Orthogonal Array Testing

What is Orthogonal Array Testing?

Orthogonal array testing (OAT) is a black box technique used to efficiently test systems with multiple input parameters, each having multiple possible values, without testing every possible combination.

How It Works

Instead of testing all combinations (which can be an enormous number), an orthogonal array is used to select a much smaller, statistically balanced subset of combinations that still covers all pairwise interactions between parameters.

When to Use It

• When the number of input parameters and their possible values makes exhaustive combination testing impractical.
• When testing configuration settings, compatibility matrices, or systems with many independent variables.

Benefit

Orthogonal array testing significantly reduces the number of test cases required while still providing strong confidence that interactions between parameters are adequately tested.