In continuing our focus on quality assurance, we are focusing on strategies to ensure database query code is structured to pull data that answers the business question at hand. In our hypothetical scenario mentioned in the previous post, where an online radio service wants to understand their most popular music, the development of database query code is an integral part of getting to the answer and a number of questions have to be asked about the code. Is it pulling the right data? Does it have any potential bugs that may cause an issue? Does it take into account all factors? Is it efficient to reduce long run times?
To maintain a high quality level with code, it is important to initiate the QA process while writing the code itself and not after the fact. First, plan the major factors the code needs to address. Second, while developing code to address each factor, constantly question the code that is developed. Third, after developing the code, take off your developer “hat” and put on your QA “hat” and take a critical look at your own code. Lastly, a fresh set of eyes can really help spot any bugs that you may have overlooked. Try to have a colleague review your code and suggest improvements.
At Mazliah we are implementing these processes to ensure reliability in the query language we develop. What QA techniques do you use and find useful?
Stay tuned for our next post in our series focusing on QA.
No comments:
Post a Comment