Module 1: Decision Table Testing
Some systems are simple: one condition, one outcome. But most real systems have several interacting conditions — and the correct output depends on exactly which combination of those conditions is true. A form that behaves differently depending on whether a user is new, whether a promo code is active, and whether the total exceeds a threshold is a perfect decision table candidate.
Decision tables are the tool that makes all of those interactions visible, testable, and impossible to accidentally skip.
Lessons in this module
- What is a Decision Table? — Learn the structure of a decision table: conditions, actions, and rules. Understand when to reach for this technique and why it outperforms ad-hoc test case design for multi-variable logic.
- Building a Decision Table Step by Step — Work through a realistic scenario from scratch: identify conditions, enumerate values, calculate the number of rules, and assign expected actions to each combination.
- Reducing Rows Without Losing Coverage — Most decision tables can be collapsed. Learn to identify "don't care" conditions, merge equivalent rules, and produce a compact-yet-complete test suite.
Practice: Micro Credit Scoring
After the three lessons, you will apply everything to a real micro-challenge: a credit scoring system with three interacting fields — age, income status, and credit history. Your mission is to systematically discover every meaningful combination and observe how the system responds.
By the end of this module, you will earn the Table Architect badge.