HP LoadRunner and Performance Center Blog

Where does Performance Testing fit in Agile SDLC?

2009-11-12T18:55:00Z

Is agile software development lifecycle (SDLC) all about sprinting i.e. moving stories from product backlog to sprint backlog and then executing iterative cycles of development and testing? IMHO, not really! We all know that certain changes in an application can be complex, critical or have a larger impact and therefore require more planning before they are included in development iterations. Agile methodologies (particularly Scrum) accommodate for application planning and long-term complex changes...(read more)

Headless Performance Testing

2009-10-30T20:08:00Z

What is headless testing? It is any testing that does not have a GUI. We are all used to creating a performance script from recording a business process . This is accomplished by having a GUI for the business process that can be recorded. But do you always have a GUI to record? No, but many performance testers just refuse to test anything that doesn't. They say that without a GUI an app is not ready to be tested. I know most developers would disagree with that statement since they have to unit...(read more)

Video: How LoadRunner Works

2009-10-30T00:49:00Z

Sure, I know that we already posted a screen-shot video about LoadRunner Walkthrough , but it might also be nice to share another video whiteboard session to introduce HP LoadRunner and how the individual components of HP LoadRunner and HP Diagnostics are installed. (if your browser doesn't show the video in-line, just click here)...(read more)

Understanding the language of hosted load testing

2009-10-27T20:19:00Z

I recently got an email from a colleague which was an invitation from a testing service vendor which does load testing on "The Cloud" (internet-hosted testing service). The invitation included some misleading language about load testing that I think can be confusing to engineers that are new to performance testing. So, here's the hook question they used in their invitation email: "[Are you] Interested in learning how to load test your applications from an outside-in customer perspective...(read more)

Are We Done Yet?

2009-10-09T00:37:00Z

When is a user story considered done in agile projects? Depending on whom in the project I ask this question, the response to this question will be different. A developer might consider a story done when it has been unit tested and its defects have been addressed. A QA person might consider a story done when its functionality has been successfully tested as per its acceptance criteria. An application owner or a stakeholder might consider a story done when the story has been architected, designed...(read more)

Testing is Back on the Charts

2009-10-02T23:47:00Z

...and Quality sounds better than ever! The latest release entitled Here Comes Science from the Grammy-winning duo They Might Be Giants (John Linnell and John Flansburgh) includes a track called "Put It to the Test" which celebrates the enthusiasm of testing a hypothesis for the purposes of ratifying our understanding of the truth. In short - testing is actually COOL! This is not a song just for kids - no, no, NO! If you've been a veteran software tester or worked in any capacity for...(read more)

Update: 15-hours into the Non-stop HP Virtual Conference

2009-09-30T06:29:00Z

*original post was at 11:30pm on 9/29/2009* Okay - so I've been working the Worldwide HP Virtual Conference: Functional, Performance and Security Testing for about 15 hours now - nearly non-stop and I've had some great chat sessions with customers from all over the world. I've been on since 8:30am PST from Mountain View, California where I live. I've had 3 medium-sized cups of coffee - actually called Depth Charges from the coffee shop by my house. These are 16 ounces of regular coffee...(read more)

The LoadRunner Non-stop HP Virtual Conference

2009-09-28T17:55:00Z

THE TIME HAS COME!! I really don't want you to miss the Worldwide HP Virtual Conference: Functional, Performance and Security Testing in Today’s Application Reality. And just to show you how committed I am to you and to the conference, I'm going to attend the conference non-stop for the entire duration, just as we did in the promotional video ! I will be online in chats, at the booth, in the lounge and presenting the entire time and I will also be documenting the experience live from...(read more)

Performance Testing Needs a Seat at the Table

2009-09-25T18:49:00Z

It is time Performance Testing gets a seat at the table. Architects and developers like to make all the decisions about products without ever consulting the testing organization. Why should they? All testers have to do is test what's created. If testers can't handle that simple task, then maybe they can't handle their job. I know this thought process well. I used to be one of those developers :). But I have seen the light. I have been reborn. I know that it is important to get testers...(read more)

What are the Goals of Performance Testing?

2009-09-25T18:44:00Z

So what is the point of performance testing? I get this question often. And depending on who you talk to, you get different answers. First let me begin by telling you what are NOT the goals of performance testing / validation. Writing a great script Creating a fantastic scenario Knowing which protocols to use Correlating script data Data Management Running a load test This is not to say that all of these are not important. They are very important, but they are not the goals. They are the means to...(read more)

Performance Management for Agile Projects

2009-09-24T17:04:00Z

Performance management is an integral part of every software development project. When I think of agile projects, I think about collaboration, time to market, flexibility, etc. But to me the most important aspect of agile processes is its promise of delivering a “ potentially shippable product/application increment ”. What this promise means for application owners and stakeholders is that, if desired, the work done in iteration (sprint) has gone through enough checks and balances (including...(read more)

Offshoring / Outsourcing Performance Testing

2009-09-22T18:24:00Z

There are 2 main reasons why companies utilize offshoring (outsourcing) for performance testing. The main reason is cost savings . Obviously companies will try to choose locations where there is a lower cost of doing business. The 2 nd reason is to be able to ramp up new testers quickly. If there is a greater demand for testing than what the current set of testers can handle then offshoring or outsourcing can be utilized to quickly gain more testers to help with the excess demand. In an ideal world...(read more)

Performance Center of Excellence

2009-09-22T18:19:00Z

What is a Center of Excellence ( CoE )? Definition: A centralized entity that drives standardization and processes across an organization in order improve quality, consistency, and efficiency A central group of experts providing shared services and leadership to ensure high quality So what does this mean for performance testing? It means that a Performance CoE can improve the quality, consistency, and efficiency of performance testing and validation across an entire company. Performance testing is...(read more)

HP Performance Engineering Best Practices Series

2009-09-11T21:41:00Z

Just to let you know that we've been putting together some published practices for LoadRunner and Performance Testing...and the electronic version of the book(s) are available free of charge!

This one is "Performance Monitoring Best Practices" authored by Leo Borisov from our LoadRunner R&D team. Leo sent along this description and instructions for downloading the book:

"We have always recognized the fact that having best practices and methodology would greatly simplify the life of performance engineers and managers, and now we are beginning to fill this need. The book is available with the SP1 installation. Access it from the product documentation library, or from the help menu.

To download a copy from the hp software support site:

go to http://h20230.www2.hp.com/selfsolve/manuals
log in using an hp passport or register first at and then log in
in the list of hp software product manuals choose either LoadRunner or Performance Center – the book is listed under both
select product version: 9.51 and operating system: windows
click search

Since this is the first book in the series covering various aspects of methodology, we would really appreciate your feedback. Please send your feedback directly to me or lt_cust_feedback @ hp.com."

Congratulations Leo - thanks for your efforts!

Video: Understanding Concurrency and Concurrent Users

2009-09-11T20:41:00Z

So, just what the is the proper definition for concurrency? This is a hot topic sometimes when it comes to arguing about the validity and accuracy of the stress testing analysis. Of course there is no ONE simple answer here, so it's up to you to establish a common definition on your teams or for the Performance CoE. These videos will give you some tips on what concurrency is for performance testing. You will also learn about a common set of definitions for concurrent users....concurrent, active and named users.

LoadRunner Concurrency Part 1:

(if your browser doesn't show the video in-line, just click here)

Of course, I thought of several other items for this...and so there is also LoadRunner Concurrency Part 2:

(if your browser doesn't show the video in-line, just click here)