Testing phase

During the testing phase, it is important to start with simple, common test cases and gradually go to more complex scenarios and environment configurations. Other priorities include measuring the performance of the application as load scales up to projected peak and identifying and resolving the root causes of resource constraints and application bottlenecks. During the testing phase, a number of key activities are carried out. Here are some examples:

• Create scripts, test data, and validate the environment.

• Apply a multiple-staged test approach.

• Run endurance tests.

• Test availability at end of this phase.

• Plan priorities and risk mitigation with business stakeholders.

• Refine key performance indicator (KPI) monitoring strategy.

It is important to be aware of potential risks that might result from not considering performance during the design phase. Here are some examples:

• A negative impact on business revenue might result if applications that are not tested before launch breakdown during peak load.

• Added deployment and system maintenance costs might be incurred if extra hardware is required as a fix for performance issues.

• Difficult performance triage might be required in the production environment if performance issues are not found during testing and are directly impacting users.

• Key Performance Indicators
  Monitoring your system resources is a critical component to avoiding or in some cases, detecting WebSphere Commerce performance issues. As all systems are unique, IBM recommends that you familiarize yourself with your system's baseline statistics. Assess and determine acceptable values for our system to proactively identify and address performance issues when they deviate from the baseline.