Assertion

Assertion – is the statement that comes before the logical expression used in segment of code in order to state that the latter should be true. In the duration of program execution, this assertion is verified and if the assertion is false, then the program mostly exits or raises an exception.

Assertions make the code more comprehensible; they help the compiler construct the code; they are helpful when it comes to detecting bugs. In some languages like Eiffel, assertions are built in at the design time; they are used at the runtime to check and compare in languages like C and Java.

Many assertions can be enabled or disabled globally in most programming languages. They are usually enabled during the development phase but many can be switched off during the final stages of testing and at the time of release. This eliminates the need to check assertions and at the same time enables the program to continue running under circumstances that would in normal circumstances cause the assertion to halt, although the latter may be advantageous in some circumstances.

Assertions are very important in software development particularly in the development of the banking software as well as aviation software where precision is of high importance. Employing assertions into the code allows the developer to check that the SW performs as required in the early stages of the development process especially in the case of the large and intricate systems like those used in finance or aviation. These early checks are very useful in ensuring that costly mistakes do not occur and are allowed to bypass other phases of the software development life cycle and hence enhancing the stability and reliability of the final system.

In industries such as financial services software development or aviation software solutions, the capability to operate the assertions as ‘on’ or ‘off’ is convenient during the development and testing phases. For instance, in the creation of a banking application service, assertion might be used during testing to check validity of all the calculations and transactions done in the system in regard to the financial regulations. Nevertheless, when the software is prepared for release, these assertions could be actually turned off so that the application will not be slowed down by these checks while the system remains solid and correct. This approach enables testing to be both effective while at the same time be efficient in a manner that is vital in industries that are both performance oriented and precise.