Saturday, April 13, 2013

What is the difference between Smoke test and Sanity test

As testers, we ask a lot of questions. Sometimes, we need to answer a lot of questions too. Few days ago, I was asked the question:
"What is smoke and sanity testing and how is it connected with high level test cases?"
I asked why he wanted to know the answer and pasted the link to blog post by Michael Bolton:
http://www.developsense.com/blog/2011/11/smoke-testing-vs-sanity-testing/

I told them that it is much more important to practice testing and improve one's testing skills than know answers to such questions. When I mentioned about BBST, I was asked if BBST meant Behavior Based Software Testing. I was disappointed and emailed the tester my first book - 'What If... A collection of tips on software testing'. To my surprise, the tester had already bought this book. I was even more disappointed.

The next day, I received this email from the tester:

Since I have read this book before and at that time, I have just read it like other testing guides and have joined people just to ask my testing queries those were not for testing but was for interview preparations.

But after your advice , I have started reading this book again. This time I am feeling like I have started learning the basics of testing  very first time, since the time you have just sent the book to read. You would be amazed sir, that since evening to this time I have just read only 6 pages of it and this time I have not skipped any links or any thing.

Now I am feeling like this book is the best gift given by anyone and once more thing initially i was using it like quick recap but today i feel that it is more like an encyclopedia of testing basics.

Sir, I would request you to just help me in getting to draw the Mindmap and also with basics of drawing these mindmaps (But at least this week i wouldn't get time for  this, not because i have a lot of work in office but I have your book to complete it with all its link with better understanding).

I am happy that he has found the book useful. Balaji from ZenQA, Hyderabad also finds the book useful. When I met him last time, he told me that he uses the book as a compulsory reading for the new joinees. 

Let us stop worrying about what Sanity or Smoke tests mean. Let us focus on our skills instead!!!
PS: I have titled this post as "What is the difference between Smoke test and Sanity test" to attract more hits. I hope more and more testers read this post and the post by Michael Bolton.

2 comments:

Balu said...

Ajay, Your book is a fantastic start for Newbies!

Jari Laakso said...

Nice post, Ajay!

"PS: I have titled this post as "What is the difference between Smoke test and Sanity test" to attract more hits." Love that! :-)