Alex Podelko

I finally decided to move my blog from testingReflection to here to have more control over it. I hope it would be eventually aggregated to testingReflection , but it is not the case right now.

I am working with the same products (more exactly with new builds of the same products) again and again, so I am trying to create correlation libraries for the products I am working with. Now I am back to a product using huge VIEWSTATEs (typical for programs using .Net). When I created a standard correlation rule “Search for parameters in all of the body text” with left boundary ViewState”value=” and right boundary “, it correlated just the first (and smallest) VIEWSTATE. Which somewhat correlated with my recollections of the issue. Google search provided multiple documents describing the issue – and most stated that LoadRunner is incapable to auto-correlate large VIEWSTATES ( here is an example). I also found HP document “The ASP.NET ViewState parameter” (Document ID: KM179371) with some rules attached. To my surprise one of the rules did correlated all VIEWSTATEs ! It was another kind of rules I didn’t use before: “Parameterize form field value” with Field Name __VIEWSTATE. There was a bug there too: web_set_max_html_param_len(“19228″); was placed after the request returning the parameter (so need to be moved manually). But it was the minor inconvenience comparing with necessity to manually replace multiple huge VIEWSTATEs.

It is interesting how far interesting information is sometimes hidden. Looking for specific information, I found a couple of very interesting pages on the Microsoft site, which never seen before. One is Windows Performance, a resource page with links to performance-related white papers. Another is PeopleSoft & JD Edwards Whitepapers and Webcasts, including SQL tuning whitepapers with a lot of usuful info for any applications, for example: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Tuning Tips for PeopleSoft Applications.

New version of Oracle Application Testing Suite 9.10 (former Emprix – now part of Oracle Enterprise Manager) was released recently. It is available for download (subject to OTN License). A lot of additional materials available (including webinars, white papers, etc.).

This version includes maintenance improvements to the existing features as well as new features outlined below (from readme):

• Oracle Fusion/ADF Functional Testing Accelerator – Enables enhanced support for automated functional testing of Fusion/ADF applications. Extends ATS’s Web functional testing capabilities by adding native support for ADF GUI components for object identification, automation, and validation. Oracle ADF is a key technology in Fusion Applications and can be used to build custom applications.
• Oracle Fusion/ADF Load Testing Accelerator – Enables enhanced support for automated load testing of Fusion/ADF applications. Extends ATS’s Web/HTTP load testing capabilities by adding a custom load testing correlation library and related scripting enhancements for Fusion/ADF load testing.
• Script Assets Manager – Standardizes management of scripts and related assets like Data Bank files, Object Libraries, and Script Functions.
• Enhanced Script Functions Support – Provides an easier way for users to create shared functions through the OpenScript user interface and call those functions from any test script to create more modular, reusable script components.
• Oracle Real User Experience Insight (RUEI) Script Import – Allows users to generate Oracle Application Testing Suite load test scripts from the Oracle Real User Experience Insight product by first exporting real user session transaction data from RUEI and then importing it into OpenScript to generate a load test script.
• Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Test Starter Kit / Sample Scripts – Provides a test starter kit with sample test scripts for Oracle EBS R12 applications based on the sample EBS “Vision” database.
• OpenScript Tree View Debugger – Provides debugging capabilities from the OpenScript Tree View including the ability to set breakpoints, step through script nodes, step over, pause, and watch variables. Previously, script debugging was only available from OpenScript’s Java Code View.
• Download Manager – Simplifies Oracle Application Testing Suite load test scripts by filtering out embedded HTTP URL requests for Web page resources (i.e. images, js, css, etc.) during script recording in OpenScript and then giving users the option of whether to automatically find and request those resources on playback in OpenScript and Oracle Load Testing.
• Result Code Verification – Makes it easier to adjust the behavior of an OpenScript test script based on the outcome of script commands by providing a result code that can be queried after command executes.
• Oracle Load Testing Reporting Enhancements – Provides drill-down capabilities that link OLT’s performance summary report to corresponding load test graphs for both real-time and post-run reporting.
• Enterprise Manager J2EE Middleware Diagnostics Integration – Provides integration between Oracle Load Testing and Enterprise Manager that enables users to view J2EE middleware performance diagnostics during load tests for identifying bottlenecks under load.
• Oracle Database ServerStats Profile – New Oracle Load Testing ServerStats monitoring profile for Oracle Database to capture key performance metrics during a load test.

The Computer Measurement Group (CMG) calls for papers and presentations for for CMG’s 36th International Conference to be held in Kissimmee, Florida, December 6th through 10th, 2010. The 2010 CMG conference will cover all areas of systems management, including but not limited to: capacity planning, management and reporting, modeling and statistics, measurement, tuning, performance engineering and load testing, as well as the latest developments in the overall field of computer performance evaluation.

Since 1975 CMG is a volunteer organization of performance professionals and the CMG conference is the best place to learn about performance analysis, capacity planning, and related subjects.

This year CMG has separate subject areas for Load Testing and Performance Engineering.

Mentoring is available.

Proceedings up to 2007 are available to everybody (free registration required).

There is a good newsletter and local groups.