Define test cases
Throughout this book we have referred to scenario or test scenario without distinguishing it from a test case. As defined in 1.2.3, Scenario, a scenario is a summary of a sequence of events, whereas test cases are built from given scenarios, and they are the actual sequence of steps executed as part of the test. Thus, a test case includes details such as the data, objects, tools, user interface, clickable actions, user information, and so on.
In a test plan, we build scenarios from the use cases defined in a design document, and from scenarios we build test cases.
A scenario in itself is just a scenario. It is not a functional or performance scenario. On the contrary, a scenario must be functional and free from defects (in a single user functional test case) before it can be performance tested.
A test case, on the other hand, can be a functional or performance test case. A test case can further be a stress test case, soak test case, and so on.
A test case includes all the test attributes and control attributes, except for the hardware.
An instance of a test case is an execution record. The hardware on which a test case is run, the tester who executes it, and at what time the test case is executed are all part of this record. Although the time of the test may sound trivial at first glance, your network traffic may have a different pattern depending on what time of day and day of week it is run.