Load testing by using the Performance SDK

  • 10 minutes

A performance load test is performed when you need to test the environment under normal, real-life load conditions. This will help the system adjust and see how it runs under normal conditions of single or multiple users. By the end of this unit, you will be able to run a load test that will test performance under real-life load conditions. This testing ensures that the code and business processes run as expected with no errors under conditions such as when the environments are used by all business users, in a normal manner, throughout the day. Some processes need to be tested under additional load testing conditions to make sure that the multi-user environment will not cause issues for any of your business processes.

Run a single user performance test with the Performance SDK

To start a performance test, follow these steps:

  1. Create a task recording of a business process. When the recording is saved as a developer recording, and the XML file is downloaded, you need to configure your development environment. The development environment setup requires the downloading of zip files, adding folders into the PerfSDK library, and configuring files.
  2. Generate a C# performance test from the task recorder file that you downloaded in Visual Studio. You will need to add references to specific DLLs and create new C# classes for the task recorder.
  3. When the setup is completed, you will be able to run the single user testing in the Test Explorer through Visual Studio. Be sure to run your business process's end-to-end scenario first before you capture it to avoid slow or additional tasks while you are recording.
  4. When you record your scenario in the task recorder, enter values manually instead of selecting them from the drop-down lists to ensure that the tests can create data.
  5. Replay your task recording before downloading it to make sure that every step was recorded. Restart Visual Studio if you don't see your test case after the solution has been built.

Set up Azure DevOps for multi-user testing

Before running a multi-user performance test, you need to verify several prerequisites on your environment:

  • Visual Studio Enterprise Edition will need to be in the development environment that you are using.
  • You need to have a tier-2 or above sandbox environment on the same application and platform update as your development environment.
  • You cannot proceed with multi-user testing without performing a single user test or having the C# testing classes generated for end-to-end scenarios.

After you have verified that these prerequisites are performed, you can proceed to configure the finance and operations apps development environment. This requires downloading and configuring several certificates in the environment. Then, you can prepare the PerfSDKSample solution for the multi-user testing by installing, configuring the .config file, and running tests.

When the development environment has been properly configured, the tier-2 or above sandbox must be prepared for multi-user testing. This process includes installing the same certificates that were created for the development environment on the tier-2 or above sandbox for all Application Object Servers (AOS) and ensuring that the users are created in the system.

Create and run a multi-user performance test from a single user test

To create and run a multi-user performance test, the preparation must be complete. After completing the preparation, you need to go back to the development environment that you prepared and run the load test through Visual Studio. This step will launch the test and you will be able review the output in the Visual Studio interface to diagnose any performance issues that you might have.

For troubleshooting tips, see the references in the Summary unit at the end of this module.