Export
// Definition
A feature that lets users download application data as a file — CSV, Excel, PDF, JSON, or similar. QA concerns: does the exported file contain all expected records (especially across pagination boundaries), are values correctly encoded (special characters, quotes, commas in CSV), does the file open without errors in target applications, and is the MIME type set correctly so browsers prompt the right save/open behaviour. Also test large exports for timeout and memory behaviour, and verify that export respects the user's current filter and permission scope.
// Related terms
MIME Type
A label (e.g. application/json, image/png, text/csv) that declares the format of a file or HTTP body, carried in the Content-Type header. Testing concerns include: mismatches between the declared type and actual content (a server returning HTML with Content-Type: application/json), frontend code that trusts the extension rather than the declared type, and upload endpoints that validate MIME type purely client-side — allowing an attacker to spoof it. Test by sending requests with mismatched Content-Type headers and verify the server rejects or handles them safely.
Validation
Checking that input or output conforms to expected rules — format, range, type, length, and business constraints. Client-side validation improves UX but must never be the only defence; server-side validation is the authority. Testing validation coverage includes: boundary values, type coercion, empty and null inputs, maximum lengths, and injection-dangerous characters. Distinct from verification (did we build it correctly?), though the two terms are frequently conflated.
Test Data Management
Provisioning, masking, refreshing, and tearing down data needed by tests. Done well, it's invisible. Done badly, it's the reason a third of tests fail on Mondays.