Title: Chronological fault-based mutation processes for WS-BPEL 2.0 programs

Authors: Adel Khaled, James Miller

Addresses: Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Alberta, 2nd Floor, ECERF, (9107-116 Street), Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2V4, Canada. ' Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Alberta, 2nd Floor, ECERF, (9107-116 Street), Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2V4, Canada

Abstract: Business Process Execution Language for Web Services (WS-BPEL) is a powerful language developed to capture the semantics of business processes and to describe the interactions between involved systems. Limited research has been undertaken in the area of identifying faults manifested in WS-BPEL-based systems. In this paper, we propose an approach to assist in testing WS-BPEL programs, specifically with regard to chronological-oriented faults. This approach employs mutation testing to identify and detect mutants introduced into WS-BPEL programs. We describe the steps to generate such mutants for WS-BPEL programs. To reduce the mutant specification into a minimal set of generic mutant specifications, we work directly with the workflow patterns that exist in this language. Further, we utilise an extended version of Backus-Naur Form (BNF) to represent a simple subset of communicating sequential processes (CSP) notations, adapted to fit the descriptive needs of WS-BPEL-based systems, to provide a complete and minimal set of mutants of chronological-oriented faults that can exist in WS-BPEL systems of the future.

Keywords: web services; Business Process Execution Language for Web Services; WS-BPEL program testing; chronological faults; mutation testing; fault-based mutation; semantics; workflow patterns.

DOI: 10.1504/IJWET.2010.038243

International Journal of Web Engineering and Technology, 2010 Vol.6 No.2, pp.141 - 170

Published online: 24 Jan 2011 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article