computer hardware and software. Modern systems that integrate multiple platforms and architectures, along with the collaborative nature of users who expect an instantaneous global reach via the Internet, require updated software engineering methods. Social Software Engineering: Development and Collaboration with Social Networking examines the field through the spectrum of the social activities that now compose it. Supplying an up-to-date look at this ever-evolving field, it provides comprehensive coverage that includes security, legal, and privacy issues in addition to workflow and people issues. Jessica Keyes, former managing director of R&D for the New York Stock Exchange and noted columnist, correspondent, and author with more than 200 articles published, details the methodology needed to bring mission-critical software projects to successful conclusions. She provides readers with the understanding and tools required to fuse psychology, sociology, mathematics, and the principles of knowledge engineering to develop infrastructures capable of supporting the collaborative applications that today's users require.

The integration of logic and probability combines the capability of the first to represent complex relations among entities with the capability of the latter to model uncertainty over attributes and relations. Logic programming provides a Turing complete language based on logic and thus represent an excellent candidate for the integration. Since its birth, the field of Probabilistic Logic Programming has seen a steady increase of activity, with many proposals for languages and algorithms for inference and learning. One of most successful approaches to Probabilistic Logic Programming is the Distribution Semantics, where a probabilistic logic program defines a probability distribution over normal logic programs and the probability of a ground query is then obtained from the joint distribution of the query and the programs. Foundations of Probabilistic Logic Programming aims at providing an overview of the field of Probabilistic Logic Programming, with a special emphasis on languages under the Distribution Semantics. The book presents the main ideas for semantics, inference and learning and highlights connections between the methods. Many examples of the book include a link to a page of the web application http://cplint.eu where the code can be run online.

This book is concerned with the importance of Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Usability, user participants, and Sustainability in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) industry throughout the world. ICTs have become a crucial instrument for communication, entertainment, commerce and research and this increased usage is presenting new environmental and sustainability issues as we try and meet the ever-growing needs of both businesses and individuals. Sustainability and sustainable design must become central to the design of new technologies to make a concerted effort to tackle the environmental concerns we face now and in the future. Development frameworks, tools and models are used and explored, and the New Participative Methodology for Sustainable Design (NPMSD) is introduced as a way of identifying key factors needed in developing more sustainable systems including new smart technology and portable devices. In this book, the sustainable step in the design stage is evaluated and assessed by 11 countries: namely, Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, UK, and USA. The new results are generated confirming that sustainable design awareness should be considered by designers, and users to minimize and reduce the carbon emissions, raw materials usage, and global warming, since these problems should be tackled soon, otherwise, it will be too late to solve it. Further research is needed in the future to implement and assess the sustainable design step with large IT companies to ensure compliance with environmental standards and rules for sustainable systems. Sustainable Design is an invaluable resource for students and researchers, designers and business managers who are interested in the human-centered, environmental concerns of sustainable technologies.

PhoneGap is a standards-based, open-source development framework that can be deployed to any mobile device without losing the features of the native app-allowing for access to device contacts, the local file system, camera, and media on multiple platforms without requiring users to write a single line of code. Ideal for intermediate to advanced users, PhoneGap Build: Developing Cross Platform Mobile Applications in the Cloud offers the comprehensive coverage you need to harness the power of this dynamic tool. It provides complete coverage of the cloud computing platform and the theories behind cloud computing, using a series of engaging examples. The book explains the differences between existing mobile platforms, the different types of browsers they support, and the programming languages and integrated development environment required to develop apps for each of them. It then describes how PhoneGap makes the task of developing cross-platform mobile apps easier. This book will teach you how to use: HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript to develop apps for devices across various mobile operating systems PhoneGap Build to develop mobile apps in the cloud PhoneGap with Sencha Touch and jQuery Mobile Back end databases to store and retrieve information The text starts with simpler applications and gradually moves toward describing advanced concepts and how to exploit different application programming interfaces and methods. By the time you finish the book, you will learn how to develop feature-rich mobile applications that can run on the cloud to support different platforms. Supplying authoritative guidance and proven best practices for designing cloud-based applications, the book is an ideal reference for cloud system developers, architects, and IT professionals. It is also suitable for use in instructional settings.

