Extracting the Combinatorial Test Parameters and Values from UML Sequence Diagrams

In the current practice, the Combinatorial Test Design Model (CTDM) is designed by the test designers manually leveraging their experience in testing. Their involvement, perception, domain knowledge and testing proficiency are needed to analyze the requirements document and design the test model. Till date we know of no automated method that has eased the process of deriving the Combinatorial Test Design Model. Requirements document and analysis artifacts like UML activity diagrams and sequence diagrams hold information on parameters, values and constraints of the underlying CTDM. Our research focus is to develop a tool that assists test designers in coming up with the CTDM. This paper presents an approach to extract CTDM related information such as parameters and values from sequence diagrams. Our key contribution in this paper includes proposing a rule-based method for identifying the model elements from the sequence diagrams with the supporting rules and extraction algorithms. The rules have been applied onto individual sequence diagrams and results qualitatively discussed based on the general understanding of the requirements.