LitWare testers obtained baseline performance data for the PT application by following certain common procedures for preparing and executing tests of this type.
They first decided what it was they wanted to learn about the application. The section Choosing Test Metrics explains how they chose what they did.
The testers attempted to run tests that would simulate actual usage of the PT application by large numbers of users. To do this, they created test scripts that re-create actions in proportion to estimated real-world activities of PT application administrators; see Scripts Used for the PT Application. To create these scripts, testers used the recording functionality of the WebLoad test software to record the commands used in the test script. The testing software ran these scripts during the stress test of the PT application. See Using Test Scripts.
The testers also took other precautions, such as deleting all unnecessary SQL Server data. See Running the Performance Tests.
Preparations complete, the LitWare testers started the tests, ensured data was being logged, and provided the results for this section. See Running the Performance Tests.