Software Systems Architecture, Second Edition is a highly regarded, practitioner-oriented guide to designing and implementing effective architectures for information systems. It is both a readily accessible introduction to software architecture and an invaluable handbook of well-established best practices. With this book you will learn how to Design and communicate an architecture that reflects and balances the different needs of its stakeholders Focus on architecturally significant aspects of design, including frequently overlooked areas such as performance, resilience, and location Use scenarios and patterns to drive the creation and validation of your architecture Document your architecture as a set of related views Reflecting new standards and developments in the field, this new edition extends and updates much of the content, and Adds a "system context viewpoint" that documents the system's interactions with its environment Expands the discussion of architectural principles, showing how they can be used to provide traceability and rationale for architectural decisions Explains how agile development and architecture can work together Positions requirements and architecture activities in the project context Presents a new lightweight method for architectural validation Whether you are an aspiring or practicing software architect, you will find yourself referring repeatedly to the practical advice in this book throughout the lifecycle of your projects. A supporting Web site containing further information can be found at www.viewpoints-and-perspectives.info.

Since databases are the primary repositories of information for today's organizations and governments, database security has become critically important. Introducing the concept of multilevel security in relational databases, this book provides a comparative study of the various models that support multilevel security policies in the relational database-illustrating the strengths and weaknesses of each model. Multilevel Security for Relational Databases covers multilevel database security concepts along with many other multilevel database security models and techniques. It presents a prototype that readers can implement as a tool for conducting performance evaluations to compare multilevel secure database models. The book supplies a complete view of an encryption-based multilevel security database model that integrates multilevel security for the relational database with a system that encrypts each record with an encryption key according to its security class level. This model will help you utilize an encryption system as a second security layer over the multilevel security layer for the database, reduce the multilevel database size, and improve the response time of data retrieval from the multilevel database. Considering instance-based multilevel database security, the book covers relational database access controls and examines concurrency control in multilevel database security systems. It includes database encryption algorithms, simulation programs, and Visual studio and Microsoft SQL Server code.

This book provides essential information on Petri net theory and Petri net-based model checking methods. As for the Petri net theory, it involves the interleaving semantics and concurrency semantics of elementary net systems, some important net structures (e.g., invariant, repetitive vector, siphon, and trap), some classical net subclasses with special structures (e.g., state machine, marked graph, free-choice net,asymmetric-choice net, normal net, and weakly persistent net), and some basic properties (e.g., reachability, liveness, deadlock, and soundness). It also involves four high-level Petri nets: knowledge-oriented Petri nets, Petri nets with insecure places, time Petri nets, and plain time Petri nets with priorities, focusing on different fields of application. As for the model checking methods, this book introduces readers to computation tree logic (CTL), computation tree logic of knowledge (CTLK), and timed computation tree logic (TCTL), as well as Petri net-based methods for checking them. The basic principle of the reduced ordered binary decision diagram (ROBDD) is employed to compress the state space used in these model checking procedures. The book also covers time-soundness for time Petri nets and secure bisimulation for Petri nets with insecure places, both of which are based on the bisimulation theory. As such, it offers an introduction to basic information on bisimulation theory.

Open Source Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence is an all-in-one reference for developing open source based data warehousing (DW) and business intelligence (BI) solutions that are business-centric, cross-customer viable, cross-functional, cross-technology based, and enterprise-wide. Considering the entire lifecycle of an open source DW & BI implementation, its comprehensive coverage spans from basic concepts all the way through to customization. Highlighting the key differences between open source and vendor DW and BI technologies, the book identifies end-to-end solutions that are scalable, high performance, and stable. It illustrates the practical aspects of implementing and using open source DW and BI technologies to supply you with valuable on-the-project experience that can help you improve implementation and productivity. Emphasizing analysis, design, and programming, the text explains best-fit solutions as well as how to maximize ROI. Coverage includes data warehouse design, real-time processing, data integration, presentation services, and real-time reporting. With a focus on real-world applications, the author devotes an entire section to powerful implementation best practices that can help you build customer confidence while saving valuable time, effort, and resources.

