Create a load test

A load test is a test designed to measure an application's behavior under normal and peak conditions. You add and configure scripts, monitors, and SLAs to a load test definition.

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Get started

Click the Navigation menu and select Load tests to open the Load tests page and display the list of tests in the project.

The following table shows some of the actions that you can perform on your load tests.

Action Task

Select a project

Select a project from the list in the banner.
Create a test

To create a test, perform one of the following steps:

  • From the Load tests tab, click the Create button Create button.
  • From the Home tab, click " " Create a test.

Tip: To add scripts, click on its link and click Test settings. Edit the Name field.
Edit a test

To edit a test, highlight it in the grid (do not click on its link), and perform one of the following:

  • Click the Edit button Edit button.
  • Click the test name link in the test grid.
Duplicate a test

To duplicate a test, highlight it in the grid (do not click on its link), and click the Duplicate button Duplicate button.

Tip: To rename a test, click on its link and click Test settings. Edit the Name field.

Note: To duplicate a test, its name must be 120 characters or less.
Give your test a label

Organize your tests by assigning them labels. For details, see Assign labels.
View test settings

The expandable Summary pane shows information about the last 5 runs, and lists common test settings such as the duration, test ID run mode, and think time.

Tip: Resize the pane by dragging its border.

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Load tests tab

After selecting or creating a test, the Load tests tab provides the following views.

Tab Description

Test settings

Test settings. Configure basic, run configuration, log, and load generator settings. For details, see Configure test settings.
Load profile

Load profile. Show a list of the scripts and lets you add scripts, and set their schedule. For details, see Load test profiles.
Load distribution

Load distribution. Choose the load generator machines for your Vusers. Optionally, assign scripts and the number of Vusers for on-premises load generators. For details, see Set cloud locations and distribution or Select an on-premises machine.
SLA SLA. Show the SLA for the test. For details, see Configuring SLAs.
Single user performance Single user performance. Collect statistics that help you measure the quality of the user experience on your application. For details, see Single user performance data.
Rendezvous

Rendezvous. Set up a rendezvous for your Vusers. For details, see Setting rendezvous points.

Note: This button is only displayed if a script containing rendezvous points is included in a load test.
Monitors Monitors: Show a list of monitors. For details, see Add monitors to your load test.
Streaming agent Streaming agent. Show the streaming agent for the test. For details, see Time series database streaming. (This option is only visible when data streaming was enabled for your tenant through a service request.)
Disruption events Disruption events. Add disruption events to the load test. For details, see Configure disruption events.
Test scheduler Test scheduler. Set a schedule for the test run. For details, see Schedule a test run.
Runs Runs. Lists the runs for the selected test along with run statistics such as run status, regressions, and failed transactions. For details, see Test run status.
Trends Trends. For details, see Trends.
History

History. Lists the changes made to the load test, along with a timestamp and the user who made the changes. For details, see History.

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Configure a goal

You can configure a load test to run in Goal Oriented mode. If you select this option, you configure a goal for the test and when the test runs, it continues until the goal is reached.

Goal overview

Vusers are run in batches to reach the configured goal value. Each batch has a duration of 2 minutes.

In the first batch, the number of Vusers for each script is determined according to the configured percentages and the minimum and maximum number of Vusers in the goal settings.

After running each batch, an evaluation is done to determine whether the goal has been reached or not. If the goal has not been reached, a calculation is made to determine the number of additional Vusers to be added in the next batch.

If the goal has been reached, or there are no remaining Vusers to be added, the ramp up ends. Note that the value can be greater than the defined goal value. Vusers are not removed in order to reduce the load.

During run time, if the goal was reached, but subsequently dropped to below the configured value, the test mechanism tries to add Vusers (if there are any remaining to be added) to reach the goal again.

Think time and pacing settings configured for scripts are not modified during a run, as they are inherent properties of the script.

To configure a goal for a load test:

  1. In the load test's Test settings page, select Run Mode > Goal Oriented. For details, see Run mode.

  2. Click Load profile in the sidebar.

    1. Configure the % of Vusers and Location for each script.

    2. Click the Goal settings button and configure the following goal settings.

      Setting Description
      Goal type

      Select the goal type:

      • Hits per second. The number of hits (HTTP requests) to the Web server per second.
      • Transactions per second. The number of transactions completed per second. Only passed transactions are counted.
      Transaction name If you selected Transactions per second as the goal type, select or input the transaction to use for the goal.
      Goal value Enter the number of hits per second or transactions per second to be reached, for the goal to be fulfilled.
      Vusers Enter the minimum and maximum number of Vusers to be used in the load test.
      Ramp up

      Select the ramp up method and time. This determines the amount of time in which the goal must be reached.

      • Ramp up automatically with a maximum duration of <time>. Ramp up Vusers automatically to reach the goal as soon as possible. If the goal can’t be reached after the maximum duration, the ramp up stops.

      • Reach target number of hits or transactions per second after <time>. Ramp up Vusers to try to reach the goal in the specified duration.

      • Step up by N hits or transactions per second every <time>. Set the number of hits or transactions per second that are added and at what time interval to add them. Hits or transactions per second are added in these increments until the goal is reached.
      Action if target cannot be reached

      Select what to do if the target is not reached in the time frame set by the Ramp up setting.

      • Stop test run. Stop the test as soon as the time frame has ended.

      • Continue test run without reaching goal. Continue running the test for the duration time setting, even though the goal was not reached.
      Duration

      Set a duration time for the load test to continue running after the time frame set by the Ramp up setting has elapsed.

      Note: The total test time is the sum of the Ramp up time and the Duration.

Goal Oriented mode limitations

The following capabilities are not supported for the Goal Oriented run mode:

  • Adding Vusers

  • Generating single user performance data

  • The Timeline tab when scheduling a load test

  • Network emulations for cloud locations

  • Changing the load in a running load test

  • TruClient - Native Mobile scripts

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Set a load test as a favorite

After you add your load test and it appears in the Load tests tab, you can set it as a favorite.

To set a load test as a favorite:

  1. In the Load tests tab, click in the Favorites column of the load test you want to set as a favorite.

  2. The Favorites icon Favorites icon is displayed, indicating that the load test has been added to your favorites.

To view a list of favorite load tests:

  1. In the banner, click the Favorites button Favorites button. A list of your favorite load tests is displayed.

  2. Click a load test in the list to open it for editing in the Load tests tab.

To remove a load test from favorites:

  • In the banner, click the Favorites button Favorites button. A list of your favorite load tests is displayed. Place the cursor over the test you want to remove and click Delete.

  • In the Load tests tab, click in the Favorites column of the load test you want to remove from your favorites. The Favorites icon Favorites icon no longer appears, indicating that the load test was removed from your favorites.

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See also: