A dry run (or practice run) is a
software testing
Software testing is the act of examining the artifacts and the behavior of the software under test by validation and verification. Software testing can also provide an objective, independent view of the software to allow the business to apprecia ...
process where the effects of a possible failure are intentionally mitigated.
For example, an aerospace company may conduct a "dry run" test of a jet's new pilot ejection seat while the jet is parked on the ground, rather than while it is in flight.
The usage of "dry run" in acceptance procedures (for example in
factory acceptance testing) is meant as following: the factory, which is a subcontractor, must perform a complete test of the system it has to deliver before the actual acceptance by customer.
Etymology
The term dry run appears to have originated from
fire departments in the
U.S
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...
. In order to practice, they would carry out dispatches of the fire brigade where water was not pumped. A run with real fire and water was referred to as a wet run. The more general usage of the term seems to have arisen from widespread use by the
United States Armed Forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
See also
*
Code review
*
Pilot experiment
*
Preview (computing)
References
External links
World Wide Words: Dry Run*
Wiktionary - dry run
Tests
Software testing
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