In this blog post, we will discuss what performance levels are and how to use them. Performance levels have been introduced with Silk Performer 18.0 and they allow for a quick and easy passed/failed assessment of your measures and load tests. First, we will discuss how to set performance levels up, based on a four-step workflow. And then, we'll be stepping through a real-world example within Silk Performer. The basic workflow When using performance levels, we typically follow the workflow displayed in the diagram above. The first step is to get a baseline value for reference by executing a baseline run. In the example above, the baseline run determined a page time of 1.3 seconds for the web page microfocus.com/products . In the second step we define performance levels based on the reference values. We define Level A and specify a threshold of 2 seconds, since we consider this to be a good value for this specific web page. In step three, we assign Level A to the page time and execute a load test. And finally, in step four, we view the results in the overview report. If the page time of microfocus.com/products is under or equal to 2 seconds, Level A displays in the report. If the page time is over 2 seconds, Level B displays. An easy passed/failed assessment Performance level reporting allows for a quick and easy passed/failed assessment of your load tests, for example through your overview report. But it can also be used in conjunction with a continuous testing environment, where the assessment of your load tests can also be automated. Getting baseline values To apply this theory, we create a new project in Silk Performer, record a website, and perform a trial run. We then click Define User Types on the workflow bar and click Run baseline test . Once the run is completed, the Baseline Test Summary page displays. We click View baseline test report to view the measures that have been determined. We consider the results to be a good reference, so we return to the Baseline Test Summary page and click Set as baseline . The Baseline Summary page displays, showing two new buttons: Define Performance Levels (1) and Assign Performance Levels (2). Note that you can also access these dialogs through the Project menu at any time (3). Defining performance levels We click Define Performance Levels. The dialog that displays contains a table with the default performance levels, named A to F , in the first column (1). The second column defines values for the Average measure (2). You can use the third and fourth column to define additional values for percentiles (3). You can adjust all names and values to your needs and then save your settings or set them as the new default. Once you've set your performance levels, you can click Assign Levels (4) to directly switch to the Assign Performance Levels dialog. Assigning performance levels This dialog enables you to assign the performance levels you've just defined to the measures determined through the baseline run. Either assign a performance level to each measure manually (1), or use the magic wand tool (2). The magic wand tool automatically sets levels based on the baseline values. You can also use the Reset icon (3) to go back to the default settings and use the Measure Name field (4) to filter the list of measures. When you're done, click OK (5). You can now continue to model your load test and then execute it. Viewing the results When the execution is finished, the Load Test Summary page displays. We click Analyze Load Test to open Performance Explorer and show the overview report. In the User Types section, we find a green and a red bar that show what percentage of the performance levels is passed and what percentage is failed. Further down we can find details about all measures that have performance levels assigned. Green boxes show that a performance level is met, red boxes show that the level is missed. In the Reports tab, we can also access the performance levels dialogs. We can now use the results from the load test as new baseline values and reassign the performance levels if needed. You can show an additional section in your overview report called Performance Level Results . On the Reports tab (1), click Customize (2), and enable Performance Level Results (3). This displays an additional table in the General Information section (4). Conclusion The great benefit of using performance levels is that they provide a quick and easy visual performance report. The green and red boxes in the reports allow you to see at first glance which measures have met your requirements and which have not. Watch the Performance Levels video In the following video, you can watch how we performed the above described steps: (Please visit the site to view this video) More information To learn more about all new features and enhancements Silk Performer 18.0 provides, take a look at the following blog posts: Released: Silk Performer 18.0 Functional Tests for Load Testing Time to Interact The Silk Performer Help is another comprehensive source of information. If this article was useful for you, leave us a comment or like it. We appreciate your feedback.
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