Interoperability testing

Definition
Interoperability testing activities (sometimes referred to as intersystems testing) assess whether a software product will exchange and share information (interoperate) with other products.

Overview
Interoperability testing activities are used to determine whether the proper pieces of information are correctly passed between applications. Thus, a major benefit of interoperability testing is that it can detect interoperability problems between software products before these products are put into operation.

Because interoperability testing often requires the majority of the software product to be completed before testing can occur, it is used primarily during the integration and system testing stages. It may also be used heavily during beta and specialized testing stages.