Although enterprise mobility is in high demand across domains, an absence of experts who have worked on enterprise mobility has resulted in a lack of books on the subject. A Comprehensive Guide to Enterprise Mobility fills this void. It supplies authoritative guidance on all aspects of enterprise mobility-from technical aspects and applications to implementation. The book introduces basic concepts such as enterprise mobility adoption strategy and user requirements in mobility. Illustrating the technical aspects of enterprise mobility, it analyzes the key features and challenges in developing mobility solutions for various domains. The text is organized into four sections: Mobility Concepts: supplies a solid foundation in enterprise mobility, from strategy definition to deployment of enterprise mobility solutions Mobile Solutions and Case Studies: introduces readers to the applications of enterprise mobility across a wide range of industry sectors Mobile Application Development: supplies an overview of popular mobile platforms and mobile programming languages Technology Considerations in Mobility: details hybrid and supporting technologies in enterprise mobility The book's case studies illustrate the complete lifecycle in the development of mobility solutions, including the high level requirements, architecture, and design principles for each use case. Demonstrating how to put the concepts covered into practice, the text details the application of mobility solutions across various domains, including the healthcare, retail, airline, and pharmaceutical industries.

Written for those starting a career in IT or whose career is well advanced, this career guide shows how to blaze a path to success through the jungle of modern IT. With a career spanning five decades, the author shares lessons he learned the hard way so readers do not have to learn them the hard way. By emphasizing the importance of business processes and applications to IT, this book explains how to understand the value and positioning of hardware and software technology in order to make appropriate decisions. It addresses the importance of IT architecture and the roles service and systems management play. It also explains service level agreements (SLAs) and provides sample SLAs. Readers learn how to conduct IT assessments using SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. It also shows how to use root-cause analysis (RCA) to detect the sources of failure and poor performance. An overview of risk management and the steps involved in developing a business continuity plan are also included. The book looks at all facets of an IT professional's career. It explains how to build an IT team and examines the roles and responsibilities within the team. It shows how to provide professional customer care to IT clients. Business executives recognize the importance of IT, and this book shows technology professionals how to thrive in the business world. It covers: Making effective presentations Report and proposal writing Negotiating and persuasion skills Running productive meetings Time and stress management The book also discusses such important career skills as listening, continual and incremental learning, and communicating at all levels. From its templates and checklists to its comprehensive and holistic view of a successful IT career, this book is an indispensable guide for every professional working in IT today and tomorrow.

To be effective, data-intensive systems require extensive ongoing customisation to reflect changing user requirements, organisational policies, and the structure and interpretation of the data they hold. Manual customisation is expensive, time-consuming, and error-prone. In large complex systems, the value of the data can be such that exhaustive testing is necessary before any new feature can be added to the existing design. In most cases, the precise details of requirements, policies and data will change during the lifetime of the system, forcing a choice between expensive modification and continued operation with an inefficient design. Engineering Agile Big-Data Systems outlines an approach to dealing with these problems in software and data engineering, describing a methodology for aligning these processes throughout product lifecycles. It discusses tools which can be used to achieve these goals, and, in a number of case studies, shows how the tools and methodology have been used to improve a variety of academic and business systems.

This book covers the fundamental concepts in signal processing illustrated with Python code and made available via IPython Notebooks, which are live, interactive, browser-based documents that allow one to change parameters, redraw plots, and tinker with the ideas presented in the text. Everything in the text is computable in this format and thereby invites readers to "experiment and learn" as they read. The book focuses on the core, fundamental principles of signal processing. The code corresponding to this book uses the core functionality of the scientific Python toolchain that should remain unchanged into the foreseeable future. For those looking to migrate their signal processing codes to Python, this book illustrates the key signal and plotting modules that can ease this transition. For those already comfortable with the scientific Python toolchain, this book illustrates the fundamental concepts in signal processing and provides a gateway to further signal processing concepts.

This book provides guidelines for practicing design science in the fields of information systems and software engineering research. A design process usually iterates over two activities: first designing an artifact that improves something for stakeholders and subsequently empirically investigating the performance of that artifact in its context. This "validation in context" is a key feature of the book - since an artifact is designed for a context, it should also be validated in this context. The book is divided into five parts. Part I discusses the fundamental nature of design science and its artifacts, as well as related design research questions and goals. Part II deals with the design cycle, i.e. the creation, design and validation of artifacts based on requirements and stakeholder goals. To elaborate this further, Part III presents the role of conceptual frameworks and theories in design science. Part IV continues with the empirical cycle to investigate artifacts in context, and presents the different elements of research problem analysis, research setup and data analysis. Finally, Part V deals with the practical application of the empirical cycle by presenting in detail various research methods, including observational case studies, case-based and sample-based experiments and technical action research. These main sections are complemented by two generic checklists, one for the design cycle and one for the empirical cycle. The book is written for students as well as academic and industrial researchers in software engineering or information systems. It provides guidelines on how to effectively structure research goals, how to analyze research problems concerning design goals and knowledge questions, how to validate artifact designs and how to empirically investigate artifacts in context - and finally how to present the results of the design cycle as a whole.

