Equivalence class partitioning By Testy

Equivalence class partitioning (ECP) is a functional testing technique useful in either black box or white box test design. A technique is a systematic approach to help solve a complex problem. Techniques are not silver-bullets, but they are a logical and analytical approach to problem solving that heavily draws upon the tester's cognitive abilities (having a basis in or reducible to empirical factual knowledge) as opposed to random guessing (or little men running about inside one's head triggering turbid thoughts). Contrary to popular misconceptions the application of ECP is not a rote, brain-dead activity. The ECP technique requires in-depth knowledge of the data set (data type, encoding method, etc), the programming language used in the implementation, the algorithm structure, the operating environment, protocols, and even the hardware platform may impact how the data for a particular parameter might be decomposed. The effectiveness of the application of this technique solely lies in the testers ability to adequately decompose the data set for a given parameter into subsets in which any element from a specific subset would produce the same result as any other element from that subset.

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Thanks to Mr. Testy for his wonderful work.