Editing Conformance testing (section)

== Typical areas of application ==
Conformance testing is applied in various industries where a product or service must meet specific quality and/or regulatory standards. This includes areas such as:<ref name="TrenkaevInter03" /><ref name="WerstiukRelay07" /><ref name="INCITSReport05" /><ref name="W3CConform02">{{cite web |url=https://www.w3.org/QA/2002/01/Note-qa-certif-20020102.html |title=Conformance Testing and Certification Model for W3C Specifications |editor=Dardailler, D. |publisher=W3C |date=January 2002 |access-date=22 February 2018}}</ref><ref name="EvansSpec05">{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0e295yPUBPMC&pg=PA74 |chapter=Chapter 4: Specifications and Quality |title=Pharmaceutical Packaging Technology |author=Evans, E.R. |editor1=Dean, D.A.|editor2=Evans, E.R.|editor3=Hall, I.H. |publisher=CRC Press |pages=73–105 |year=2005 |isbn=9780203301814}}</ref>

* biocompatibility proofing
* data and communications [[protocol engineering]]
* document engineering
* electronic and electrical engineering
* medical procedure proofing
* pharmaceutical packaging
* software engineering
* building construction (fire)

In all such testing, the subject of test is not just the formal conformance in aspects of completeness of filed proofs, validity of referred certificates, and qualification of operating staff. Rather, it also heavily focuses on operational conditions, physical conditions, and applied test environments. By extension conformance testing leads to a vast set of documents and files that allow for reiterating all performed tests.

=== Software engineering ===

In [[software testing]], conformance testing verifies that a product performs according to its specified standards. [[Compiler]]s, for instance, are extensively tested to determine whether they meet the recognized standard for that language.<ref name="GoerigkTowards99">{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gM6AS9_XwtgC&pg=PA62 |chapter=Towards Rigorous Compiler Implementation Verification |title=Collaboration Between Human and Artificial Societies: Coordination and Agent-Based Distributed Computing |author1=Goerigk, W. |author2=Simon, F. |editor=Padget, J.A. |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |pages=62–73 |year=1999 |isbn=9783540669302}}</ref><ref name="CuginiACent01">{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hrizEY2BWOoC&pg=PA258 |chapter=FORTRAN Test Programs |title=A Century of Excellence in Measurements, Standards, and Technology |author=Cugini, J. |editor=Lide, D.R. |publisher=CRC Press |pages=258–259 |year=2001 |isbn=9780849312472}}</ref>

=== Electronic and electrical engineering ===

In [[electronic engineering]] and [[electrical engineering]], some countries and business environments (such as telecommunication companies) require that an electronic product meet certain requirements before they can be sold.<ref name="WerstiukRelay07" /><ref name="RyanHigh01">{{cite book |title=High Voltage Engineering and Testing |editor=Ryan, H.M. |publisher=The Institution of Electrical Engineers |edition=2nd |year=2001 |pages=726 |isbn=9780852967751}}</ref> Standards for telecommunication products written by standards organizations such as [[American National Standards Institute|ANSI]], the [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]], and [[International Electrotechnical Commission|IEC]] have certain criteria that a product must meet before compliance is recognized. In countries such as Japan, China, Korea, and some parts of Europe, products cannot be sold unless they are known to meet those requirements specified in the standards.<ref name="COCIRHowDoes">{{cite web |url=https://www.bomcheck.net/rohs/how-does-bomcheck-manage-compliance-with-rohs-restrictions-in-china-korea-japan |title=How does BOMcheck manage compliance with RoHS restrictions in China, Korea and Japan? |work=BOMcheck.net |publisher=COCIR |access-date=22 February 2018}}</ref><ref name="EURLex31993">{{cite web |url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31993L0068:en:HTML |title=EUR-Lex - 31993L0068 - EN |work=EUR-Lex |publisher=European Union |date=30 August 1993 |access-date=22 February 2018}}</ref> Usually, manufacturers set their own requirements to ensure product quality, sometimes with levels much higher than what the governing bodies require. Compliance is realized after a product passes a series of tests without occurring some specified mode of failure.

Compliance testing for electronic devices include emissions tests, immunity tests, and safety tests.<ref name="ECMAAGuide99">{{cite web |url=https://www.ecma-international.org/publications/files/ECMA-TR/ECMA%20TR-074.PDF |title=ECMA Technical Report TR/74: A Guide to the Application of the EMC Directive to ITE |publisher=ECMA |date=June 1999 |access-date=22 February 2018}}</ref> Emissions tests ensure that a product will not emit harmful electromagnetic interference in communication and power lines. Immunity tests ensure that a product is immune to common electrical signals and [[electromagnetic interference]] (EMI) that will be found in its operating environment, such as [[electromagnetic radiation]] from a local radio station or interference from nearby products. Safety tests ensure that a product will not create a safety risk from situations such as a failed or shorted power supply, blocked cooling vent, and powerline [[voltage spike]]s and dips.

For example, [[Ericsson]]'s telecommunications research and development subsidiary [[Telcordia Technologies]] publishes conformance standards for telecommunication equipment to pass the following tests:<ref name="EricssonElectro17">{{cite web |url=http://telecom-info.njdepot.ericsson.net/site-cgi/ido/docs.cgi?ID=SEARCH&DOCUMENT=GR-1089& |title=Electromagnetic Compatibility and Electrical Safety - Generic Criteria for Network Telecommunications Equipment |publisher=Ericsson |date=December 2017 |access-date=22 February 2018}}</ref>

; Radiated immunity : An [[antenna (electronics)|antenna]] is used to subject the device to [[electromagnetic waves]], covering a large frequency range (usually from 80&nbsp;MHz to 6&nbsp;GHz).
; Radiated emissions : One or more antennas are used to measure the amplitude of the electromagnetic waves that a device emits. The amplitude must be under a set limit, with the limit depending on the device's classification.
; Conducted immunity : Low frequency signals (usually 10&nbsp;kHz to 80&nbsp;MHz) are injected onto the data and power lines of a device. This test is used to simulate the coupling of low frequency signals onto the power and data lines, such as from a local AM radio station.
; Conducted emissions : Similar to radiated emissions, except the signals are measured at the power lines with a [[electronic filter|filter]] device.
; [[Electrostatic discharge]] (ESD) immunity : Electrostatic discharges with various properties ([[rise time]], peak voltage, [[fall time]], and [[half time (electronics)|half time]]) are applied to the areas on the device that are likely to be discharged too, such as the faces, near user accessible buttons, etc. Discharges are also applied to a vertical and horizontal [[ground plane]] to simulate an ESD event on a nearby surface. Voltages are usually from 2 kV to 15 kV, but commonly go as high as 25 kV or more.
; [[List of common EMC test standards#IEC standards|Electrical Fast Transient Burst immunity (EFTB)]] : Bursts of high voltage pulses are applied to the powerlines to simulate events such as repeating voltage spikes from a motor.
; Powerline dip immunity : The line voltage is slowly dropped down then brought back up.
; Powerline surge immunity : A surge is applied to the line voltage.