Introduction
Compuware QACenter Performance Edition is a highly scalable performance testing and server monitoring solution for today’s web, ERP/CRM and distributed applications.
QACenter Performance Edition records and plays back thousands of virtual user transactions to quickly create accurate production simulations and easily measure application performance and scalability. It can automatically create baseline test data and variable transaction data to ensure an effective, repeatable performance testing process. Built-in server analysis agents and centralized collection and analysis of performance data help pinpoint performance problems so you can deploy applications with confidence.
Recording/Building a Script
 With today’s aggressive release schedules, IT organizations need to test quickly without adequate time to train developers in the use of testing tools. QACenter Performance Edition provides an easy-to-use interface for reviewing and modifying web scripts. With this Visual Navigator, you can capture and view a user’s actions performed within an application. Because it’s easier to scan the actions taken during the capture process, users can edit their scripts more quickly.
 When scripts are being developed for a performance test, you need to be certain the data is realistic by ensuring the scripts do not perform the same actions every time. You want to variablize parts of the script, such as user ID, password or other unique data. QACenter Performance Edition makes this easy to do.
With a simple right click, you can add a variable to any component of the application under test. By doing so, you can make a single script do many things, creating more realistic test cases.
 Displayed here in red, you see the variablized component of the captured web page. Notice how the value is no longer a hard-coded value.
Executing the Test
Now that the script has been developed, you’re ready to execute the test. QACenter Performance Edition provides a central point of control for defining, managing and executing global load tests.
The Conductor module allows you to define a load test scenario, the machines to be monitored and the characteristics to be measured. You can also manage virtual users by executing test scripts across multiple applications.
 With QACenter Performance Edition you have access to multiple Conductor machines that can check out/check in virtual users from a license "pool." This gives you greater flexibility when performing a load test.
 With QACenter Performance Edition, you get not only an advanced load testing tool, but a comprehensive server and application monitoring solution as well. You can pinpoint bottlenecks and determine the root cause of system failures more quickly and easily.
During a load test, QACenter Performance Edition monitors your application through an agentless monitor—which means no extra burden on the application or servers, creating a more accurate load test.
 To optimize system performance and promote successful application deployment, it is important to know how the application and server are performing, as well as the network. QACenter Performance Edition integrates with Compuware Application Vantage, to provide a transaction breakdown of the client, server and network.
During a load test, QACenter Performance Edition can trace a single virtual user by launching Application Vantage to capture the user’s transaction—giving testers the ability to locate the true bottleneck quickly.
 QACenter Performance Edition also provides you with the flexibility to modify a test while it’s running. With dynamic test execution, you have complete control over the entire process.
You will notice that with the QALoad interface you can add or remove virtual users from the test, as well as vary the rate at which those users work. By being able to react more quickly as problems arise during the test, and adjust the test to play "what if" scenarios, you can pinpoint problems faster.
Real-time Feedback
While a load test is running, QACenter Performance Edition provides you with dynamic feedback. The summary report displays the script being executed, how many virtual users exist, the number of transactions that have passed or failed, and response times. These fields update continuously as the test progresses to provide the real-time feedback necessary to monitor your test successfully.
 QACenter Performance Edition also allows you to drill down into more detailed, real-time feedback, to see how response times and virtual users are affected during a load test.
 QACenter Performance Edition provides quick access to reports on the health of all of the servers that were monitored during the test—allowing you to discover quickly which servers were functioning well during the test and which ones were being overworked.
Reporting
After you have executed a load test, it’s important to have immediate access to specific, consistent reports. With QACenter Performance Edition, pre-defined standard reports are available by clicking the appropriate icon—on the left of the screen. Testers can also drag and drop results to create customizable reports to communicate critical data. You can quickly create reports summarizing overall application performance, as well as detailed reports identifying bottlenecks within particular parts of the system under test. The "analyze" feature also provides drill-down information that helps to correlate server performance with poor response times.
QACenter Performance Edition is truly an integrated offering, combining tools for load testing, data management, resource utilization and performance monitoring. | 
