Performance Testing Terms

Performance testing is a vast area of automation and during lifecycle of performance testing we will come across to various terms on regular basis. I am trying list out some of them so we can move comfortably with next level of knowledge sharing. These are more how of introduction kind. Hope it will help you a get basic picture of these terms:

1. Response Time: A time duration when a client gets a response from server for any request or we can define it as a amount of time from the moment that a user sends a request until the time that the application indicates that the request has completed.

2. Throughput: Throughput is  the number of transactions per second an application can handle, or the amount of transactions produced over time during a test

3.  Pacing: Time Difference between two iterations. (Can be calculated, i will share the details later)

4.      Iteration: One run of test is known as iteration.

5. Transaction: One or multiple activity can be termed as transaction

for example login into application can be one transaction.

6. Parametrization/ Data pool: A method to replace a static value with other values picked external data source like excel or DB or notepad is known as Parameterization.

(I will share more details in other post since it is important sectionJ)

7. Correlation: A Method to capture dynamic values from server response and replacing with a variable is known as correlation.

(Most imp topic in scripting part, i will detailed it later)

8.     Response: Reaction sent by server on request received from client can known as Response.

9.      Request: Event sent to Server from client side is known as Request.

10.   Cookies: Cookies is a small piece of data sent from a website and stored in a user's web browser while the user is browsing that website.

11.    Header: Headers are name/value pairs that appear in both request and response messages.

12.   Monitoring: A process to keep watch on all activities of server while testing.

13.   Performance Tuning: A process to improve system performance known as Performance Tuning.

14. Thick Client: A Software which installed on local system ( it can work offline too). In short desktop application.

15.   Thin Client: A Software which is browser based does not required full application installation on local system. It requires connectivity.

16.   Smart Client: Smart clients are Internet-connected devices that allow a user's local applications to interact with server-based applications through the use of Web services. It requires connectivity in occasional mode not continuous. e.g. whatsapp

17.  Simultaneous users: Performing same action one by one is simultaneous mode user.

18.   Concurrent users: Performing same action by multiple users is concurrent mode.

( i will share detailed post for above both concepts)

19.   Vuser: A Virtual user which simulate a real user action. Technically, Vuser is software service which simulates a real user process to generate load on server.

20.  Ramp up: A time duration in which all users of load testing will initialized and ready to run or a duration in which users increase in defined manner to reach on peak load point.

21.   Ramp down: A time duration in which all users of load testing will exit and or a duration in which users decrease in defined manner to stop point of test.

22.  Peak  Load: A point where  all users have started performing actions on application.

23.  Think Time: a time duration which users take between performing two actions.

24.  Performance Counters: Parameters of server (DB, application or any) which effect performance known as Performance counters.

Purpose of this post is make you familiar with Performance testing terms which will keep coming time to time .