HP LoadRunner and Performance Center Blog

Where does Performance Testing fit in Agile SDLC?

HMakhija — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:55:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Headless Performance Testing

sfeloney — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:08:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Video: How LoadRunner Works

mark.tomlinson — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:49:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Understanding the language of hosted load testing

mark.tomlinson — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:19:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Are We Done Yet?

HMakhija — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:37:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Testing is Back on the Charts

mark.tomlinson — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:47:00 GMT

...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...(read more)

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

mark.tomlinson — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 06:29:00 GMT

*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...(read more)

The LoadRunner Non-stop HP Virtual Conference

mark.tomlinson — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:55:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Performance Testing Needs a Seat at the Table

sfeloney — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:49:00 GMT

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...(read more)

What are the Goals of Performance Testing?

sfeloney — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:44:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Performance Management for Agile Projects

HMakhija — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:04:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Offshoring / Outsourcing Performance Testing

sfeloney — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:24:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Performance Center of Excellence

sfeloney — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:19:00 GMT

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...(read more)

HP Performance Engineering Best Practices Series

mark.tomlinson — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:41:00 GMT

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

mark.tomlinson — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:41:00 GMT

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)