Performance testing is normally the process of determining how the product or system performs when it is under a specific workload, so the stability and responsiveness of the performance is reviewed and quantified. Performance testing also checks, investigates, and measures the other aspects of the products, where attributes to be validated or verified include reliability, resource usage and scalability.
At Skiva our performance testing is dedicated to improving quality in the implementation, creative and structure of systems and we carry out several forms of performance testing. One of the simplest forms is load testing. This type of test helps us identify the behavior of the product under a specific load, such as the expected number of users on a system. Stress testing identifies what happens when the load is greater than expected maximums.
Soak, or endurance testing, determines if a sustained expected load can be maintained without breaking down. This test also looks for evidence that the performance deteriorates if the load is maintained over time. Related to endurance testing is spike testing. This measures the results when there is a sudden dramatic increase in load, while other tests relating to performance might be configuration and isolation testing.
Our performance testing has several goals and can serve different purposes. It can show that the system meets performance expectations. It can compare two systems in order to determine which of the two offers the better performance. Finally, it can measure where there are elements which fail to perform or perform poorly. For us at Skiva, the first consideration in performance testing should always be setting realistic performance goals.