In IT divisions and organizations, the need to execute in a competitive and complex technical environment while demonstrating personal integrity can be a significant personal and organizational challenge. Supplying concrete guidelines for those at an ethical crossroads, Ethics in IT Outsourcing explores the complex challenges of aligning IT outsourcing programs with ethical conduct and standards. This one-stop reference on the ethical structure and execution of IT outsourcing incorporates an easy-to-apply checklist of principles for outsourcing executives and managers. It examines certification programs, such as the online ethics training and certification offered by the Code of Ethics and Business Practice Standards for Outsourcing Professionals established by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP). Based upon significant research on the economic impact of outsourcing at a micro, macro, and corporate level, this volume defines a comprehensive set of ethical program components to ensure your program is aligned with ethical guidelines. Based on a solid foundation of documented research and analysis Examines the ethical impact of outsourcing on individuals, corporations, and society Outlines a new corporate capability-the Ethics PMO Includes a list of tools to help readers establish their own Ethics PMO Filled with authoritative insights based on the author's decades of experience working with large firms in IT and outsourcing, this book is suitable for both veteran IT practitioners and stakeholders new to the topic. A must-read for anyone seeking to understand the underlying issues in this area of growing importance, it will bring you up to speed on the recent developments you need to be aware of to ensure ethical personal, corporate, and societal decision-making. Readers are invited to participate in the growing dialog of business ethics, and IT outsourcing ethics in particular, at the author's website: www.ethicsinit.com

* Targests readers with a background in programming, interested in an introduction/refresher in statistical hypothesis testing * Uses Python throughout * Provides the reader with the opportunity of using the book whenever needed rather than following a sequential path.

The Science of Biometrics: Security Technology for Identity Verification covers the technical aspects of iris and facial recognition, focusing primarily on the mathematical and statistical algorithms that run the verification and identification processes in these two modalities. Each chapter begins with a review of the technologies, examining how they work, their advantages and disadvantages, as well as some of their established market applications. Numerous approaches are examined. Facial recognition is much more of an emerging biometric technology than iris recognition; therefore, there are more algorithms that are currently being developed in that area. After this review, numerous applications of these two modalities are covered as well, some of which have just been commercially deployed while others are under research and development. Chapters 3 and 4 conclude with case studies to provide further application review. This book is directed to security managers, electronic security system designers, consultants, and system integrators, as well as electronic security system manufacturers working in access control and biometrics.

Even though Six Sigma programs have successfully been implemented in practice, many IT departments remain skeptical of the process or are unaware of how the tools can be used to improve system development. Removing the mystique surrounding this technique, Six Sigma Software Development, Second Edition demonstrates how Six Sigma tools and concepts can be used to enhance the system development process. Revised and updated, this second edition clearly explains Six Sigma concepts and their application, maps Six Sigma concepts and tools to all aspects of system development, and proposes the use of Six Sigma tools to evaluate and improve the overall performance of the IT department. In addition to classic Six Sigma, the book introduces Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) and illustrates when and how its tools and techniques can be used to increase the robustness and reliability of a new system. It also shows how the judicious application of lean tools can reduce the complexity of IT processes, thus shortening the time needed to translate customer requirements into completed systems and increasing customer satisfaction.

Organizations enjoy two kinds of strategic advantages. One is transitory: being in the right place with the right products at the right time. The other comes from having first class management and instituting processes that mobilize an organization, keeping in ahead of the competition. Which would you like to count on for your organization's success?Integrating ERP, CRM, Supply Chain Management, and Smart Materials explores how to create business opportunities and reap savings by: Restructuring and updating of ERP and CRM software as it integrates supply chain management and delivers new killer applications Evolving opportunities that will develop from the implementation of smart materials, automatic identification, classification systems, and quality assurance projects Auditing the implementation, operation, and maintenance of ERP and CRM software as well as the corrective action taken on the basis of resultsInternet commerce, online supply chain, and advances in technology - all available at increasingly lower costs - make systems of the past obsolete. However, just as new technology creates new opportunities, it can also create unforeseen consequences. By binding a wealth of interdependent issues between the covers of one book, Integrating ERP, CRM, Supply Chain Management, and Smart Materials gives you the tools you need to create proprietary, high value-added solutions.

