Suppose you are a systems analyst developing a detailed test plan. Explain the testing strategies you will use in your plan. Will you use live or simulated data?

What will be an ideal response?

Users want to be sure that the newly developed information systems can handle their typical workload, both in terms of volume of work and types of normal business transactions. This is why analysts typically use live data during system testing. It also is true that creating good system test data takes time and effort, and usually there is considerable pressure at this point to get the system finished. In fact, live data is not always better than simulated data, because a limited sample of live data might not represent all possible data situations. The best answer often is combinations of live and test data. If there are situations that might not arise during system testing with live data, test data often can be used effectively to simulate these conditions.