Why Bother With Application Performance Testing?

If you intend to implement new software or web-based solutions, then you will want to test its performance first. Application performance testing is the process by which load tests are used to determine the reliability and scalability of an application.

The resulting reports from this testing will provide information and analyses from which to make a determination of the application's effectiveness based on your objectives.

Application performance testing is generally carried out for several reasons. These are to obtain performance information, set a basis for testing in the future, to determine any hindrance in the system or production, to evaluate the application based on determined objectives and to establish and rate its overall quality. If your application uses a network it is also important to use network performance monitoring software.

As stated above, application performance testing is utilized to determine an application's reliability and scalability. It helps to measure several factors including production readiness, evaluation of the application against established criteria, the characteristics of performance given various system configurations, identification and evaluation of performance problems, and the need for delicate adjustments or "tweaking".

Why is application performance testing done? Application performance testing is completed to address related risks involved with the use of the application and to evaluate readiness. These relate to the applications readiness for release (to a buying market for example), and it's ability to be further developed in the future, and predictions of its characteristics under a given set of circumstances. The application's capacity and stability are also determined and evaluated against performance goals and objectives, and intended use. Additional information such as the application's performance at different load levels establishes any need for tuning of the application. If the application does not perform well during testing, then the need to tune and then re-test is made evident.

To make an accurate evaluation of application performance testing, a number of factors must be kept in mind including the overall intent for the application(its intended use), the desired objectives for testing, and the criteria for making the determination of whether or not the application successfully passes testing.

Conducting application performance testing helps to determine and establish an application's reliability and scalability. It helps to determine any problems in the system, establish how the application will perform under certain loads, determine the application's readiness for release, and any need for fine tuning of the application. Ultimately, application performance testing evaluates the applications performance in terms of your overall goals and objectives for its implementation.