This is the last in a four book series comprising a critical review of the Unified Process that includes a survey of the alternate software processes and the synthesis of a more robust process. The transition and production phases are the final phases of the Unified Process that provide for the deployment, operation and support of the system among the user groups. This volume includes a masters' collection of best practices that include practical advice for successfully launching the software, applying personal processes, developing and enhancing organizational software processes, achieving reuse, conducting project assessments, saving a troubled project, testing the system, avoiding a maintenance nightmare, and operating and supporting the software.

As human activities moved to the digital domain, so did all the well-known malicious behaviors including fraud, theft, and other trickery. There is no silver bullet, and each security threat calls for a specific answer. One specific threat is that applications accept malformed inputs, and in many cases it is possible to craft inputs that let an intruder take full control over the target computer system. The nature of systems programming languages lies at the heart of the problem. Rather than rewriting decades of well-tested functionality, this book examines ways to live with the (programming) sins of the past while shoring up security in the most efficient manner possible. We explore a range of different options, each making significant progress towards securing legacy programs from malicious inputs. The solutions explored include enforcement-type defenses, which excludes certain program executions because they never arise during normal operation. Another strand explores the idea of presenting adversaries with a moving target that unpredictably changes its attack surface thanks to randomization. We also cover tandem execution ideas where the compromise of one executing clone causes it to diverge from another thus revealing adversarial activities. The main purpose of this book is to provide readers with some of the most influential works on run-time exploits and defenses. We hope that the material in this book will inspire readers and generate new ideas and paradigms.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the artificial intelligence in intelligent systems section of the 10th Computer Science Online Conference 2021 (CSOC 2021), held online in April 2021. Artificial intelligence in intelligent systems topics are presented in this book. Modern hybrid and bio-inspired algorithms and their application are discussed in selected papers.

Software is one of the most important products in human history and is widely used by all industries and all countries. It is also one of the most expensive and labor-intensive products in human history. Software also has very poor quality that has caused many major disasters and wasted many millions of dollars. Software is also the target of frequent and increasingly serious cyber-attacks. Among the reasons for these software problems is a chronic lack of reliable quantified data. This reference provides quantified data from many countries and many industries based on about 26,000 projects developed using a variety of methodologies and team experience levels. The data has been gathered between 1970 and 2017, so interesting historical trends are available. Since current average software productivity and quality results are suboptimal, this book focuses on "best in class" results and shows not only quantified quality and productivity data from best-in-class organizations, but also the technology stacks used to achieve best-in-class results. The overall goal of this book is to encourage the adoption of best-in-class software metrics and best-in-class technology stacks. It does so by providing current data on average software schedules, effort, costs, and quality for several industries and countries. Because productivity and quality vary by technology and size, the book presents quantitative results for applications between 100 function points and 100,000 function points. It shows quality results using defect potential and DRE metrics because the number one cost driver for software is finding and fixing bugs. The book presents data on cost of quality for software projects and discusses technical debt, but that metric is not standardized. Finally, the book includes some data on three years of software maintenance and enhancements as well as some data on total cost of ownership.

Going where no book on software measurement and metrics has previously gone, this critique thoroughly examines a number of bad measurement practices, hazardous metrics, and huge gaps and omissions in the software literature that neglect important topics in measurement. The book covers the major gaps and omissions that need to be filled if data about software development is to be useful for comparisons or estimating future projects. Among the more serious gaps are leaks in reporting about software development efforts that, if not corrected, can distort data and make benchmarks almost useless and possibly even harmful. One of the most common leaks is that of unpaid overtime. Software is a very labor-intensive occupation, and many practitioners work very long hours. However, few companies actually record unpaid overtime. This means that software effort is underreported by around 15%, which is too large a value to ignore. Other sources of leaks include the work of part-time specialists who come and go as needed. There are dozens of these specialists, and their combined effort can top 45% of total software effort on large projects. The book helps software project managers and developers uncover errors in measurements so they can develop meaningful benchmarks to estimate software development efforts. It examines variations in a number of areas that include: Programming languages Development methodology Software reuse Functional and nonfunctional requirements Industry type Team size and experience Filled with tables and charts, this book is a starting point for making measurements that reflect current software development practices and realities to arrive at meaningful benchmarks to guide successful software projects.