Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of tool qualification and when is it required?
Tool qualification is a process that validates that the software tool used in a project meets the standards and requirements set by the industry for the project. Its purpose is to ensure that the tool does not introduce or miss any errors while being used in the software development process. If working under safety standards like DO-178 or ISO 26262, tool qualification is a mandatory requirement when the tool being used automates or replaces a manual process, and the tool output is not manually reviewed.
Standard-specific Cantata tool certification kits are provided free of charge and contain everything needed out-of-the-box as well as comprehensive guidance to help you achieve certification for your device software. Tool qualification kits of Cantata are available where tool certification against a standard is not permitted as the tool must be qualified separately for each project (e.g. for DO-178B/C).
Learn more about QA-MISRA tool qualification
Learn more about Astrée tool qualification
Is the Cantata certification kit fully accredited?
Yes, the Cantata certification kit is fully accredited and meets the requirements of the relevant industry standards.
Is the certification kit for Cantata free?
Yes, the certification kit for Cantata is free to use.
Can open-source testing tools be integrated with Cantata?
Yes, tests from open-source testing tools such as the xUnit framework can easily be reused and enhanced within Cantata. Learn more
Does Cantata have an Eclipse Plug-in?
The Cantata plug-in is a first-class Eclipse Plug-in, which provides deep Eclipse support rather than just a skin. This simplifies integration and interoperability with other lifecycle plug-ins such as Git for version control, Jenkins for continuous integration, BIRT for reports, and QA-Misra for static analysis. This means that Cantata can be easily integrated into existing development environments that already use Eclipse and other related tools. Learn more
What high-level problems does Cantata solve?
Cantata solves several problems that are common in software development, particularly in the area of testing. One major issue is that developer testing can be expensive and hard to control. Cantata solves this problem by automating tests and making them effective, efficient, and repeatable. Powerful diagnostics also lower the cost of bug identification and removal. Additionally, Cantata automates continuous integration testing (regression testing), and its AutoTest feature automatically generates test cases. Another common problem is that unit tests can be expensive to maintain when the code changes. Cantata addresses this by offering impact analysis, which facilitates change-based testing control and subset selection. Code change analysis and management also reduce the cost of test maintenance. Estimating how much effort unit testing code will be can also be a challenge. Cantata helps estimate unit test effort by providing static metrics on code. Finally, developers can be resistant to using another tool. Cantata makes the learning curve shallow by offering IDE integrations for GUI-based test editing. The code-centric editing of tests is done in the language and code editor users are already familiar with, making it a more convenient and accessible option. Request a FREE Trial.
What to expect from automated unit testing tools?
Automated unit testing tools help developers ensure their code works as intended and catch bugs and errors early in the development process. The benefits of these tools include efficient and fast testing, accurate results, continuous testing, comprehensive testing, faster development, and reduced costs. Learn more
