Use unit tests to ensure product stability

We take product stability very seriously. We’ve all had that sinking feeling when our favourite software has been updated. What bugs and/or instability have they introduced this time? Not so with XrmLinq.

We follow industry best practices to maintain the quality of our product, with extensive use of unit testing. This means that new features can be introduced with minimal risk of creating instability or introducing bugs.

What is unit testing?

Unit testing is a software verification and validation method used to protect existing code from errors introduced by changes to software. Tests are written to check the operation of each smallest testable part of an application.

If a new feature breaks existing functionality the unit tests fail immediately. This failure means that your new code has affected the existing code in an unexpected way. It’s then easy to go back and identify the problem immediately rather than waiting for unexpected instability or bugs to be identified.

Why use unit testing?

Use of unit testing enables changes to be made throughout the lifetime of an application, with the result that the design of the program can be continually improved without fear of irretrievably breaking the existing code. It can also be used pro-actively. If the unit test is written before the new feature’s code it can be used to ensure that the new function meets the requirements.

Why do we use unit testing?

The security and peace of mind this routine unit testing gives is why unit testing forms such a large component of our quality control.

Our experience is that introducing new features rarely breaks existing functionality if you are working with previously well-tested code. When we make a change or introduce a new feature to our product we routinely run over one hundred unit tests, just to be sure.