An approach to integration testing based on data flow specifications

Integration testing of programs based on formal specifications can benefit considerably from the comprehensibility of specifications. In this paper, we describe an approach to testing programs based on data-flow-oriented specifications by analyzing data flow paths and discussing criteria for test case generation. This approach suggests a specific way to generate test cases directly from formalized data flow diagrams and the associated textual specifications. We apply the approach in a case study of testing part of an ATM system to evaluate its effectiveness in fault detection and to uncover its weakness for further improvement.