Test levels & change-related testing

/qa:dynamic-analysis

Dynamic analysis

Run the system under load and watch for runtime defects — memory/resource leaks, handle exhaustion, and degradation over time.

USAGE/qa:dynamic-analysis <feature / flow / endpoint>
Test levels & change-related testingCTAL-TTA (dynamic analysis)Performance · Automation

What it does

Exercises the system while running, captures baseline and timed resource snapshots, trends each metric against an explicit leak rule, and isolates a suspected root cause.

When to use it

When hunting faults that only surface at runtime under sustained load, not statically.

Prerequisites

qa.config.yml; paths.*; tooling.* (a stack-appropriate profiler); gates.performance/risk_areas for the load profile; a production-like environment for valid results.

Output

ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-3 Test Execution Log extended with profiling/leak evidence -> paths.docs_dir/DYNAMIC-ANALYSIS-<scope>.md.

Mechanics

How it works

  1. Guard config, resolve the target flow/endpoint, and validate a profiler exists for the detected stack
  2. Define the scenario: load profile (config-sourced), duration (>=8h or >=500 iterations), baseline metrics
  3. Instrument the profiler and capture/validate the t=0 baseline snapshot
  4. Run the duration, capturing snapshots at 25/50/75/100% (5 datapoints per metric)
  5. Trend each resource and apply the >5%-growth-without-release leak rule with severity
  6. Pass the 9-point quality gate, then write the report; route confirmed leaks to /qa:triage

Why it works

The theory behind it

Dynamic analysis (CTAL-TTA) — finds faults invisible to static analysis because they only manifest during execution. Complements static-analysis (no execution) and perf-test (workload-driven). A specialist/Advanced-track topic, not CTFL Foundation.

CTAL-TTA (dynamic analysis)

Example

See it in use

dynamic-analysis
> /qa:dynamic-analysis "cart session handling"

✓ Correct when It targets runtime leaks/handle-exhaustion/degradation over time, not static defects.