Segue's New SilkPerformer Is One Smooth Testing Suite

SilkPerformer includes simple wizards that allow users to easily place ranges of numbers and fixed data in input fields. Testers also can associate various Web connection speeds and network equipment performance with virtual user activities to simulate real-world scenarios. By separating scripts, testers also can mix and match transactions with multiple virtual user groups and user profiles.

Quality-assurance testers often initiate a dry run before running scripts under a full load and can use baseline performance metrics from these dry runs to determine optimal performance conditions. Individual page performance metrics gathered from dry runs can be used to set thresholds during load tests.

SilkPerformer provides an easy way to adjust load conditions using dynamic time lines. Users can test any workload scenario by simply adjusting any criteria on a test time line. The software then automatically coordinates the number of virtual user connections according to the criteria selected.

The software can perform sophisticated load tests while tracking thousands of virtual user sessions and browser settings. This level of granularity allows testers to pinpoint various performance issues within any virtual user's session. By accurately tracking virtual user activities, errors can easily be identified and differentiated.

Using SilkPerformer's Truelog tool, testers can drill down to an error by tracing all user steps leading up to it. CRN Test Center engineers found SilkPerfomer does a good job identifying error types and correlating them with application component locations. The software also provides various reports to help testers trace an error to either a performance problem or an application bug. Usually when testers determine that bugs are causing performance issues or errors, developers are called into the quality-assurance process. However, SilkPerformer by itself cannot trace errors in source code.

SilkPerformer integrates with Borland Software's Optimizeit ServerTrace to identify potential locations of J2EE source-code errors. In addition, SilkPerformer provides reports on key metrics obtained from application servers, databases and operating systems. Metrics gathered from these sources allows developers to quickly identify the layer at which an error occurred without having to trace code. SilkPerformer also can track thresholds from all those layers.

While SilkPerformer can pinpoint an area where code could be failing, it is not always accurate. In fact, there is no direct method to determine whether the errors SilkPerfomer finds on a Web page and those that Optimizeit finds in a J2EE component are the same error. Ultimately, when a database or application server container slows beyond a threshold or fails to respond, developers have to manually trace the problem. For instance, if an Enterprise JavaBean (EJB) connection to a database slows down, SilkPerformer reports can indicate inadequate performance levels in that EJB as well as the JDBC layer and even the database itself, assuming that database connectivity remains intact, but developers will have to retrace such a problem from scratch.

SilkPerformer arrives with a new Visual Studio plug-in to test .Net-serviced components, .Net Remoting and Web services. SilkPerformer supports C#, Visual Basic .Net and C++, Segue said. But third-party languages that write to .Net's CLR might not be compatible. In addition to J2EE and .Net tests, solution providers can purchase SAPGUI, Siebel Systems and Citrix Systems connectors for SilkPerformer. Since SilkPerfomer outputs the same test script code using these connectors, experienced testers can quickly learn to test third-party packaged applications with little training.

SilkPerformer comes with visual tools to test Web services, allowing testers to participate in this process. By adding input fields to methods in a Web service, testers can view responses and even check behavior of that service over time. SilkPerformer's Web service scripts are easy to use, so testers can quickly change field values and check outputs on-the-fly.

Segue's aggressive SilkElite channel program provides partners with dedicated technical sales and business development support, online resources and monthly communication via Webinars. The company also provides SilkPerformer to OEMs, distributors and consultancies on a referral basis. The suite is priced at $30,000 for 50 virtual users. Segue's average reseller margin is 50 percent for distributors, 35 percent for resellers and 15 percent for referrals.