New application for me – LoadRunner HP load test application

For a week I have been tagged along with Richard, LoadRunner Consultant from HP Singapore.  Da boss would like me to hold all the SAP ABAP customized report jobs which is scheduled for just-implemented MM and Purchasing module.  Guess what, he assigned me to learn up to support LoadRunner, which currently used for the company giant CRM project.  CRM Siebel project is the project of the year and Da Big Boss has high expectation on it.  Da boss is smart enough to get this ball from Da Bis Boss. 

Since few weeks back I know that our department is going to support a new application.  Although my knowledge about this LoadRunner is still shallow after a week (and hope that able to catch up in this 5 weeks time), but could see that it’s a comprehensive yet easy-to-use tool for load test. 

Technically there are 3 components that we use for the load test purpose: Controller, Virtual user generator and Sitescope.  Controller, as the name indicates, is used to control the load testing process where by setting the parameter of how the testing going to be.  Virtual user generator (also known as Vugen, pronounce as ‘UGEN’) is used to record the business processes that is going to be tested for example credit card application process, which later to be input to controller and run from controller. It recorded the process and generate a set of COMPLETE SCRIPT which require minimum modification.  VuGEn is also the load generator which is to act as ‘virtual user’ (by generating distinct IP for each user internally) and access the tested application. At the SiteScope (which is the monitoring tool), is where we specify what are the parameter that we want to monitor, for example, CPU utilization or disk rate or even the network traffic.  At the end, all the data is collected and analysis report is generated for further QA analysis. 

Despite those work related, I have also checked out a little bit more about what this LoadRunner is. Previously owned by Mercury and just acquired by HP last year, http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2006/060725a.html.  As I am supporting SAP for FICO, MM and purchasing, and also ABAPER, I am also interested whether the certification of LoadRunner is valued. Oh ya, the examination fee itself has costed USD$2500, whereby SAP exam fee (excluding classes) cost only RM1600.  And what more? During my SAP project, the Consultant from Sg has stayed in KL and came to the office during the weekend.  Mr Richard is a lucky one, he left on last Friday 4pm to catch a flight back to Sg. (I was miserably thinking how to escape at 445pm, official knock off time for me, and aha, the consultant left ealier than me :p)

Anyway, I am not a lazy student.  Hope that Da boss explains to the MM and purchasing user about the situation right now. I got to sit by the LoadRunner consultant whenever he is doing something on the workstation and got no time for the report.

Download LoadRunner trial version at http://downloads.mercury.com/cgi-bin/portal/download/loginForm.jsp?id=160.