Identify key scenarios
·
Maximum user load. This test objective determines how many users can run on a
specific hardware configuration.
·
Business related metrics. This objective is mapped to business volume at normal
and peak values; for example, the number of orders or Help desk calls handled at a
given time.
Step 2 - Identify Key Scenarios
Scenarios are anticipated user paths that generally incorporate multiple application
activities. Key scenarios are those for which you have specific performance goals, those
considered to be high-risk, those that are most commonly used, or those with a significant
performance impact. The basic steps for identifying key scenarios are.
1.
Identify all the scenarios for a Web application. For example, even the most basic e-
commerce application must support the following user scenarios:
o
Browse catalog
o
Search for a product
o
Place an order
2.
Identify the activities involved in each of the scenarios. For example, a "Place an
Order" scenario will include the following activities:
o
Log on to the application.
o
Browse the product catalog.
o
Search for a specific product.
o
Add items to the shopping cart.
o
Validate credit card details and place an order.
3.
Identify the scenarios that are most commonly executed or most resource-intensive;
these will be the key scenarios used for load testing. For example, in an e-commerce
application, browsing a catalog may be the most commonly executed scenario,
whereas placing an order may be the most resource-intensive scenario because it
accesses the database.
o
The most commonly executed scenarios for an existing Web application can
be determined by examining the log files.
o
The most commonly executed scenarios for a new Web application can be
obtained from market research, historical data, market trends, and so on.
o
Resource-intensive scenarios can be identified by using design documents or
the actual code implementation. The primary resources are:
Processor
Memory
Disk I/O
Network I/O
Once they have been identified, you will use these key scenarios to create workload
profiles and to design load tests.
