A novel approach to regression test selection for J2EE applications

Selective regression testing involves retesting of software systems with a subset of the test suite to verify that modifications have not adversely impacted existing functions. The J2EE platform has come to dominate the commercial Java application market. Unlike standalone Java applications, J2EE applications also use configuration files to control the presentation, service, data access, and persistence layers. Traditional regression test selection approaches for standalone Java applications generate regression test suites by only deriving test cases that traverse the changed parts of pure Java classes and thus are generally insufficient for the regression testing scenarios of J2EE applications. This paper proposes an end-to-end regression test selection solution for J2EE applications by providing two unique features-hybrid test-case tracing and unified change identification-that are not addressed by existing approaches. An empirical study is presented to show that this approach can ensure change coverage, and reduce regression test cost for J2EE applications efficiently and effectively.